Growing up watching Halloween classics like “Halloweentown” (1998) and “Practical Magic” (1998), I was elated to hear that the original Sanderson sisters would return to the screen in a reboot of “Hocus Pocus” (1993). Originally a box office flop, reruns and 90s nostalgia have snowballed the film to cult classic status, prompting a sequel just in time for the Halloween season. Twenty-nine years after the release of the original, “Hocus Pocus 2” debuted Sept. 30 on Disney+, featuring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the same witchy trio that made the original so loveable.
Similar to the first film, the predominant plot of “Hocus Pocus 2” revolves around Becca (Whitney Peak), a gullible virgin in Salem, Ma. who lights an enchanted candle on Halloween night, reviving three sister witches that were hanged during the Salem witch trials. However, the second movie focuses on the sisters trying to cast the spell “Magicae Maxima” which renders them all-powerful, and will keep them alive forever as opposed to just Halloween night. Becca, of course, tries to stop them, as their success would mean bad news for Salem.
Although the plot of “Hocus Pocus 2” leaves something to be desired, the magic that spellbound audiences to the original remains. Catchy musical performances like “The Witches Are Back,” a clever parody of Elton John’s “The Bitch Is Back,” and Blondie’s “One Way Or Another” liven the movie and make the Sanderson trio all the more entertaining. Winifred Sanderson (Bette Midler) carries the same audacious hilarity, partnered with Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mary (Kathy Najimy) Sanderson’s utter stupidity. The modern world also aids itself to new jokes, like the witches using Dyson vacuums and Roombas to fly on instead of brooms. Funny, if you can look past the obvious product placement.
To the 1993 classic, the sequel also adds a new spin more focused on sisterhood, even female empowerment. The movie begins with an explanation of how the three teenage Sanderson girls became the witches: Winifred was arranged to marry at 16 years old, but refused and all three were cast out of Salem. Although we didn’t exactly need an origin story to enjoy this movie, it does facilitate a more empathetic viewing of the villains. The story ends with Winifred completing the all-powerful spell, but by some condition of the spell, takes away what she loves most, and her sisters fade away in bad CGI sparkles. Winifred decides she cannot live without them, and joins them in magical Disney death. Albeit a bit ridiculous, this is a sweet message about sisterhood and friendship for a younger audience.
And, to be honest, this movie is for a younger audience. “Hocus Pocus 2” creates a new story for a new generation. While the original might be considered a cult classic of 90s Halloween nostalgia, this movie is a chance for Gen Z and below to enjoy a fresh, modern and more inclusive retelling of the story that enchanted us in Halloween’s past. However, I think anyone can enjoy watching Bette Midler sing a Blondie classic on a stage full of drag queens dressed as her for Halloween!
