Why Hocus Pocus Never Gets Old
Words by Jada Gordon
Graphics by Aspasia Celia Tsampas
For every holiday, there is a film thatencompasses and embodies the very spiritof the occasion. For Christmas, It's aWonderful Life and Home Alone,etc. For Easter, it’s The TenCommandments, and for Halloween, which has some of the most diverse filmoptions, there are slasher movies, cartoons, and paranormal films. All of thesefilms fulfill the desires of Halloween lovers. However, one film seems to nevergo out of style. It lives in the hearts of Millennials and stays relevant inthe cultural zeitgeist, Kenny Ortega’s HocusPocus (1993) is the quintessential Halloween film.
For those who don’t know, Hocus Pocus is about the Sanderson sisters, three witches in Salem,Massachusetts who live off the souls of young children in exchange for youthand beauty. In 1693, they feed off the soul of the young Emily Binx, killingher in the process. Her older brother Thackery tries to stop the witches butthey turn him into an immortal Black cat and he must live with the guilt of notsaving Emily. Before their execution, the Sanderson sisters cast a spell on AllHallows Eve so if a virgin lights the Black Flame Candle they will reappear.Thackery, now a cat, guards the house to ward off people who might try tosummon the witches.
Three hundred years later, Max Dennison, withhis sister Dani, and crush Allison in tow, lights the Black Flame Candle. Andthat’s where the fun begins.
HocusPocus was released on July 16, 1993, to a mix ofpredominantly poor critical reviews and reception. The film lost Walt DisneyPictures over 16.5 million dollars, although it stars film and Broadway icon,Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy of Sister Act andSister Act 2, and at the timeup-and-coming actress Sarah Jessica Parker. The weird time of release (aHalloween film released in the middle of summer?) was due to the studio notwanting the film to compete with their other Halloween-based film, the equallyiconic The Nightmare Before Christmas.Despite this, Hocus Pocus hasmaintained a cult status for many years, running every Halloween on the DisneyChannel and Freeform.
The film has spawned two fictional books, ascholarly analysis book, a 25th anniversary Halloween Bash that reunited thecast, and an alleged long-awaited sequel. What makes this movie so quotable?What makes audiences come back to this film year after year? What has made thisfilm a cultural phenomenon in the already iconic Disney film lineup? Here’s whyHocus Pocus never gets old.
The Sanderson Sisters
Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson are the main antagonists in the film. Their girl power, camaraderie, and overall performance make this film memorable and quotable all the way though. Winifred, played by Bette Midler, brings the evil, funny, and alluring charm that makes her so fun to watch. Her control of the sisters, her vocal talent that weaves in and out of the movie (look at her rendition of “I Put a Spell on You”), and her larger than life spirit commands the screen time and time again. Midler goes from an evil, youth-hungry witch to an emotional wreck in five minutes. She makes being evil look so damn fun that we almost want to root for her until we look through a more realistic lens and remember Winifred and her sisters are preying on young children for their spirits. This is a classic showcase of Bette Midler’s range of both comedic and musical talent.
Sarah Sanderson, played by Sarah JessicaParker brings a sultry, yet playful charm to the group. Sarah maintains abalance of naiveté with her sexual, playful charm. She’s only as sexy as aDisney film can get but still pulls it off well. She manages to walk this linewith every man she meets in the film. This is done with such fun, flighty, andflirty energy that it’s delightful and at times makes you forget that she isyet again preying on young children, especially alluring them with predatoryenergy. We can’t forget that Sarah Sanderson is over three hundred years oldluring young children to their demise, but the charm shines through. Thisculminates when Sarah Sanderson sings “Come Little Children” to lure thechildren to the Sanderson home to have their souls taken by the witches.
*FunFact: Sarah Jessica Parker’s relatives were accused of witchcraft and narrowlyavoided being burned at the stake in the 1692 Salem Witch trials although shewas innocent. *
Mary Sanderson, played by Kathy Najimy, isquirky, funny, and has a keen sense of smell. Mary’s sense of smell helped thesisters find potential victims to be under the Sanderson spell. She was thebutt of the sisters’ jokes, a victim of Winifred’s nasty retorts and abuse, andwas the perfect quirky character between the other two vastly differentsisters. This displayed Kathy Najimy’s strong comedic chops. Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993)came out the same year as Hocus Pocus,so this was a good year for Kathy Najimy. Her character, Mary Sanderson, waswell developed and Kathy Najimy held her own between Winifred and Sarah. Herlove for food along with her keen sense of smell brought a dash of extra quirkyhumor at times where Winifred seemed to snap. Mary Sanderson was a goodcounterpart to both Winifred and Sarah when needed and it's hilarious to watchevery time.
Kenny Ortega Directed It
Kenny Ortega is Disney royalty at this point.He's a noted director, producer, and choreographer at Disney with an expansive filmography,television, and concert work. He's worked on numerous projects with Disney suchas: Newsies (1992), The Descendants trilogy (2015), The Cheetah Girls 2 (2006) (arguably thebest one), and most notably the HighSchool Musical trilogy (2006), where he choreographed and directed allthree films. Kenny Ortega has choreographed tours for Cher, Michael Jackson,and Gloria Estefan and choreographed classic films like Dirty Dancing (1988).Also, he has won multiple Primetime Emmy Awards for his work. Hocus Pocus was another classic film hehas under his belt. He directed and choreographed this film although it’s not amusical. He incorporated movements from their in-sync walking (which arefunny), their calming circle, and their iconic rendition of “I Put a Spell onYou” which is definitely one of the biggest highlights of the film. KennyOrtega added his special touch to the film that elevated Hocus Pocus.
*FunFact: “I Put a Spellon You” was not originally going to be a part of the movie until Kenny Ortegaadded it. *
“I Put a Spell on You”
“Thank you, Max. For that MARVELOUS introduction” Winifred stated before singing going intothe rendition of the classic song “I Put a Spell on You”, made famous in the’50s by Screaming Jay Hawkins. For context, Max, Dani, and Allison run to thetown’s Halloween party to inform the adults of the Sanderson sisters’ return. There,no one believes them, and that leaves the adults open to be put under theSanderson sisters’ spell. The words take on a literal meaning because they do put a spell on the adults so theywon’t get their kids, leaving the sisters’ open to feast off of the souls oftheir children. This all sounds insane and traumatic but the film makes it funand joyous in ways Disney has perfected. Winifred added lyrics such as “It's been 300 years/right down to the day/ Now the witch is back and there's hell to pay” to playwith the legend of the Sanderson sisters which the town romanticizes and thehell the parents are going to pay because of their return.
It’s a Story about Sibling Love
Past the haunting, witchy aspect of Hocus Pocus, the film is a story of siblings and the love theyshare. Thackery feels eternal guilt for not rescuing Emily, so with Thackery asa cat, Binx does everything in his power to save Dani. Binx also makes sure Maxrealizes how lucky he is to have a sister. Dani may come across as annoying butshe is an eight-year-old girl that wants to be close to her brother. Max andDani have gone through a shift, both physically and emotionally. They movedfrom Los Angeles, California to Salem, Massachusetts and that’s a huge shiftfor any child. Max is in the throes of being a teenager and coming into hisown. Dani is still stuck in her girlhood and is attached to Max and how he usedto be. So, when he pushes Dani away, it’s because he’s frustrated with changewithin and outward. But, by the end of the movie, they are far closer to eachother than either expected because they’ve learned something new aboutthemselves in the experience. So, in true Disney fashion, this story is aboutsiblings, love, and how we should never take the people in our lives forgranted.
