If you are Of a Certain Age, chances are that you grew up watching Hocus Pocus, the 1993 Disney film about a trio of witches resurrected from the dead to haunt Salem, MA, on a very 90s Halloween night. If you are like me, you even maybe went as the Sanderson Sisters with your parents for Halloween, and maybe your dad was Winifred and maybe your mom kept threatening to eat small children. Maybe.
Despite an initially poor reception, Hocus Pocus quickly became a Halloween touchstone for Millennials and a sort-of cult classic in its own right. So it’s no surprise that Disney has finally capitalized on our generation’s nostalgic bent and released a sequel to the film, complete with the return of Bette Midler, Kathy Najimi, and Sarah Jessica Parker as the terrible trio.
In Hocus Pocus 2, the witches are back, this time summoned by fledgling witch Becca (Whitney Peak) on Halloween, which just so happens to be her sixteenth birthday. Becca is aided by her own coven, including best friend Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) and Cassie Traske (Lilia Buckingham), the daughter of the town mayor and descendant of the original elder who caused the Sandersons grief. This is where we also get some backstory that somewhat retcons the original but also addresses one of the fundamental problems of it—that innocent women were actually murdered in Salem, and the town was not exactly a bunch of innocent bystanders. According to the story, the Sandersons were driven out of Salem when Winifred refused an arranged marriage and the town elders tried to take her sisters away.
As much fun as the kids are, the film really picks up with the return of the Sandersons, which is what we’re all here for. And despite it being thirty years later, all three actresses are more than game for their return. They’re having a blast, resisting being fooled by teenagers, discovering the wonders of Roombas, and once more bewitching the entire town to do their bidding. The goal this time is to perform a spell to make the Sandersons all-powerful and therefore, somehow, immortal, evading that need to consume the souls of children that spurred the events of the first film.
Hocus Pocus 2 is solidly a nostalgia fest, trying to appeal to several generations at once: Millennials, who still recall the original film with fondness, Gen-Z Disney kids, and actual children who, let’s face it, is the main demographic for both films. And one struggles to see how anyone either not a Millennial or not a child would understand this film, indulging as it does in numerous callbacks and rehashes of the original’s points. But even if it doesn’t quite summon up the creepy undercurrents of the first, Hocus Pocus 2 is still a blast. Do we get the sisters bewitching the entire town via song? Of course we do, only this time it’s Blondie’s “One Way or Another” (an inspired choice, as far as I’m concerned). Do we get the sisters failing to understand modern technology? Yes, and the idea of these three running amok in a Walgreen’s is, frankly, delightful. Are teenagers once again outwitting three biddies from the 15th century? Sure, but there’s also Sam Richardson as an unwilling accomplice in a subplot involving him and Winifred and Sarah’s zombie boyfriend Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones), who is a bit tired of being woken up.
If this sequel is less biting than the original, Hocus Pocus 2 is still a candy-coated poison apple held out by performers whose enthusiasm filters through the screen—the three leads are thrilled to be flying around again, and their teenage pursuers far savvier and more progressive than the original. There’s also a slightly unhinged element of gleeful mayhem that reminds us of the real reason we want this at all is to watch the Sandersons cause havoc in a small town.
While I seriously doubt that any adult without fond memories of the first film will be interested in Hocus Pocus 2, it’s very much not for those people in the first place. Halloween has always had a special place in my heart, and the Sandersons are back to remind us that this is all supposed to be a bit of spooky fun.
Hocus Pocus 2 is available to stream on Disney+.
