HOCUS POCUS 2:
THE SANDERSON SISTERS ONCE AGAIN STEAL THE SHOW HOWEVER, THE FILM ITSELF IS PRETTY STANDARD!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: ** ½ out of 4
DISNEY+
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy are back in Hocus Pocus 2
The wicked Sanderson Sisters have been reawakened in Hocus Pocus 2, the highly anticipated follow-up to the 1993 Disney comedy, Hocus Pocus. Despite being an iconic film during the Halloween season today, the first Hocus Pocus was not seen as such upon its initial release.
Yes, this film that a lot of kids grew up with and has become a staple of Halloween was not well-received by critics and bombed at the box-office when it came out. However, through airings on TV stations like the Disney Channel and ABC Family/Freeform in October, Hocus Pocus gained a massive cult following and found success in the home video market.
I’ll be completely honest, I don’t have quite the nostalgia goggles on the first movie as a lot of other people do, I knew of it when I was younger and saw clips of it before (Specifically a trailer attached to the Super Mario Bros. movie VHS tape), but I had never seen the full movie before until a couple years ago and I found it to be pretty enjoyable. It’s not a great film by any means and the whole virgin subplot is a little questionable, but I like how it captures the Halloween spirit with the production design, the special effects that are both impressive and campy at the same time, and of course, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy’s performances as the Sanderson Sisters are an absolute joy to watch, these three make the movie for me.
Now, we have this decades later sequel released on Disney+ with Bette Midler (Ruthless People, Beaches, The First Wives Club), Sarah Jessica Parker (Honeymoon in Vegas, Ed Wood, Sex and the City), and Kathy Najimy (Sister Act 1 and 2, King of the Hill, Rat Race) reprising their roles as Winnie, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson while Anne Fletcher (Step Up, The Proposal, The Guilt Trip) takes over directing duties from Kenny Ortega (Who directed the first film). Can this nearly 30 years later sequel recapture the same magic? Yes and No.
Like its predecessor, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy’s performances as the three witches are the best part of the film and it looks like they’re having fun revisiting their iconic roles. However, this is one of those “Here We Go Again” sequels where it hits a lot of the same beats as the first film, which for some may be exactly what they’re looking for.
Set 29 years after the events of the first film and follows a group of teenagers in Salem consisting of Becca (Whitney Peak-Gossip Girl, Home Before Dark, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), and Cassie (Lilia Buckingham-Chicken Girls, Total Eclipse, Zoe Valentine) preparing to celebrate both Halloween and Becca’s sixteenth birthday. But when Becca is given a mysterious candle as part of a birthday ritual from magic shop owner, Gilbert (Sam Richardson-Detroiters, The Afterparty, Superintelligence) and light it, they soon discover it’s actually a Black Flame Candle thus causing the zaniest and kookiest wicked witches, the Sanderson Sisters to be reawakened and run “AMUCK! AMUCK! AMUCK!” again. It’s up to the three girls and Winnie’s former lover and zombie, Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones-Hellboy 1 and 2, The Shape of Water, Star Trek: Discovery) to stop the witches from wreaking havoc on the Salem streets before sunrise.
The film also stars Tony Hale (Arrested Development, Veep, Toy Story 4) as Jefry Traske, Hannah Waddingham (Krypton, Ted Lasso, Garfield) as the Mother Witch, and Froy Gutierrez (Teen Wolf, Cruel Summer) as Mike.
Overall, Hocus Pocus 2 gives what it promises, more Sanderson Sisters mischief and shenanigans so fans of the first film are sure to feel right at home when going into this one. The film certainly delivers in that regard because as previously mentioned, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy are incredibly funny as the witches, and retain the exact same levels of energy and charisma they had back in 1993.
Not only do they make me laugh whenever they’re onscreen, but they make me laugh hard with their kooky appearances, silly line deliveries, and physical comedy. In my opinion, they are the only reason to watch this movie, because the rest of it is pretty generic and more of the same.
The film hits a lot of the same beats as its predecessor, the Sanderson Sisters search for souls and their ancient book after being resurrected on Halloween night, Bette Midler sings a musical number to put a spell on everyone, and a lot of fish out of water comedy with most of it involving them interacting with modern society and Walgreen’s (No joke!). It doesn’t help that the young characters aren’t nearly as fun or interesting as the Sanderson Sisters, they’re on par with characters from a Disney sitcom which isn’t bad just nothing special aside from this jock character who has probably some of the funniest lines outside of the Sanderson Sisters.
The film also visually looks like a lost 1990s Disney film, especially with the green screens of the Sandersons flying and some of the cheesy lightning effects. While there are some modern filmmaking tricks, the effects artists do a solid job at replicating that 90s fantasy tone that the first film had.
The jokes are hit or miss, but even when one doesn’t stick the landing, it’s often delivered in a funny way whether it’s from one of the Sanderson Sisters or a passing comment from a supporting character. One of my favorite running gags is Tony Hale’s character trying to get a Candy Apple at a Halloween party which is very reminiscent of an old cartoon or slapstick comedy.
If you’re a fan of the first Hocus Pocus then this sequel might be worth checking out, I can’t promise a masterpiece or anything great. But if you got a soft spot for the Sanderson Sisters and jokes that don’t always land but are at least said in a funny way, then you got a date with the Sandersons.
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