October is here and that means it’s officially spooky season! I’ve always loved Halloween. There are always scary movies, you can dress up as whoever you want, hop on a haunted hayride and participate in pumpkin carving, decorating cookies, handing out candy and so many more fun fall activities. It’s truly one of my favorite times of the year because of all the fun and festivities. This year, I noticed Disney Plus released Hocus Pocus 2. When I clicked on the preview, I realized Sarah Jessica Parker (known for playing Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City) was one of the main three witches in the movie! I love everything she’s acted in before, so I decided why not give this movie a shot? I’ve never seen the original Hocus Pocus (shocking right??) but I knew I at least had to watch this new movie. So I texted my roommate and we made plans to have a Hocus Pocus night, bake some fall cookies and wrap ourselves in thick blankets to watch the iconic new Disney classic.
The beginning of the movie starts out with a backstory of the Sanderson sisters in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. Winnie, one of the sisters, had an arranged marriage coming up that she refused to follow through with (as she should!). Because she refused, she got banished from Salem for good. The three Sanderson sisters escape to the woods instead of leaving and they end up meeting a witch. The witch gives Winnie a book of spells to start practicing becoming a witch. She warns the sisters of the Magicae Maxima spell that gives power to whoever uses it, then shapeshifts into a bird and disappears. Already a great hook and start to this movie! I was definitely all ears.
Now, it is present-day in Salem, and we are introduced to three teenagers named Becca, Izzy and Cassie. Becca’s sixteenth birthday is coming up on Halloween, so Gilbert, the man who runs the magic shop in town, gives her a special candle he made for the birthday ritual she does with her friends in the woods every year. Little do Becca and her friends know, Gilbert made this candle SPECIFICALLY hoping that it would bring back the Sanderson sisters. Once the candle was lit during the birthday ritual, the ground starts to split and out pop the Sanderson sisters after almost 30 years. So iconic. If I were to run across any witches in my life, it would be these three. The sisters realize they are in Salem and immediately seek revenge on the town for banishing them. Becca and Izzy try their hardest to keep the Sanderson sisters from doing any harm, but this is difficult since the Sanderson sisters have a lot of tricks and antics up their sleeves. Also, lots of singing and dance moves :)
Immediately, the Sanderson sisters want to find children to kill or take their souls from so they can remain as youthful as possible. I didn’t expect this dark twist from Disney, but it does make sense since they are witches. Becca lies to the witches saying she’s forty and not sixteen and also tricks the witches into going to a Walgreens nearby for lotions, which the witches think are like potions but with kids souls mixed in the bottle. This was probably my favorite part of the movie. It was funny to think about the first place you go after disappearing for thirty years is a WALGREENS. The Sanderson sisters were also eating the lotion, it was just too good. Soon enough, the Sanderson sisters see through Becca’s lies and start trying to cast spells on her to capture her and eventually kill her. Becca and Izzy remember that salt stops dark magic, and that saves them many times throughout the movie.
Meanwhile, Gilbert is back at the magic shop trying to collect items needed for the spell. One of the items he needed was somebody’s head. Super creepy. So Gilbert goes to a cemetery to dig up a dead body, and that is where he digs up Billy Butcherson. The story shared about Billy throughout Salem is that he cheated on Winnie with one of her sisters, Sarah. Because of this, Winnie poisoned him, ultimately leading to his death. Lots of tea and drama, which I’m down to watch always. When Billy hears this story, he denies it completely and tells his side of the story causing Gilbert to make him an offer. The plot thickens!! Gilbert persuaded Billy into helping him get the ingredients for the Magicae Maxima spell for the Sanderson sisters by telling him that he will spread the truth about his story if they are successful with the spell. Billy did not know that Gilbert was helping the Sanderson sisters, or else he wouldn’t have helped at all. When Billy finds this out, Gilbert wrestles with Billy and takes his head off of the zombie like body.
Next, the Sanderson sisters and Gilbert need the blood of Mayor Traske, who is Cassie’s dad. When the witches realize the two are related, they settle for getting Cassie’s blood instead and capture her in the woods. Poor Cassie, I would’ve been scared out of my mind. When Becca and Izzy try to stop the witches, Becca’s hands start glowing and they find out that she also has the same magic as the witches. I wish the movie would have went into more depth as to how Becca got these powers. I was wondering if maybe this meant she was related to the witches in some way? Maybe I just missed that part. Becca ends up using her magic though and taking the book from the Sanderson sisters and creating a forcefield to shield herself and her friends from each of the three witches. The forcefield was done really well, it looked very aesthetically pleasing. Disney did a really good job with this. However, all of the ingredients for the spell are gathered and Winnie performs the spell that she was once warned about.
What Winnie didn’t know before performing the spell, was that there was a warning in the book saying that if the spell is executed by a witch, that witch will get taken from them what they value most. It is shown that what Winnie values most is her two sisters, Sarah and Mary. The two sisters start to fade and disappear, causing Winnie to feel heartbreak for the first time in her life. Winnie begs Becca and her friends to help her bring back her sisters. Becca warns her that if she performs the reuniting spell, that Winnie’s powers will be stripped from her. Winnie doesn’t care as long as she gets to see the people she loves most.
The reuniting spell is performed by Becca and nothing happens. They all realize that the spell won’t bring back Winnie’s sisters, but instead Winnie would be brought to them. With that, Winnie fades and disappears happier than ever to see Sarah and Mary again. Their reuniting moment isn’t shown sadly, and the viewers aren’t really aware of where the witches are sent to, but I assume it’s wherever the sisters had been the past thirty years. Gilbert then walks into the forest to find Becca, Izzy, and Cassie and starts apologizing for the candle, promising to never try to summon back the witches again. He is forgiven by the girls and lets them keep the spell book in exchange for the trouble he caused them. Becca and her friends then disappear into the night, swaying in their walk just like the Sanderson sisters, and they are followed by a bird that appears to be the same bird from the beginning of the movie that previously was a witch. A CLASSIC Disney ending where they all live happily ever after <3
I absolutely LOVED this movie and everything about it. I will definitely be going back to watch the original later this month. The Sanderson sisters are such iconic characters with all of their weird quirks and funny remarks. My favorite sister was probably Sarah, she had some of the funniest lines and mannersisms in the movie. I liked how Disney brought back a classic movie with a modern twist and had the same actresses return. I’d never seen the first movie, but it still gave me nostalgia seeing their faces. There was even a musical number in the movie which was adorable. All around, it was a very good movie to watch if you’re in need of a quick pick me up. It definitely served all the spooky vibes that I needed this season and I can’t wait to give it a rewatch soon!