Hocus Pocus

Starring: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Omri Katz, Thora Birch, Vinessa Shaw, Tobias Jelinek, Doug Jones, Penny Marshall (uncredited)
Directed by: Kenny Ortega
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
1993

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Three kids accidentally resurrect a trio of evil witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy) and must team with a magical cat to stop them.

Review:

Tim: For many years, Hocus Pocus was on my "I'm Embarrassed I Haven't Seen This Movie" list. In October 2021, I finally resolved that. It was interesting watching a cult classic for the first time that many people my age love. I see posts about this movie every year around Halloween and I've never really understood it. Seeing it not as a young teenager but an (aging) man was interesting. I didn't see the movie through a nostalgia lens, I was able to watch it more objectively. And, through that lens, I can say that this is a really good movie. I don't think it gets very close to greatness, but it's thoroughly entertaining and memorable. I can see why my contemporaries would look back on this movie with such fondness.

As you would hope from a Disney movie like this, the movie does a good job of establishing these young protagonists and pitting them against these bumbling witches. If you were roughly the same age as the three heroes, the story would certainly feel like a bit of wish fulfillment. These characters get to have a big adventure in a sleepy little town. They build relationships while combating witches with a magical cat on their side. When I was a young teenager, I longed for adventures like this. The movie offers a fun, entertaining adventure for viewers. It's certainly a definitive Halloween movie, one that fully embraces the holiday for its story. I get how people would be excited about seeing this every year in October.

Now, the cast is certainly a big reason why this movie succeeds. However, I have to admit that not everyone in the cast give strong performances. There are some outsized contributions. For example, Bette Midler makes a huge impact on the film. As the lead witch, she's fantastic. The hair and makeup goes a long way to transforming her into Winifred (I had to look her name up), but her performance makes a huge difference. Midler is totally fine playing this up to extreme levels and isn't afraid to look ridiculous. She really sets the tone for the movie and it's great fun seeing her in this role. Sarah Jessica Parker gives a good performance, too. She's the most unique of the three witches and brings a very different energy to the proceedings. I thought her casting was unexpected, but it helped. Kathy Najimy felt like an odd casting choice to me. She didn't seem to be on the same level as Midler or Parker, but she rises to the occasion. She makes a believable witch and rounds out the trio well. Now, between these three, this is a big reason why the movie is so enjoyable. To see Midler, Parker, and Najimy as these silly, villainous witches is great fun. They all dive into the roles fully and bring so much energy and humor to these witches. When I think about this movie, it's the three of them that stand out. They're deserving of our praise for what they did here.

The rest of the cast is decent, but clearly not up to the same level. It was fun seeing Thora Birch in her precocious role. She's good. Omri Katz was decent in his role, but it felt like your typical 1990s throwaway role. It felt like he was cast more for his looks than for his acting talent. You could argue Vinessa Shaw was similar, but I thought she did some solid things with her performance. If you can look past some of their forced acting, it's not so bad. The rest of the cast was decent.

One thing I really enjoyed about this movie is that it allowed viewers of many ages to have an entertaining Halloween movie to help celebrate the holiday. Mostly, when I think of Halloween, you go to movies like (duh) Halloween, Friday the 13th or A Nightmare on Elm Street. Those horror classics aren't for kids. Hocus Pocus fills that gap by delivering a family-friendly adventure that throws a few thrills and chills, but doesn't have the gore and violence of a typical horror movie. This story pits three mostly likable characters against three bumbling witches, and it's a fun, memorable adventure. I had an enjoyable time watching this movie and it doesn't surprise me a bit that it's become a cult classic.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Casper, The Nightmare Before Christmas