Hocus Pocus 2

Over the course of the past 29 (!) years, Hocus Pocus has gone from box office flop (because some genius thought they should release it in the middle of summer!) to a bonafide Halloween institution rivaled only by Pumpkin Spice. For years, there were rumors of a sequel fueled by fan  demand to see the Sanderson Sisters ride again. Finally, a sequel was announced to premiere on Disney+. The question is can is possibly hold up to the classic original film? 

In 1653 Salem, young Winifred Sanderson (played by Taylor Henderson) is banished from Salem by Reverend Traske (played by Tony Hale) for refusing to marry John Pritchett. Not wanting to be separated from their sister, Mary (played by Nina Kitchen) and Sarah (played by Juju Brener) join her as they make their escape into the Forbidden Forest. Soon, they encounter another witch (played by Hannah Waddingham), who upon seeing the inherent magical talents Winifred possesses, gifts her with her spell book for her sixteenth birthday. She warns them against performing one spell, the Magice Maxima, as it is far too dangerous to attempt. On Halloween 2022, 29 years after the Sanderson Sisters' last rampage in Salem, best friends Becca (played by Whitney Peak) and Izzy (played by Belissa Escobedo) visit the Olde Salem Magic Shoppe, run by Gilbert (played by Sam Richardson). In honor of Becca's sixteenth birthday, he gifts her a candle for the girls' annual birthday ritual. Turns out the candle is a Black Flame candle, which being lit on Halloween night on a full moon by a virgin naturally brings back Winifred, Mary and Sarah Sanderson (played by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker). After quickly outwitting the Sisters, it falls to Becca and Izzy to try and stop the Sanderson Sisters and save the town of Salem after Winifred decides to forego her usual spells and finally do the Magicae Maxima to ensure the destruction of Salem and especially the town mayor, Jeffrey Traske (played by Tony Hale), a direct descendant of the man who originally banished her from Salem.

The film was directed by Anne Fletcher from a script by Jen D'Angelo. I was impressed that the filmmakers managed to craft a film that at once felt familiar without being too familiar. It would have been so easy for this to devolve into a more of the same sequel but it does add enough new wrinkles to keep things interesting and fresh. I appreciated the bit of backstory we got on the Sanderson Sisters at the beginning as well as how that fed into the rest of the story. Of course, there are a few callbacks to the original film as well as familiar gags, including the Sisters being baffled by modern technology. The biggest callback is revisiting the gag of Sarah and Mary having to find substitutes for brooms to ride on, this time with Sarah opting for a Swiffer Wet Jet and Mary balancing on a pair of Roombas as appropriate and funny 21st century upgrades. The plot does take some surprising turns, hitting some unexpected poignancy that I was surprised by but also appreciated, to pair with all the shenanigans and silliness. 

Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker slip right back into their iconic roles as though no time has passed at all. It is a delight to see them back in action as Winifred, Mary and Sarah Sanderson as they bicker their way through another mayhem filled Halloween night. Midler once again captures that perfect exasperation Winifred has for her sisters. Najimy is great as Mary, once again the rather oblivious and lovable sister. Parker hits the right notes as Sarah, just as dimwitted and fun-loving as ever. Whitney Peak and Belissa Escobedo make for good heroines for the film as Becca and Izzy who find it their responsibility to stop the Sanderson sisters after unwittingly bringing them back. I enjoyed the added wrinkle of Becca discovering she has some burgeoning witch powers of her own to add a new wrinkle to the proceedings. Sam Richardson has an interesting character arc as Gilbert, the owner of the Magic shoppe who tricks Becca and Izzy with the Black Flame candle he gives them to bring the Sanderson Sisters back. He grew up believing the Sisters were simply misunderstood and wanted to meet them only for them to turn out to be driven by revenge and wanting to destroy the city. Taylor Henderson absolutely slays as a young Winifred in the beginning of the film, with Nina Kitchen and Juju Brener equally capturing a young Mary and Sarah, making the prologue a delight to watch. In fact, I wouldn't mind seeing a prequel starring them showing how the Sanderson Sisters got their start. 

Is Hocus Pocus 2 as good as the original film? No, of course not. Comedy sequels are notoriously hard to pull off and this one doesn't quite recapture the spark of the first one. That's not to say it's not worth watching as it makes for an amusing start to Spooky Season and does still pair well with the original. I would say the pluses far outweigh the minuses on this one and if you're a fan of the original film chances are you'll enjoy the sequel as well. The film does include a tease for a potential third film. I'd be up for it, but I hope we don't have to wait as long.