For many millennials, Disney’s 1993 Halloween comedy Hocus Pocus is an indelible part of our childhoods. Which is unexpected, as when the film was released it was met with mixed reviews and a middling box office haul. But Hocus Pocus soon gained a second life thanks to seasonal airings on the Disney Channel and ABC Family, and the film quickly grew a cult following, becoming a Halloween staple and fan-favorite. Now, those millennials who grew up with the film now have kids of their own, and the Disney reboot machine has finally given us Hocus Pocus 2, 29 years later.
Hocus Pocus 2 brings us back to Salem, where a new group of teens unwittingly conjure the wicked Sanderson sisters by lighting the black flame candle on Halloween night. High schoolers Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) are celebrating Becca’s 16th birthday as they always have, with a spooky séance in the woods. But they are doing so without their other bestie Cassie (Lilia Buckingham), who has ditched her friends to spend more time with her doofus boyfriend Mike (Froy Gutierrez). After the girls light the black flame candle, the Sanderson sisters, Mary (Kathy Najimy), Winifred (Bette Midler), and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker), return in full force, ready to wreak havoc on Salem.
0 comments