Since childhood, producer David Kirschner loved Halloween and would tell his daughter ghost stories to set an ominous tone. She was particularly captivated by a story he told of a boy cursed to be a cat by three witches. He hired Mick Garris to adapt the tale into a screenplay called Halloween House, submitting it to Disney in 1984. Over the years, the script went through various rewrites, but production stalled until it caught Bette Midler’s attention. With her onboard, the studio moved ahead with the production, hiring Newsies director Kenny Ortega to helm the project. Leonardo DiCaprio was originally going to play the lead but dropped out to star in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? On a $28 million budget, the movie was shot in Burbank, Salem, and Marblehead from October 1992 to February 1993. To avoid competing with The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus was released in July 1993.
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Synopsis
In 17th Century Salem, young Thackery Binx (Sean Murray) is cursed to be a cat by three witches. These witches are The Sanderson Sisters – Winifred (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy), and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker). While the witches are found and hanged for their crimes, Thackery is left to wander Salem for eternity. Three hundred years later, Max Dennison (Omri Katz) is forced to take his younger sister Dani (Thora Birch) trick-or-treating. They run into Allison (Vinessa Shaw), whom Max has a crush on, and she shows them the Sanderson Sisters’ cottage. Max lights a black candle, inadvertently resurrecting The Sisters, but they run off with their spellbook. The Sisters enlist Winifred’s zombified ex-lover, Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones), to retrieve it to redo their eternal youth spell. With precious time on their hands, our heroes have to stop the witches before they succeed in exacting their revenge.
Review
While initially a critical and commercial flop, Hocus Pocus has gone on to amass a huge cult following. It’s easy to see how, given the way the film perfectly captures the dark yet playful essence of Halloween. Though much of the material was toned down over the various rewrites, this is still dark for a Disney movie. A child dies in the opening, characters constantly mention how Max is a virgin, and there’s even a public hanging. This is the rare kind of family film where both children and adults can find something to enjoy. The kids will love the goofy shenanigans and fun characters, while adults will appreciate the occasional risque jokes and themes. Admittedly, some of these elements don’t mesh together well, but it’s not enough to create tonal whiplash. Your enjoyment will depend on your tolerance for slapstick and fish-out-of-water humor.
Omri Katz is likable as Max, and he has excellent chemistry with both Thora Birch and Vinessa Shaw. You buy the brother-sister relationship between Max and Dani, and the budding romance with Allison is charming. While Sean Murray plays the human version of Thackery Binx, Jason Marsden provides the voice for when he’s a cat. Marsden does an excellent job injecting some dry wit into the film to bring an animatronic/digital cat to life. Doug Jones is a lot of fun as the mute Billy Butcherson, playing his part as exaggerated as possible. Stephanie Faracy and the late Charles Rocket are fun as Max and Dani’s parents, acting oblivious without seeming obnoxious. There are also some nice cameos from the late Kathleen Freeman, Gary Marshall, and Penny Marshall. It’s a well-rounded cast, with each actor given their moment to shine.
However, the real stars of the film are The Sanderson Sisters, each one perfectly cast for their part. Bette Midler is funny and menacing as the lead witch, Winifred, who gets some of the movie’s best lines. Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker balance her menace by providing comic relief, essentially witch versions of The Three Stooges. Kenny Ortega’s direction is fluid and dynamic, largely thanks to his background directing music videos. William Sandel’s production design, Tony Gardner’s practical effects, Mary E. Vogt’s costumes, and Hiro Narita’s cinematography are all mesmerizing. Admittedly, some of the digital effects haven’t aged that well, and its 90s aesthetic might put off modern audiences. Still, even for cynical Disney haters, it’s hard to deny the film’s magical qualities and not find something enjoyable. Overall, Hocus Pocus is a highly entertaining, if somewhat flawed, Halloween adventure the whole family can watch.
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