Halloween classic or Halloween mistake? I am reviewing the fantasy comedy movie Hocus Pocus, released on July 16, 1993. Starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker, it is rated PG. Directed by Kenny Ortega, it takes place in Salem, Massachusetts on October 31, 1693 and October 31, 1993.
300 years ago, sister witches named Winifred, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson were executed but cast a spell so they could return. In the present day, a teenager named Max Dennison, his little sister Dani, and his love interest Allison Watts all go into the Sandersons’ home and Max foolishly ignores warnings and brings the sisters back by lighting an enchanted black candle. Now, with the help of a 1693 boy turned into a talking cat named Thackery Binx, they must stop the witches from feeding off the life force of children and ensure they do not survive the night. Can they stop the witches?
As possibly the most popular family movie to watch on Halloween, there are debates on whether this is a good movie. I will give my opinion. I will start with the characters and performances. The main heroes are generic. I get that they are supposed to be normal kids, but they really do not leave much of an impression. I will praise Binx for being an interesting character. It is easy to sympathize with him knowing his story, but he is also awesome. The highlight of this movie is the witches themselves, so much so that I listed them above rather than the actors playing the heroes. They are entertaining in every scene they are in, stealing the show. It helps that they manage to be likable, despite being evil witches intent on horrible things. Plus, having different abilities does make them stand out from each other. The worst characters and performances in the movie must go to the bullies. While we are obviously supposed to dislike them, given that they are bullies, I hate them not because they are jerks, but because they are annoying. The characters and performances are hit or miss.
The story has its ups and downs as well. The idea of executed witches coming back centuries later to cause more trouble is an interesting idea. This also adds to how our heroes can stay ahead of them, since they know how the 20th century works and the witches do not. Despite not liking the main heroes that much, there is a decent message about the importance of looking after your younger sibling. I am the youngest in my family, so it does not mean anything to me, but I am sure it did to others, especially since this is a kids’ film. However, the plot does have problematic elements. It was stated that a virgin was required to bring the witches back. After Max lights the candle, him being a virgin is brought up repeatedly for the rest of the film. He is a teenager, so him being a virgin is not that odd. This comes across as virgin shaming, as well as something not appropriate for the age this movie is intended for. In addition, as cool as the concept of the movie is, it does come at the price of insulting history. The witches’ executions are meant to parallel the Salem Witch Trials. Since history has shown that there were no witches and all the victims were innocents accused out of paranoia, it seems disrespectful to portray these witches as evil and rightfully being killed. I think they could have made it so they were originally good and their actions in the present day are out of revenge for what happened to them.
The other highlights beyond the witches’ performances are the effects and visuals. This is something to behold. The witches flying on brooms, the talking cat, and even a zombie is appealing to the eye. All of it looks convincing. For a 1993 film, these effects and visuals have held up wonderfully.
Overall, with a movie that has this many good and bad elements, how is it for me? I enjoy it. It is not a great movie by any means, with too many things to complain about, but I feel there are a number of great elements to praise and it is worth a watch every October. If you are someone like me who enjoys watching Halloween specials, but hates horror and being scared, this may just be the one for you.
Unlike the witches in the movie, the people of the Salem Witch Trials were innocent victims. I would like to say this mentality has gone away, but it has not. The justice system is way too flawed, with innocent people being accused of crimes. This happens more than you would think, and it can take years for people to be proved innocent. Even if they are, they may not be let back into society because they are associated with crime. This is something good people need to do something about. In the case of eyewitness testimony, we need to push for further checking how reliable these are. We need people in the justice system to know how forensic science works to avoid mistakes. We need to fight for more monitoring of interrogations to make sure the accused was not forced into making a confession. We must make sure the accused get good legal defense so the odds are not stacked against them. We need to have measures ensuring that police officers and prosecutors cannot commit misconduct in or out of court. We need to monitor plea deals so that innocents will not confess to crimes they were not responsible for. We need more control against surveillance and technology that can make innocent people look guilty. We need a system that protects bias in trials. We need to make it so that people will being willing to look at evidence that proves a person’s innocence. We can create a more fair system if we work together on this.
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