My Movie Review on Hocus Pocus
Greetings, my good friends.
This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
And today, for my 6th installment of my "Spook Spectacular" series, and the final review on a Halloween-based film, I'll be reviewing "Hocus Pocus".
Here's the summary of this film:
Three hundred years ago, three witches, who were known by many as the Sanderson Sisters, were executed by the law for their unspeakable crimes. But it wasn't without them vowing that they would return from the dead.
So, when a teenage boy named Max Dennison lights a black candle on Halloween night, the witches return in order to complete their scheme: to gain eternal youth and immortality.
Now, it's up to Max, his little sister Dani, their friend Allison, and a three hundred year old boy named Thackery Banks who was cursed to be a black cat with eternal life, to stop the witches and end them once and for all.
Will the quartet save the world? Or will the witches have their ways?
I remember seeing this movie once a long time ago, though I didn't really have a lot of thought about it.
However, when I kept seeing tons of ads for Disney World on Youtube featuring the Sanderson Sisters, and became aware of the film's cult following, I found myself thinking "I absolutely must see it again and review it!".
So, that's exactly what I did.
Even though this film was rather negatively received when it was released in 1993, I can see why it gained such a surprising cult following.
It's actually a lot more fun than anyone would expect!
For instance, the acting, casting, characters, and character development were excellent.
I mean, I will admit that the Sanderson Sisters were rather goofy as antagonists, especially because there's a certain Three Stooges vibe about them, but yet...it's all in a good way more than anything else. Each of them are not without personality, intimidation, and maliciousness either. Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker each did an awesome job portraying their characters and providing great laughs along the way, even though their acting may have seemed exaggerated in some ways.
The performances of the rest of the film's ensemble, and the development of their characters, were pretty spot-on. The most heartwarming of developments definitely came from that of the strengthening bond of Max and Dani as siblings, and the developing romance between Max and Allison. The former being because of Max realizing how precious to him his sister truly is.
The story by David Kirschner and Mick Garris, the screenplay by Garris and Neil Cuthbert, and the direction by Kenny Ortega proved to be entertaining too.
Admittedly, there were some things about the story that generated questions in my head. Things that made me think the story was slightly flawed.
The questions that came in my head were mainly ones about whether there'd have been an easier way for the heroes to defeat the witches other than just waiting for them to be disintegrated in the morning. But, that's just me.
Other than that, I thought that everything tied together perfectly and was marvelously executed. The concept was something that I found to be original, there was wonderful heart and emotion, and the humor aspect was hilarious and well-worked.
The music by John Debeny was additionally entrancing. This film clearly showcases one of the best scores Debney has made, because the emotional resonance it gave off was so heart-pounding you could find yourself in the story itself and feeling what the characters are feeling. For instance, in the moments where the heroes run into trouble with the witches, there would be a feeling of immediate high stakes. The song "I Put a Spell On You", might I add, was amazingly enjoyable, and should definitely be available on iTunes as a single.
In conclusion, "Hocus Pocus" may not be flawless, but it's entertaining every step of the way and is a treat that's perfect for celebrating Halloween with. In short, just like Eddie Murphy's "The Haunted Mansion", the film is another underrated and overlooked gem from Disney.
So, I rate "Hocus Pocus" 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.
