Hocus Pocus 2

Premiered September 30, 2022.

On Halloween Night, 1993, in Salem Massachusetts, Winifred Sanderson (Bette Midler) and her sisters Mary (Kathy Najimy) and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) were resurrected when a black flame candle was lit. 

Twenty-nine years later, history repeats itself when two witchcraft-curious Salem teens named Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) prepare to celebrate Halloween and Becca’s sixteenth birthday.  They refuse a party invitation from their estranged friend Cassie Traske (Lilia Buckingham) and go to the woods to perform Becca’s birthday ritual.  The girls light a black flame candle during the ritual and accidentally summon our favorite witches from the beyond.

The Sanderson sisters are excited about their return.  They’re once again determined to brew a potion that steals the souls of children in order to gain eternal youth for themselves.  Lizzy and Becca pretend to idolize the sisters and that a potion containing children’s souls can be bought at the local apothecary…a Walgreen’s drug store.  The girls trick the witches into thinking that various beauty products in the drug store will achieve the same effect as their potion, but the ruse does not work for long. 

The witchy trio winds up at their old home, which is now a magic shop, managed by a man named Gilbert (Sam Richardson).  He became a fan of the Sandersons sisters when he saw them when they wrecking havoc in Salem in 1993.  Gilbert has been trying to revive them ever since so he agrees to help the sisters.   

Meanwhile, the Sandersons stumble on a campaign flier for Mayor Jefry Traske (Tony Hale) - who also happens to be Cassie’s father.  The witches realize that the mayor is a descendent of Reverend Traske, who banished them from Salem in 1653.  

They decide to take vengeance upon Traske and Salem by using his blood to create the dangerous Magicae Maxima spell which the sisters believe will make them all-powerful and immortal.  They leave to hunt down Traske after trapping Becca and Izzy in the basement.  They force Gilbert to collect the other ingredients.  Gilbert digs up Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones) from the graveyard and enlists Billy’s aid in collecting potion ingredients.  Billy doesn’t realize that his head is one of the items needed to complete the spell.   The girls manage to escape from the basement and attempt to contact Cassie to warn her about the Sandersons’ return.      

                    

Magical mischief and mayhem ensue and in order to find out whether Winnie, Mary and Sarah succeed in carrying out their plans, you will have to watch the movie! 

RigbyMel says:

Hocus Pocus 2 builds upon the cult nostalgia surrounding the first movie and has a lot of fun doing so.  There are quite a few nods to the original 1993 film (but alas, none of the original actors playing the kids who defeat the Sanderson sisters in the first film return).    That being said,  Midler, Najimy and Parker are always super entertaining to watch in their silly witchy roles. 

Winnie, Mary and Sarah also get another chance to shine musically with a scene set to Elton John’s “The Bitch Is Back” appropriately re-titled to “The Witches Are Back” as well as a big song and dance number featuring their take on “One Way or Another” - originally of Blondie fame.  

I appreciated the somewhat fleshed out 17th century backstory the film gives to the Sanderson sisters – Winnie defies authority and refuses to marry and then fights to save her sisters from being taken away from her.   But I also appreciate that [SPOILER] our delightfully naughty witches never do get *completely* redeemed either.

Some of the jokes feel a bit re-hashed from the original movie, but the cast makes the material enjoyable even if it is a *bit* familiar.   

I also found it interesting that since there is a nearly 30 year gap between the original 1993 Hocus Pocus and its sequel, one can see some distinct differences in the way Halloween is celebrated then and now. Spookiness, treats and costumes remain consistent, but the context changes a bit. For example, the big trick or treating scene from the first movie has been replaced with a Halloween carnival which feels more like the “trunk or treat” events that have become rather more prevalent today.  

All in all,  Hocus Pocus 2 is good silly fun – not quite as good as the first movie, but enjoyable. 

RigbyMel’s rating: 

.5

2 and a half jack o' lanterns.

J.A. Morris says:

I am mostly in agreement with RigbyMel about Hocus Pocus 2.  It’s a good sequel, about on par with the original.  It’s a fun Halloween movie, nothing more, nothing less.  Like the original Hocus Pocus, this movie is worth watching due to the presence of Midler, Parker and Najimy.  They’re all funny and their musical performances made me smile.  The younger actors are likable and do a good job in their roles.

I don’t understand why none of the actors from the original movie appeared in Hocus Pocus 2.  Most are still alive and it would’ve made the sequel feel more connected to its predecessor.  

There’s a scene during the flashback to 1653 where the young Sanderson sisters encounter the Witch Mother, who is played by Hannah Waddingham (of Ted Lasso fame).  The Witch Mother arrives with much fanfare and I expected to see her again during the portion of the movie set in the present.  

However (SPOILER ALERT), the Witch Mother is never seen or mentioned again.  I’m not sure why they teased the character and brought in an actor of Waddingham’s caliber for one brief scene.  

I was also annoyed by the preponderance of product placements on display in this movie, most notably during the Sanderson's visit to Walgreen's.  

Hocus Pocus 2 is recommended for anyone who liked the first movie or if you’re just looking for some light seasonal fare.  But I doubt it will attain the “modern Halloween classic” status of the 1993 film.  

J.A. Morris’ rating:

.5

2 and a half jack o'lanterns.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: "I Am Ashamed"

Premiered October 19, 2018

It's a few days before Halloween and Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) is happily munching on candy corn and decorating for the spooky season, when her friend Paula (Donna Lynne Champlin) stops by and asks if she's been online at all today.

Rebecca learns that her recent mental health exploits,  like accidentally pushing someone off a roof and other not-so-good things from her past, have become fodder for a local gossip website. 

She's very upset by this and by the comments section on the article, but also acknowledges that most of what is being said happens to be true.   She experiences agoraphobia and is unable (or unwilling) to leave the house as she is afraid that everyone will judge & revile her. 

Her friends try to get her to come out to a special Halloween cemetery screening of Hocus Pocus - Kathy Najimy is even going to be there!  But even this is not enough to shake Rebecca out of her shame about her past. 

Rebecca receives a video message form her favorite witch:Kathy Najimy!

Additionally, the house that Rebecca and roomie Heather (Vella Lovell) are living in was the site of a grisly series of murders back in 2015.   Rebecca finds a book on the history of the town that has mysteriously fallen off the shelf and opened to an account of the murders.  She decides that this is a sign from the spirit of Devon Lee (Valerie Yu) - one of the murder victims whose demise was rather ... messy and embarrassing.

She enlists the enthusiastic aid of Valencia (Gabrielle Ruiz) and holds a seance to contact the spirit of  Devon.   Heather and Paula are less enthusiastic about the prospect, but play along because they love their friend and want to do what they can to help snap her out of her agoraphobia.

Meanwhile, back at the law firm where Rebecca worked,  Halloween costumed drama is brewing between Nathaniel (Scott Michael Foster) and no-longer-silent-partner Bert (Michael Hitchcock).

Additionally,  Josh (Vincent Rodriguez III) finds a koala bear costume for Darryl's (Pete Gardner) baby Heabecca,  and White Josh (David Hull) -- who hates Halloween -- gets roped into babysitting and handing out candy to trick or treaters.

Josh dresses up as a "weatherman" for Halloween!

Will Rebecca and Valencia make contact with Devon's spirit?  Will Nathaniel find dirt he can use against Bert?   Will there be dancing in a graveyard with J. Castleman (Patton Oswalt)?

RigbyMel says:

Full disclosure:  I was super-excited to learn there was going to be a Halloween episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.  One of my favorite TV shows taking on one of my favorite holidays, what could be better?1?  I was delighted that "I Am Ashamed" did not disappoint.

Vampire Paula!

I loved the way that the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend writers used the Halloween setting to highlight that sometimes the scariest things of all are things from our past that haunt us.

Maya (Esther Povitsky) dresses up as Katy Bear-y!  Get it?

This show is a musical, and the episode's 2 songs are great.  "Seize The Day" is a peppy number that's ultimately about Rebecca's inability to do so and we get a great "Monster Mash" takeoff in the form of "The Cringe," a song about foot-in-mouth moments set in a graveyard.

Patton Oswalt returns as creepy cemetery guard J. Castleman and does a creditable Bobby "Boris" Pickett impression.  Plus, the choreography and costuming are just fabulous.  Take a look, you won't regret it! :



I also love that other Halloween accoutrements are woven in, such as the "Friendtopia" favorite Hocus Pocus, seances,  ghosts, and costumes. 

Moreover, everything ties into Rebecca's journey to becoming a better person with all the "two steps forward, four steps back" that this sometimes entails.

Darryl's daughter Madison (Olivia Edward) goes trick or treating dressed as "Snailor Swift."

"I Am Ashamed" is a fun episode of a great series and it (and the whole Crazy Ex-Girlfriend series) is highly recommended.

RigbyMel's rating:

4 jack o'lanterns!

J.A. Morris says:
I don't have a lot to add, I'm in agreement with my co-blogger about "I Am Ashamed."  It's an excellent Halloween episode of a great series.

Tim (Michael McMillian) REALLY gets into the Halloween spirit! 

All the principles in the main cast are great and Patton Oswalt makes a very memorable guest appearance.  "The Cringe" is one of the best songs written for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and that's really saying something.

This episode also contains a brief cameo by Hocus Pocus star Kathy Najimy.  Her cameo is literally phoned in:

I loved "I Am Ashamed" when it first aired a year ago and I believe it'll be part of my annual Halloween viewing in the future.

J.A. Morris' rating:

4 jack o'lanterns!

Hocus Pocus

Premiered July 16, 1993.

In Salem Massachussetts, All Hallows Eve, 1693, Winifred "Winnie" Sanderson (Bette Midler) and her two witch sisters Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mary (Kathy Najimy) cast a spell on a girl named Emily Binx (Amanda Shepherd) that sucks out her life force, making the witches younger and killing Emily.

Her older brother Thackery (Sean Murray) witnesses this and the witches transform him into a black cat, condemned to forever ruminate over his guilt at failing to save his sister.

The Sanderson sisters are subsequently captured and hanged.  Prior to their execution, Winnie casts a spell that will resurrect them on an All Hallows Eve in the future when a virgin lights their black flame candle.

Three hundred years later in Salem, another All Hallows Eve (aka Halloween) has arrived.  Teenager Max Dennison (Omri Katz) is having a tough time adjusting to life in a new place.  He and his family have just moved from Los Angeles and he's having a tough time fitting in.

Moreover, he has no use for Salem's witchy Halloween traditions, viewing the holiday as something made up by candy companies to sell more candy.  Despite this, Max is interested in his classmate Allison (Vinessa Shaw), who is very enthusiastic about Halloween and witches and isn't impressed by Max's cynical take on the holiday.

After school, Max's parents order him to take his 8 year old sister Dani (Thora Birch) trick or treating.  They eventually wind up at Allison's house, where her parents are hosting a very fancy Halloween festivity.

Allison talks Max and Dani into visiting the old Sanderson house, which is now a shuttered museum.   Naturally, Max winds up lighting the witch's black flame candle, causing the curse to come to fruition and bringing the Sanderson sisters back from the dead to steal the life force of more children!

The kids escape and steal the Winnifred's spell book.  Max, Allison and Dani gain an unexpectedly ally against the witches in the form of Thackery Binx, who, in spite of being a cat, can speak.  Binx vowed to stop the Sandersons if they ever returned and wants to help the kids defeat the witches once and for all.  Dani is quite taken with the Binx and decides to adopt him.

The sisters are uncertain what to make of Halloween and the modern world.  They are mystified by roads made of asphalt rather than dirt.  They smell children, but don't recognize them because the kids are dressed up in costumes for trick or treating.

The drawback of the witches' return is that the Sanderson sisters need more children's life force to brew the  potion that will keep them alive and young forever.  If not, they will die at sunrise.

The Sandersons chase Binx and the kids all over Salem, determined to get their book of spells and gain immortality.  Will the witches succeed and suck the life out of Salem's children?  Or will the unlikely quartet of heroes save Halloween and Salem from the Sandersons?

J.A. Morris says:
I'll start my review by saying that I like this movie, but I didn't see it until years after its release (I was in college in 1993 and I wasn't exactly the target audience.  It's become part of our annual Halloween viewing.  The witches are delightfully over the top and the kids are likeable and sympathetic.  I've owned several black cats, so I appreciate the presence of a talking black cat.

Bette Midler's performance of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put A Spell On You" (featuring backing musicians dressed as skeletons) is a high point of the movie.  Midler later dressed as Winnifred during live performances of this song.

Sarah Jessica Parker also gets a nice moment in the spotlight to sing "Sarah's Theme," Sarah Sanderson's song that's intended to hypnotize children.

Garry Marshall appears in an uncredited role wearing a devil costume.  The Sandersons believe him to be Satan himself!  Any movie that includes Garry Marshall dressed as the devil is worth watching at least once in my book!

In a bit of stunt-casting, the wife of "the devil" is portrayed by Penny Marshall, Garry's real-life sister.

However, it's not a perfect movie and I can understand why it wasn't well received by critics or audiences when it was first released.  Hocus Pocus is a film that doesn't seem to know what audience it's trying to reach.  During the first few minutes we see a little girl killed and three witches hanged.

There are jokes about how the Sandersons can only be resurrected if a virgin lights their candle.  Billy the zombie is beheaded onscreen.   These contrasting tones sometimes took me "out" of the movie.

Still, compared to Christmas, there aren't many Halloween movies (that aren't slasher films), and I'm glad it's around.  Recommended, but the criticisms above keep me from giving Hocus Pocus a higher rating.

J.A. Morris' rating:

2 and a half jack-o-lanterns.

RigbyMel says: 

Like J.A. Morris, I am late to the Halloween party insofar as Hocus Pocus is concerned.   I was in high school and probably considered myself above live-action Disney movies at the time (animation was another story, but that's neither here nor there). 

That being said, I think I like the movie more than J.A. Morris does -- it's fun and funny and the dark touches are appropriate for Halloween.  It's not a movie for little kids, but I can understand how folks who were of the tween persuasion in 1993 or thereabouts would have latched onto this film.    As was customary with Disney releases, Hocus Pocus became a regular feature on cable TV and the film's following grew as a result of cable and home video.

Yes, the plot is a little bit silly at times, but the performances by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker are comedy gold. The child actors do a fine job insofar as child actors go.  Young Thora Birch's performance as Dani is particularly strong. 

Moreover,  I have a weakness for black cats and am not at all surprised that many a millennial pet black cat has been named Binx.  I rather suspect that nostalgia plays an important role in the affection that people of a certain age have for the movie, but even 25 years later,  nostalgia is not necessary to enjoy this as a Halloween classic.

RigbyMel's rating:  

3 and a half jack-o-lanterns.