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The 1993 Disney movie “ Hocus Pocus ” is the story of three witch sisters who were executed in Salem in 1693 and returned to create havoc 300 years later on Halloween. It is more than a classic; it is a cultural touchstone. Moderately successful on its first release, it became a phenomenon on home video and cable and is now an annual tradition for many families, with parents who loved it in the '90s sharing it with the next generation. Disney hit just the right spot between spooky and silly, with Bette Midler , Sarah Jessica Parker , and Kathy Najimy as a sort of witchy Three Stooges. Midler's Winifred was the Moe-like short-tempered ringleader, Parker was a fluttery, Curly-like scatterbrain named Sarah, and Najimy was Mary, the Larry of the trio, never quite making anything work, but sure that she's nailing it.

Nearly 30 years later, “Hocus Pocus 2” should make fans of all generations happy, paying tribute to the original and adding some gentle updating and some welcome diversity, subtracting some violence. It is also a little bit sweeter. The adult cast from the first movie includes always-terrific Doug Jones , the brilliant actor behind the creature in “ The Shape of Water ” and Abe in “Hellboy,” as the hapless zombie Billy Butcherson. Welcome new additions include comic powerhouses Tony Hale and Sam Richardson and all-around powerhouse “Ted Lasso’s” Hannah Waddingham .

The first movie was about the relationships between brothers and sisters (with a little teen romance); this one is about friendship. And we get a bit of an origin story. After an aerial opening shot referring back to the original "Hocus Pocus," we see the Sanderson sisters as young girls. First, we see the Pilgrim community scurrying out of the way as Winnie stomps furiously through the town. Young Winnie is played by Taylor Henderson , complete with wild red hair and buck teeth. Her witty rendition of Midler’s alpha witch is sharp and funny. The local clergyman, Reverend Traske (Tony Hale) has decided that since the Sanderson parents are dead, Winnie must marry a young man from the village and the younger girls will be sent to live with another family. Winnie refuses, and the girls run away to the forbidden forest, where they meet a very glamorous witch (Waddingham) who gives them one of the key props from the first movie, the book of spells with a human eyeball on the cover that really opens, and, I guess, sees.

In present day, high school students Becca ( Whitney Peak ) and Izzy ( Belissa Escobedo ) are getting ready for their Halloween tradition, Becca’s birthday sleepover. This year it will have to be without their other friend Cassie ( Lilia Buckingham ), who has not been a part of the group lately because she’s been spending all her time with her boyfriend. Becca and Izzy like to experiment with magic and spend a lot of time at the local magic store run by Gilbert (Richardson). He gives them the other key prop from the first movie, a black candle, and, just like in the first movie, even though they are well aware of the Sanderson sisters legend, they light it. (The virginity requirement to activate the candle’s power to bring back the witches is joked about but not explained.)

And so, the Sandersons return on Halloween night, as costumed partygoers and trick-or-treaters are out celebrating, led by the town’s jolly mayor, who is also Cassie’s very strict father. He is a descendant of Reverend Traske and again played by Hale. The witches want revenge on Traske, and, as in the first film, they want to inhale the essence of children so they can have eternal youth.

The challenge for the sequel to a beloved film is maintaining enough of the original to make the fans happy without being too repetitive or confusing newcomers, and “Hocus Pocus 2” gets that just right. The highlights of the first film are celebrated (there’s a delightful musical number) and there are some very funny moments, including a Sanderson sisters costume competition. It is not a spoiler to say that smart, brave, and loyal teenagers get more comic treats than tricks. So does the audience. NOTE: Watch all the way to the end of the credits for an extra scene.

Available on Disney+ on September 30th.

Nell Minow is the Contributing Editor at RogerEbert.com.

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Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)

Rated PG for action, macabre/suggestive humor and some language.

105 minutes

Bette Midler as Winifred Sanderson

Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson

Kathy Najimy as Mary Sanderson

Whitney Peak as Becca

Lilia Buckingham as Cassie

Belissa Escobedo as Izzy

Froy Gutierrez as Mike

Doug Jones as Billy Butcherson

Tony Hale as Mayor Traske

Sam Richardson as Gilbert

Hannah Waddingham as The Witch

Juju Journey Brener as Young Sarah Sanderson

Taylor Henderson as Young Winifred Sanderson

David Torres Jr. as Teacher

Ginger Minj as Drag Queen of Winifred Sanderson

Skyla Sousa as Teen Winifred

Aiden Torres as Teen Mary

Emma Kaufman as Teen Sarah

Ryan Rosenthal as Glenn

Anne Fletcher

Writer (based on characters created by)

David Kirschner
Mick Garris

Writer (story by)

Blake Harris
Jen D'Angelo

Cinematographer

Elliot Davis
John Debney

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‘hocus pocus 2’ review: the sanderson sisters are back in disney+’s nostalgia-heavy sequel.

Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy reprise their roles in the follow-up to the 1993 film about a group of kids who accidentally revive a powerful coven of witches.

By Lovia Gyarkye

Lovia Gyarkye

Arts & Culture Critic

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Kathy Najimy as Mary Sanderson, Bette Midler as Winifred Sanderson, and Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson in Disney's live-action HOCUS POCUS 2.

Twenty-nine years ago, the Sanderson sisters, an abrasive trio of siblings, put a spell on Disney audiences. Or at least they tried to.

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Hocus Pocus 2 Reviews

Hocus Pocus 2 made me laugh, often uncontrollably, and it made me misty-eyed by the end. That’s all I ask from films like it, and I can’t wait to see it again with my friends. Preferably in costume, with candy, and then again every year afterward.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 3, 2024

There is a lot to enjoy about the sequel, even for stubborn fanatics of the Kenny Ortega feature film.

Full Review | Oct 2, 2023

While there are plenty of fan service nods to its 1993 predecessor, “Hocus Pocus 2” stands capably on its own, offering a spooky diversion for a whole new generation of viewers.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 9, 2023

A surprisingly good sequel that contains heart, laughs, & fun! If you enjoy the first you’re gonna enjoy this one

Full Review | Jul 25, 2023

The Sanderson Sisters are back in hilariously campy and gripping force, making Hocus Pocus 2 an emotionally gratifying flight.

Full Review | Jul 23, 2023

Dinsey's long-awaited Hocus Pocus 2 has arrived, but in a strange turn of events, it's derailed by its fixation on the Sanderson Sisters.

Full Review | Jan 9, 2023

Hocus Pocus 2 is brimming with hijinks, fun music numbers, and laughs. Unfortunately, the plot is the weakest link in this film.

Full Review | Original Score: 6.5/10 | Jan 4, 2023

If you enjoyed the cheesiness & shenanigans of the Sanderson sisters you'll appreciate this one as well. A lot of easter eggs and similar moments that will surprise you. But in terms of adding to the story or adding stacks that is non-existent here

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Dec 27, 2022

This sequel has a strong screenplay, coherent dramatic progression, strong characters, and surprising twists, but it's missing the spark that made its predecessor legendary. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 5, 2022

It will most likely please kids looking for some spooky vibes as the Halloween season arrives (and I would say this one is a bit less scary for young ones than the first might have been) which is probably what Disney was hoping for.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Nov 30, 2022

Despite its marginal issues, the film is a great watch for fans of the original or a whole new generation ready to be bewitched by the Sanderson sisters.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Nov 3, 2022

Hocus Pocus 2 is like pulling out that year-old candy from last Halloween and being mildly surprised it doesn’t taste that bad.

Full Review | Oct 29, 2022

Double, double toil and trouble/ Fire burn and cauldron bubble./ Hocus Pocus' sequel stumbles/ in a plot that often crumbles./ While not awful, tis a struggle.

Full Review | Oct 27, 2022

There’s life in the old Mouse yet. Because the Sanderson Sisters — and their sequel — are, quite simply, wicked.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 23, 2022

Hocus Pocus 2 isn’t here to convert anyone. If the first movie isn’t on your radar, then it’s unlikely this will be either. However, for the many who made it a spooky season classic, it’s a delicious work of fan service that will cast a spell on you.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 18, 2022

There's lots of mayhem, silliness, and wonderful comic bits.

Full Review | Oct 14, 2022

Of course, it’s campy and fun. But despite lines about eating children, or teenagers, to achieve immortality, these witches are completely defanged.

A delightfully breezy sequel that knows the Sanderson sisters are the main draw and rightfully gives them the spotlight, even though this results in pretty slight characterizations for its teen protagonists

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 13, 2022

While the witches do manage to put a spell on us, their bewitching skills have taken a serious hit courtesy of a plot that doesn’t even try to find its footing.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 12, 2022

Way better than any 29-years-later sequel has any right to be, Hocus Pocus 2 is a delightful, if slight, time.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 11, 2022

‘Hocus Pocus 2’ Review: Bette Midler and Sisters Conjure More of the Same in Decades-Later Disney+ Sequel

Aging may have been the witches’ worst enemy in the 1993 cult classic, but here, it doesn't hinder the film's three stars from tapping their inner divas in this straight-to-streaming reunion.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

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What strange sorcery is this that “Hocus Pocus” — a so-so comedy turned campy cult favorite starring Bette Midler , Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as absolutely fabulous Salem witch sisters — should be getting a sequel nearly three decades after its 1993 release? At the time, Variety speculated that, were it not for the film’s three stars, “‘Hocus Pocus’ wouldn’t seem out of place on the Disney Channel, and perhaps belongs there.” (Its director, Kenny Ortega, would go on to helm the “High School Musical” franchise for the cabler.) In a sense, that’s what’s happened with this follow-up, aimed to breathe some life into the graveyard that is Disney+.

Reviewed on Disney Debut, Sept. 26, 2022. MPA Rating: PG. Running time: 103 MIN.

Production: A Disney+ release of a Disney presentation of a Weimaraner Republic Pictures production. Producer: Lynn Harris. Executive producers: Ralph Winter, David Kirschner, Adam Shankman.
Crew: Director: Anne Fletcher. Screenplay: Jen D'Angelo; story: David Kirschner, Blake Harris, Jen D'Angelo, based on characters created by David Kirschner, Mick Garris. Camera: Elliot Davis. Editor: Julia Wong. Music: John Debney.
With: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Sam Richardson, Doug Jones, Hannah Waddingham, Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, Lilia Buckingham, Froyan Gutierrez, Tony Hale.

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User reviews

Hocus Pocus 2

Two young women accidentally bring back the Sanderson Sisters to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking havoc on the world. Two young women accidentally bring back the Sanderson Sisters to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking havoc on the world. Two young women accidentally bring back the Sanderson Sisters to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking havoc on the world.

Anne Fletcher
Jen D'Angelo
David Kirschner
Blake Harris
Bette Midler
Sarah Jessica Parker
Kathy Najimy
735 User reviews
114 Critic reviews
56 Metascore
2 wins & 18 nominations total

Winifred Sanderson

Sarah Sanderson

Mary Sanderson

Billy Butcherson

Young Winifred

Young Sarah
(as Juju Brener)

John Pritchett
Mr. Pritchett
Townsperson

All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

Trivia On the podcast Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum (2018) , Doug Jones said that the wig he wears as Billy Butcherson in this movie is the same one he wore in the first movie.
Goofs Gilbert states that as a child, he witnessed the climatic finale of the first movie, but in said film, all the children of Salem were under Sarah's trance at this point, marching towards the Sanderson cottage. Gilbert is clearly capable of performing magic and therefore, it's possible, he may be immune, like the Sanderson Sisters.

Winifred Sanderson : [from trailer] Lock up your children! Yes, Salem, we're back!

Crazy credits SPOILER: There is a scene after the closing credits: Cobweb the black cat jumps onto a shelf next to a box containing a second Black Flame candle.
Connections Edited from Hocus Pocus (1993)
Soundtracks Garden of Magic Written by James Horner , Brock Walsh Performed by Hannah Waddingham

User reviews 735

MyMovieTVRomance
Sep 30, 2022
How long is Hocus Pocus 2? Powered by Alexa
September 30, 2022 (United States)
United States
United Kingdom
Newport Rhode Island, USA (Washington Square, aka: Eisenhower Park and Touro Street)
Walt Disney Pictures
David Kirschner Productions
The Walt Disney Company
See more company credits at IMDbPro
$100,000,000 (estimated)

Technical specs

Runtime 1 hour 43 minutes
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Digital
12-Track Digital Sound
Dolby Surround 7.1

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Review: The witches return in lively ‘Hocus Pocus 2’

This image released by Disney shows, from left, Kathy Najimy as Mary Sanderson, Bette Midler as Winifred Sanderson, and Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson in “Hocus Pocus 2.” (Matt Kennedy/Disney via AP)

This image released by Disney shows, from left, Belissa Escobedo as Izzy, Whitney Peak as Becca, and Lilia Buckingham as Cassie in “Hocus Pocus 2.” (Disney via AP)

This image released by Disney shows, from left, Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson, Bette Midler as Winifred Sanderson, and Kathy Najimy as Mary Sanderson in “Hocus Pocus 2.” (Matt Kennedy/Disney via AP)

This image released by Disney shows, from left, Belissa Escobedo as Izzy, left, and Whitney Peak as Becca in “Hocus Pocus 2.” (Matt Kennedy/Disney via AP)

This image released by Disney shows Hannah Waddingham as The Witch in “Hocus Pocus 2.” (Matt Kennedy/Disney via AP)

This image released by Disney shows Sam Richardson in “Hocus Pocus 2.” (Matt Kennedy/Disney via AP)

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The nostalgia for “Hocus Pocus” has always been a bit of a mystery to me.

There is nothing new about kids loving mediocre films and carrying that soft spot into adulthood, but I was in the right demographic when “Hocus Pocus” came out in the summer of 1993 (age 9, approaching third grade) and remember it being just OK.

This is not a testament to my taste at the time, when I thought “Grease 2” was one of the best movies ever, but more so indicative of the undeniable averageness of “Hocus Pocus.” I don’t think it was just me, either. Aside from Sarah Jessica Parker’s “Amok! Amok! Amok!” entering our vernacular, it was not a movie any of my peers were eager to watch again. And yet, much to my bewilderment, “Hocus Pocus” became a thing over the years. My best guess is it was some combination of its relentless availability crossed with a lack of PG-rated Halloween content. Plus, there is the intro-to-camp factor of Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy as singing sisters bent on eating children to preserve their youth.

Regardless, a straight-to-Disney+ sequel made 30 years later seemed like a cynical endeavor at best. So it was a pleasant surprise to find that “ Hocus Pocus 2 ” is actually pretty fun. Set in a Stars Hollow-like Salem, it’s the perfect Disney+ movie — seasonally appropriate entertainment that, for at least one night, may save a family from the doom of endless scrolling and indecision.

With a lively, witty script by Jen D’Angelo, “Hocus Pocus 2” finds the Sanderson sisters Winifred (Midler), Sarah (Parker) and Mary (Najimy) unleashed on their present day town once more. This time it’s some coven-curious teenage girls Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) who accidentally resurrect them and then try to outwit them where they can, leading to an amusing sequence in a drug store in which the always vain Sandersons sample the serums in the beauty aisle.

Midler, Parker and Najimy are all once again game to ham it up for the audience (and sometimes no one but themselves) with spells, songs and dances. But they are only part of this strangely amusing brew, with well rounded teen characters, and a very strong comedic supporting cast including Sam Richardson, as the owner of the local occult shop; Tony Hale, as the mayor and a witch trial era reverend; and Doug Jones as a “good zombie.” Hannah Waddingham from “Ted Lasso” also has a far-too-short cameo as another witch.

Special mention should be made of the three actors who play the young Sanderson sisters, Taylor Henderson as Winifred, Nina Kitchen as Mary and Juju Journey Brener as Sarah, who do a lovely job of embodying their adult counterparts in a brief origin story.

But the heart of the film is the teen girls, who have their own issues aside from stopping the Sanderson sisters from becoming all powerful — Becca and Izzy are grappling with a life in which their third, Cassie (Lilia Buckingham), has turned her attentions away from their amateur-witching and to her jock boyfriend. Peak, who played Idris Elba’s daughter in “Molly’s Game,” is a standout.

Directed by Anne Fletcher, “Hocus Pocus 2” goes down easy — though by the time the entire town breaks out into a dance to “One Way or Another,” you may be ready for the film to get where it’s going. Still, it’s a fun enough ride for a fall night.

“Hocus Pocus 2,” a Disney+ release streaming Friday, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association for “action, some language, macabre/suggestive humor.” Running time: 104 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.

MPA Definition of PG: Parental guidance suggested.

Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr .

'Hocus Pocus 2' review: Cheeky, nostalgic, and practically magic

Three actors dressed as witches stand in a forest.

Broom, ho! The long awaited sequel to 1993's Hocus Pocus is here, and it’s a wickedly fun nostalgia trip, one that’s seen us light many a Black Flame Candle to bring about its triumphant return.

With Anne Fletcher directing and Jen D'Angelo writing the script for David Kirschner and Blake Harris spooky Disney tale, they’ve brewed up a perfectly spellbinding sequel, resurrecting our favourite melodramatic, witchy sisters with smart modern dialogue, old-school spooky special effects, and perfectly potent new additions that bring the beloved Halloween classic into 2022.

Hocus Pocus 2 's narrative follows the original’s main breadcrumbs faithfully, with executed witches The Sanderson Sisters accidentally resurrected again with the lighting of the Black Flame Candle, 29 years after Max, Allison, and a tiny, sassy Thora Birch did it in 1993. The witches' mission? To suck the lives out of the children of Salem before sunrise, of course, otherwise, it's curtains! They evaporate! They cease to exist!

And oh, by Lucifer’s hangnail, is it good to have them back.

Come, sis-ters!

The only way a reboot of a ‘90s nostalgic film like Hocus Pocus would work is if the original leads were fully committed, and in this case, the core trio do not disappoint. As the all-powerful Sanderson sisters, Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker pick up right where they left off almost 30 years ago, stepping back into their iconic witches' gowns with all the glow of a Sanderson calming circle. Essentially, they look like they’re having an absolute blast.

Three actors dressed as witches walk through a carnival, smiling.

Midler's sublime Shakespearian melodrama as Winifred "Winnie" Sanderson is back in supercharged form, wide-eyed, open-clawed, bellowing "Lock up your children!" and generally abusing the crap out of her sisters just like old times.

Najimi hilariously barks and sniffs her way right back to her beloved role as Mary Sanderson, hunting children with her nose, making constant witchy wisecracks, and threatening to lovingly fricassee kids. When Najimi holds up a face mask as “the face of a child” and then eats it, I cackled like a Sanderson sister.

And as for Parker, we’re rarely treated to an SJP slapstick comedic role, and she jumps right into Sarah Sanderson's dramatically horny silliness, constantly missing the point of a task, and always seeming like she’s suppressing a screamy giggle while fawning over boyyyys .

Three witches stand in a Walgreens, looking confused.

The formula is still perfection: Winnie booming operatic statements while Mary overanalyses the detail and Sarah misunderstands the general point, all awash in glorious physical slapstick comedy magic. Like the original, the trio deliver choreographed spell-casting, several Little Shop of Horrors -worthy musical numbers, and melodramatic sobbing circles with the crackling energy the film hinges on. As Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) says in awe at one point, "I literally can’t stop watching them."

Hocus Pocus 2 leans on the original’s best source of narrative comedy: watching the Sanderson Sisters bumble through interactions with 21st century technology. One particular sequence involving the witches gazing upon a Walgreens — " Observe , sisters, it glows from within with a sickening light," — battling the automatic store doors, literally cursing the fluorescent lighting, and plundering the beauty aisle, is a glorious highlight. And a shoutout must be made to Najimy’s interaction with her modern broom option: two Roombas replace her vacuum cleaner from the original, to hilarious effect.

Flying into the past, back to 1693, Hocus Pocus 2 also gives us a glimpse at the young Sanderson Sisters, banished from Salem and escaping persecution in the forbidden woods. Taylor Henderson, Nina Kitchen, and Juju Journey Brener are perfectly cast as little Winnie, Mary, and Sarah, and Henderson in particular, is an absolute triumph, having Midler’s physicality and tonal delivery down to the sassy syllable.

New witches on the block

Reboots like Hocus Pocus 2 inevitably come with a shiny new crew stepping into large pointed boots, and the additions to this sequel aren’t to be trifled with. The sequel sets up a new trio that takes the reins from originals Max, Allison, and Dani, but also forms a witchy new crew. Whitney Peak and Belissa Escobedo strike the perfect Gen Z tone as Becca and Izzy, navigating an awkward friendship breakup with Lilia Buckingham as the defiant Cassie. D'Angelo's crisp, self-aware script even has Becca call out the obsessive patriarchal fear of female aging to explain the inclusion of the narrative trope of witches getting their powers on their sixteenth birthday (see: Sabrina ).

Two girls sit in a wood with a candle, facing each other.

In one criminally short appearance, Hannah Waddingham steals hearts and the show as the witch of the Salem woods, formidably flinging her giant cape around and booming about Salem being "run by FOOLS!". Waddingham's character changes the story of the original, in which Allison says Winifred's beloved spellbook was "given to her by the Devil himself"; in Hocus Pocus 2 , it's the witch of the woods who does, making her promise not to utter Booo-oooook's most powerful spell.

An actor dressed as a witch stands in a wood.

Sam Richardson is perfectly cast as Sanderson Sisters superfan Gilbert, who runs the magic shop that’s taken over the old Sanderson house (it was a museum run by Allison’s mother in the 1993 original). Richardson’s expert comedic pausing, perpetually noope energy, and delightfully nerdy enthusiasm is one of the film’s absolute strengths.

And then there’s Tony Hale, doubling up as both Salem's present day Mayor Traske and Sanderson sisters-hating Reverend Traske of 17th century Salem. Hale brings perfect small town politician and Friend’s Dad energy to the film as Cassie’s dad and the mayor; he laughs way too long at non-jokes and gets overwhelmingly emotional about the carnival return of the caramel apples of Sandy’s Candy Cauldron — watching Hale scornfully brandish his sad, store-bought version shouldn’t be as funny as it really, really is.

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Dragging the '90s back from the grave

Hocus Pocus 2’ s obvious nostalgia factor is an audience double-whammy, satisfying the millennials and Gen-Xers who rented it religiously on VHS from Blockbuster in the ‘90s, and Gen-Z fiends living for the ongoing ‘90s resurgence. Two ravens with one stone, if you will. Beyond the Tumblr aesthetic rampaging across TikTok, ‘90s-style film and TV horror hits continue to smash it out of the park, from Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy based on R.L Stine’s teen series to the 2020 The Witches reboot, in which Anne Hathaway had wicked fun reimagining Anjelica Huston’s iconic role. The Munsters, Hellraiser, Firestarter — horror reboots are everywhere, bu t Hocus Pocus sits in the more family-friendly-spooky-rather-than-scary camp.

There’s a cauldron full of nods to director Kenny Ortega’s original film too, from the return of “maggot museum” and “good zombie” Billy Butcherson, to the opening overhead flying shot that sails into Salem, and the protective power of a circle of salt. Some references are less necessary than others, including a meta moment when Winifred flies past a couple watching the original Hocus Pocus on TV. Fletcher also keeps in line with the original film’s savvy use of Disneyland-worthy special and visual effects, whether fog and wind machines, shuddering floorboards, bubbling enormous glowing cauldrons, or candles that explode into illumination.

Essentially, the film feels like something worthy of a Blockbuster in 1993 and a cinema or streaming service in 2022.

The power of three will set you free

At its core, Hocus Pocus 2 pushes the importance of sisterhood above all, with Waddingham's witch of the forbidden woods declaring early in the piece, "A witch is nothing without her coven." Both in a narrative sense and using the chemistry between the two trios, Midler, Najimy, and Parker mirror the same complicated bond as Peak, Escobedo, and Buckingham, learning as Izzy says, "Power is meant to be shared."

As the Halliwell sisters always said in witchy ‘90s cornerstone Charmed , "The power of three will set you free."

Hocus Pocus 2 , quite simply, was worth the wait, as a rare reboot/sequel that capitalises on the beloved magic of the original while letting its core stars spectacularly lean into the chaos, whirling, cackling, and yowling as gloriously as they did 29 years ago. When the credits roll on Hocus Pocus 2 , we are dust! Toast! Pudding! Dost thou comprehend?

Hocus Pocus 2 is streaming on Disney+ from Sept. 30.

Topics Disney Disney+

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Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House . A Tomatometer-approved critic , Shannon writes about everything (but not anything) across entertainment, tech, social good, science, and culture.

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Hocus Pocus 2 review: that old black magic, new again

Director Kenny Ortega’s 1993 film Hocus Pocus wasn’t a hit when it was first released, but history has been kind to it, and turned it into a Halloween tradition of sorts for children of a particular generation (and their children, in many cases). And because this is a time when everything old is eventually new again — particularly if it’s gained the sort of post-release popularity Hocus Pocus has enjoyed — Disney has decided to bring the sorcerous Sanderson sisters back for another adventure in Hocus Pocus 2 .

Hocus Pocus 2 conjures up original cast members Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson, respectively, the trio of witches who were accidentally resurrected in the 1993 film and terrorized the town of Salem before being defeated by a group of precocious teenagers and a magical black cat. This time around, the film features Step Up and 27 Dresses director Anne Fletcher behind the camera, and follows another group of Salem teenagers who unwittingly unleash the Sanderson sisters on the town again, 29 years after the events of the original film.

Fans of the 1993 film will find plenty to like about Hocus Pocus 2 , which manages to channel much of the same energy, humor, and seasonal playfulness of its predecessor.

Midler, Parker, and Najimy are nearly three decades separated from their performances in the first film, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from the way they jump back into the roles in Hocus Pocus 2 . The trio have an easy chemistry in both films, from the way they move, sing, and dance together, to their sisterly banter as they scheme, argue, commiserate, and celebrate. Much like the original film, the teenagers might be the story’s heroes, but the Sanderson sisters are the real stars of Hocus Pocus 2 .

Hocus Pocus 2 also does a fine job of avoiding the pitfalls some sequels encounter when attempting to add a new chapter to a film released several decades earlier. Rather than trying to recreate the original film in the current time or changing the characters to make them a better fit for a modern story, Hocus Pocus 2 leans into the time-displaced nature of the Sanderson sisters’ return and how things have changed since their last adventure in the modern world. From the popularity of robot vacuums (as opposed to brooms) to the conveniences we take for granted now that would seem like entirely new magic to the Sandersons, Hocus Pocus 2 and its screenwriter, Jen D’Angelo, find some clever ways to make the elapsed time between the two films part of the story.

And again, like the original film that featured some capable performances from its younger cast members — which included Emmy and BAFTA nominee Thora Birch, among others — Hocus Pocus 2 also casts some capable young actors as its teenage heroes.

Gossip Girl actress Whitney Peak portrays Becca, who accidentally resurrects the Sanderson sisters in the film, and carries her role in the family-friendly adventure well, with just the sort of earnestness that Disney films of this sort demand. She’s joined by Lilia Buckingham and Belissa Escobedo as Becca’s best friends, Cassie and Izzy, respectively, along with Froy Gutierrez as Cassie’s dim-witted boyfriend. All four actors are fun to watch, and keep the story rolling along — and funny — when the Sanderson sisters are off-screen.

The film also brings in — and brings back — some familiar faces in entertaining roles, with legendary actor Doug Jones ( Pan’s Labyrinth , The Shape of Water ) reprising the role of undead Billy Butcherson, and phenomenal Ted Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham portraying a key figure in the Sanderson sisters’ early years. Along with Tony Hale ( Arrested Development ) as the mayor of Salem, all three actors add even more entertainment value to a fun film.

While it remains to be seen if Hocus Pocus 2 can conjure up the same sort of cult appeal as the original film, the sequel certainly doesn’t do anything to tarnish the legacy of the Sandersons sisters’ debut. Those who consider Hocus Pocus a Halloween staple are likely to find themselves embracing this new, two-film saga with the Sandersons going forward, as the trio’s return gives audiences even more of a good thing.

Disney’s Hocus Pocus 2 premieres September 30 on Disney+ streaming service.

Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)

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The conclusion of a trilogy that began with 1994's Clerks and resides within the larger, loosely connected View Askewniverse, Clerks III feels like Smith's most personal, profound project so far. Not only does it manage to recapture much of what made Clerks resonate with a generation of film audiences more than two decades earlier, but it does so with a surprisingly heartfelt assessment of the myriad experiences -- both funny and tragic -- that can make those years fly by.

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It appears that Disney has been holding out on us. For the first D23 Expo in three years, Walt Disney Pictures unveiled its ambitious plans to kick off the 100th anniversary of the studio with an array of original films (for both theatrical releases and Disney+) and new TV series. And Disney hasn't even gotten around to making its Marvel or Star Wars announcements yet!

The first day of D23 began with a look at the sequel to a classic flick that is coming to Disney+ on September 30: Hocus Pocus 2. Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker are all reprising their roles as the evil Sanderson Sisters from the original film. In the sequel, Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) are two teenage girls who are tricked into resurrecting the Sandersons, and the witches are out for revenge on all of Salem. The trailer also briefly introduces Doug Jones' Billy Butcherson, a good zombie who was cursed by the sisters.

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Hocus pocus 2, common sense media reviewers.

Campy but entertaining sequel has some violence, scares.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Women benefit from having a "coven" of supportive

Teen characters demonstrate courage in confronting

Lead actors are White, Black, and Latina.

The witches discuss eating kids to stay young, and

Mention of kisses and being a virgin.

"Damn," "witch," "fool," "jerk," "weird," "simplet

Walgreens, Facetime, Roomba, Alexa, YouTube, and t

Teens drink out of red plastic tumblers at a house

Positive Messages

Women benefit from having a "coven" of supportive females. Strong, independent women were historically persecuted. Don't put your own interests or pursuit of power ahead of those who matter most to you. Pointing out people's flaws and calling them names isn't nice.

Positive Role Models

Teen characters demonstrate courage in confronting threatening witches in order to save a friend and her family. Other characters also make sacrifices for those they love, but some only after they've lost too much.

Diverse Representations

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

The witches discuss eating kids to stay young, and they threaten to kill and torture others, including teenagers. They set fires, conjure spells requiring blood and bones, and talk about stealing souls. People are chased, pushed, slapped, hit over the head, beheaded (in the case of a walking zombie), zapped with magic rays, and hypnotized -- all played for comedy. When the witches were young, they were banished from their homes.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

"Damn," "witch," "fool," "jerk," "weird," "simpleton," "idiot," "nitwit," "butt," "dunderhead," "pest," "dolt," "hag," "oh my God," "holy Lucifer," "Satan."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Walgreens, Facetime, Roomba, Alexa, YouTube, and the original Hocus Pocus movie.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Teens drink out of red plastic tumblers at a house party where parents are absent.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Hocus Pocus 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to Disney's hugely popular 1990s fantasy comedy Hocus Pocus . Like the original, the witchy sequel is family-friendly overall but does have magical violence, name-calling, and gross-out scenes, mostly involving a decapitated zombie. The witches (returning stars Bette Midler , Sarah Jessica Parker , and Kathy Najimy ) discuss eating kids to stay young, and they threaten to kill and torture others, including teenagers. They set fires, use spells requiring blood and bones, and talk about stealing souls. People are chased, pushed, slapped, hit over the head, beheaded (in the case of a walking zombie), zapped with magic rays, and hypnotized -- all of which is played for comedy. Women of all ages learn that they benefit from having supportive females around them. Beyond name-calling, language includes "damn" and exclamations of "God," "Lucifer," and "Satan." There's mention of kisses and being a virgin. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

Parents say (47)
Kids say (23)

Based on 47 parent reviews

Disappointed

What a disappointment, what's the story.

After lighting the Black Flame Candle in HOCUS POCUS 2, high school besties Becca and Izzy ( Whitney Peak and Belissa Escobedo) accidentally conjure up the Sanderson Sisters ( Bette Midler , Sarah Jessica Parker , and Kathy Najimy ), bringing the 17th century's most notorious group of child-hungry witches back to present-day Salem. To remain alive and beautiful, the witches need young blood, but their pursuit of the teenagers is sidetracked when they discover that the local mayor ( Tony Hale ) is a descendant of their historical nemesis. The mayor is also father to Becca and Izzy's childhood friend, Cassie ( Lilia Buckingham ), putting her life at risk as well. The teens band together to stop the evil sisters before dawn on All Hallow's Eve, and they'll learn what they're capable of -- alone and with their "coven" -- in the process.

Is It Any Good?

It's always a relief when a sequel doesn't let down the legions of fans of a cult original, and in this case, the new film surpasses its predecessor in entertainment value. Hocus Pocus 2 plays to its followers with some references to the 1993 original, but you certainly don't have to have seen that film to enjoy this one, and the addition of modern-day teenagers could help draw in new followers. They might appreciate the feminist undertones, the dull-witted football boyfriend (deemed the "village idiot" by the Sandersons), and the present-day jokes involving technology like Alexa, Roomba, and the gazillion elixirs of the "youth and beauty industry."

Peak is especially good as the leader of the teen pack ( Hocus Pocus 3 material?), Hale is always a delight, and Ted Lasso 's Hannah Waddingham makes a glorious cameo as the "Witch Mother." But the real star here is Midler. She corrals her clueless sisters and steals the spotlight at every turn. "I bet you're looking for a stage," a character asks her as the sisters stumble upon a drag costume contest of, you got it, the Sanderson Sisters. "Always," she purrs, before breaking into song and dance and hypnotizing the townspeople into a zombie-like flash mob to do her bidding. This film tones down some of the cringier aspects of the original (like Parker's dumb blonde act) but keeps the camp, and even adds a touchingly emotional farewell (again, via Midler). And somehow, these "gothic Golden Girls" still look the same as they did 29 years ago. The blood of children must really work.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how Hocus Pocus 2 compares to the original, if you've seen it. What are some of the benefits and risks of making a sequel to a popular film?

What do Becca, Izzy, and Cassie learn from the Sanderson sisters? What do the sisters learn from the teenagers?

What were the Salem witch trials? Where could you go for more information?

Movie Details

On DVD or streaming : September 30, 2022
Cast : Bette Midler , Sarah Jessica Parker , Kathy Najimy , Doug Jones
Director : Anne Fletcher
Inclusion Information : Female directors, Female actors, Middle Eastern/North African actors, Female writers
Studio : Disney+
Genre : Family and Kids
Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Fairy Tales , Friendship , High School
Run time : 103 minutes
MPAA rating : PG
MPAA explanation : action, macabre/suggestive humor and some language
Last updated : February 17, 2023

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Home » Movies » Movie Reviews

Hocus Pocus 2 review – a spectacularly wicked nostalgic sequel

Hocus Pocus 2 blends in the themes that gave the original cult status with a new heartfelt story while introducing the magic to a new generation.

This review of the Disney+ film Hocus Pocus 2 does not contain spoilers.

The witches are back! After nearly three decades, Disney finally decided to grace viewers with a sequel for their cult classic, Hocus Pocus . The film was directed by Anne Fletcher and stars Bette Midler , Kathy Najimy , and Sarah Jessica Parker , reprising their iconic roles as the three Sanderson sisters : Winnie, Marry and Sarah. Doug Jones also returned as the “good zombie,” Billy Richardson.

The plot for Hocus Pocus 2 is familiar, yet the right amount of originality is mixed in the cauldron. In the first few scenes, we learn how the Sanderson sisters got their powers. They are forced to run out in the woods after a 16-year-old Winnie refuses to marry the boy Salem’s de facto leader, Reverant Traske (Tony Hale), chose for her. In retaliation, the Reverant tries to take away her sisters and place them in whatever the 1600s version of foster care was. Of course, the three run away together and come across a witch (Hannah Waddingham) who gives them the sentient Book of magic.

The film then cuts to modern-day Salem. Set 29 years after the events of the original, the narrative is centered on three teenagers, Becca (Whitney Peak), Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), and Cassie (Lilia Buckingham). The three of them used to be best friends until Cassie started dating a typical jock (Froy Gutierrez). Also fans of witchcraft, the teens spend a lot of time in the Sanderson sisters’ former home, now turned into a magic shop/museum run by Gilbert (Sam Richardson), who happens to be a huge fan of the Sanderson sisters. Becca and Izzy become the virgins who accidentally conjure the witches once more. This time, the wicket trio is hell-bent on getting their revenge and destroying Salem once and for all.

As far as sequels go, Hocus Pocus 2 does a lot of things right. It pays the right amount of homage to the original while staying focused on telling its own story. We learn more about the Sanderson sisters and the importance of their bond. The musical numbers are fun, and the fish-out-of-water elements are executed to perfection. Watching the three witches in a Walgreens trying out “potions” had me in stitches. As did putting the witches face to face with modern-day amenities like two Roombas with a mind of their own and Amazon’s Alexa as the “small woman trapped in a box.” Including a black cat who doesn’t talk was a nice little nod to the first film.

Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker play their roles as if no time has passed since they were last casting spells in those colorful witchy costumes. It’s clear that the cast had a blast filming this, and it shows on screen. The younger actors also did a fine job. And the Doug Jones portrayal of a zombie who really wants everyone to know that the relationship between him and Winnie wasn’t that deep is hilarious.

Less dark than the 1993 film, the sequel conveys a message about friendship and sisterhood packed in a colorful Halloween package. Hocus Pocus 2 blends in the themes that gave the original cult status with a new heartfelt story while introducing the magic to a new generation. Many Millennials who grew up with the first film now get to revel in nostalgia while enjoying the sequel with their children, and that’s what Disney should be about.

What did you think of Hocus Pocus 2? Comment below.

Additional Reading

Hocus Pocus 2 Ending Explained
Hannah Waddingham movies and TV shows

Article by Lori Meek

Lori Meek has been a Ready Steady Cut contributing writer since September 2022 and has had over 400 published articles since. She studied Film and Television at Southampton Solent University, where she gained most of her knowledge and passion for the entertainment industry. Lori’s work is also featured on platforms such as TBreak Media and ShowFaves.

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Hocus Pocus 2 Review

30 Sep 2022

Hocus Pocus 2

Blame the mushrooming dominance of the Halloween concept and a strange dearth of accompanying tween horror, blame the glory of Bette Midler at full tilt, blame a black cat crossing your path. However you explain it, the original Hocus Pocus became a cult favourite. 29 years later, a belated sequel recreates exactly the same beats in ways that will delight fans but seem unlikely to win over anyone else.

Things look promising in an opening prologue when Hannah Waddingham turns up as a sort of grand high witch, in flawless eye makeup and entirely in the campy spirit of the thing. She explains the rules of magic to the young Sanderson sisters. Alas, she disappears in a puff of smoke and after that, it’s business as usual. In the present day, wannabe witch Becca (Whitney Peak) is celebrating her 16th birthday with her friend Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) when she lights the wrong candle and resurrects the Sandersons: Winifred ( Bette Midler ), Mary (Kathy Najimy) and Sarah ( Sarah Jessica Parker ). The plucky youngsters must find a way to stop the sisters taking power as the witches struggle, again, to process this new world.

Director Anne Fletcher ( The Proposal ) at least keeps things moving along, but it could and should be both funnier and scarier. That’s no fault of the supporting cast: Sam Richardson, as a magic shop with expert knowledge, brings an understated edge of sarkiness, and Tony Hale is fun as the town’s mayor. Froy Gutierrez, as Cassie’s well-meaning but witness jock boyfriend, is a scene stealer when given the chance – but the film mostly splits its time between the high camp of the three sisters and the high stakes adventure for the young heroes, and that’s precisely what we’ve seen before. There’s nothing fresh here.

What’s more, between its prologue and post-credit sting, this manages to suffer from both prequelitis and sequelitis: introducing an unnecessary semi-sympathetic backstory to the Sandersons and hinting that the ending is really nothing of the sort. Both are increasingly tired tactics: not everything needs to be a franchise, and half the joy of the Sandersons is their unrepentant awfulness. They eat children! Do we really care that someone was once mean to them as teenagers? Let pantomime villains be pantomime villains. Still, fans will enjoy all the campy threats and over the top poses. Certainly Midler, Najimy and Parker are having an infectiously good time, while Peak and Escobedo make for likeable heroines. But this relies too heavily on nostalgia to really land in its own right.

Movies | 28 06 2022

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DVD & Streaming

Hocus Pocus 2

Comedy , Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Content Caution

In Theaters

Bette Midler as Winifred Sanderson; Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson; Kathy Najimy as Mary Sanderson; Whitney Peak as Becca; Belissa Escobedo as Izzy; Lilia Buckingham as Cassie; Froy Gutierrez as Mike; Sam Richardson as Gilbert; Tony Hale as Mayor Traske; Doug Jones as Billy Butcherson

Home Release Date

September 30, 2022
Anne Fletcher

Distributor

Movie review.

Legend has it that if a virgin lights the Black Flame Candle on All Hallow’s Eve during a full moon, the Sanderson Sisters will rise again, wreaking havoc upon Salem, eating the souls of every child.

“It’s all just a bunch of hocus pocus,” Max said, 29 years ago.

And despite his little sister, Dani, begging him not to, he lit the candle, causing the witches to rise and nearly causing the death of every kid in Salem.

I say nearly because Max, Dani, Allison (Max’s crush) and Thackery Binx (a boy who was transformed into an immortal cat by the sisters after they murdered his own little sister) managed to stop the Sandersons before they could fulfill their evil plot.

Now, nearly three decades later, Becca doesn’t believe the legend either (probably because she and the other teenagers of Salem weren’t even alive when the sisters returned the first time).

All Becca wants to do is celebrate her 16 th birthday with her two best friends, Izzy and Cassie, by performing a ritual for blessings over the new year and having a scary-movie marathon.

Only Cassie isn’t interested in this childish tradition. She stopped hanging out with the girls after she started dating Mike. And he’d rather throw a Halloween party for everyone in their grade.

So Becca and Izzy go it alone. Becca lights a candle, and the girls begin to speak their wishes.

Then something happens.

The candle begins to spark like a firework. Becca quickly extinguishes it with water, but then it relights itself.

And the flame is now black .

The wind kicks up. The ground shakes and splits. The moon goes completely dark. And the Sanderson Sisters rise up from their graves once more.

Lock up your children, Salem. Because the witches are back …

Positive Elements

When push comes to shove, Becca and her friends protect one another. And they eventually apologize for ignoring each other, too. They also convince some other characters to do the right thing.

Mike learns the hard way that pointing out people’s differences and calling them “weird” is the same as making fun of them (even though he thought he was just making conversation). And he begins to apologize to all the people he might have hurt in this manner.

Two teens are rightfully disciplined for causing a disturbance in class during a test. Another is grounded for disobeying her dad and throwing an unsupervised party.

The Sanderson Sisters, for all their wickedness, do love each other dearly. And their quest for eternal life (while problematic) is fueled by their desire never to be apart.

Spiritual Elements

It’s no secret that the Sanderson Sisters’ beliefs and abilities are rooted in the occult. In the previous film, they worshiped a man dressed as Satan for Halloween, believing him to be their “Master,” and we see flashbacks to that scene in this film. Several characters reference the devil, and a few of them dress up as the devil for Halloween (as well as witches, monsters and the like).

Even as a child, Winifred (the eldest Sanderson) stood in opposition to the Church. She openly rebuked the reverend of Salem and was eventually banished for her sins. And centuries later, she still shows no remorse, “relish[ing] in her petulances,” we hear.

The witches use their powers in a variety of ways. One witch causes lightning to rain down from the sky upon Salem. Another transforms herself into a crow. Some witches use their powers to form protective shields. Others create dark altars with objects such as a petrified spider and “the head of a lover.” We hear that the Sandersons are planning to use a spell to turn a boy into a cat; we also know that they used this spell on a different boy. The witches fly on household cleaning tools (such as brooms).

Winifred is told as a child that a witch is nothing without her coven, and she’s encouraged to care for her sisters (since they are her coven). Becca and her friends form a coven of their own in rebellion against the Sandersons.

The Sandersons get their spells and potions from a magical, sentient book. It has a single eye on the cover, and it can fly and turn its pages on its own.

The Sandersons also have the ability to enchant people with song. (The lyrics of some of these songs celebrate their “sins” and “wickedness.”) And one of these songs specifically targets children, luring them to their deaths.

In the previous film, Winifred used magic to raise her boyfriend, Billy Butcherson, from the dead. In this film, Billy rises from his grave again, explaining that because nobody broke the spell that turned him into a zombie, he simply sat in his grave for the past 29 years. [ Spoiler Warning ] In this film, Billy is properly put to rest.

Several characters use salt as a defense against the Sandersons’ dark magic.

Becca and Izzy (and presumably Cassie as well in previous years), pray to the pagan Triple Goddess (Maiden, Mother and Crone) as a part of Becca’s birthday “ritual.” A few people grow upset with them for messing with occult stuff since it causes the return of the Sandersons.

We hear about other magical spells and potions. A magic shop sells replica occult items and New Age products, such as crystals. Becca uses many of these items. We hear that witches’ powers manifest at age 16.

[ Spoiler Warning ] Gilbert, the owner of Salem’s “Olde Magic Shoppe” practically worships the Sanderson Sisters, creating a new Black Flame Candle for Becca to bring the sisters back.

Sexual Content

Several drag queens dress up as the Sanderson Sisters for Halloween. We see a gay couple watching the original Hocus Pocus on TV.

After being told about the Sanderson legend, a child asks what a virgin is. And an adult, unsure of what to say, replies it’s a person who’s never lit a candle before. Later, this same man says he couldn’t light the Black Flame Candle since he’s not a virgin, grossing out the teenagers present.

Sarah Sanderson, the youngest sister, wears a dress that often exposes her garters and cleavage. (And though her character doesn’t fraternize with any men, unlike the previous film, she still likes to put herself on display and to be thought of as beautiful.) Characters dressed up like the Sandersons for Halloween sometimes have revealing costumes. A woman wears the same risqué Madonna costume that Max and Dani’s mom wore in the previous film.

In the previous film, we hear that Billy cheated on Winifred with Sarah. In this film, we learn this isn’t the truth. Though Winifred considered Billy to be her “soulmate,” she only ever shared a single kiss with him.

Violent Content

As a child (before she became a witch) Sarah is nearly killed by an older witch, who tries to feed Sarah a potion that will then allow the witch to consume Sarah’s soul and youth. (And flashbacks show the Sandersons as adult witches killing a child in this same manner.) We hear more references to this potion throughout the film, and several witches casually talk about killing and eating children.

We see several witches using their powers to zap people. The more powerful the witch, the more painful the zap. Witches also use their powers to throw people around, sometimes hurting them. We hear about a witch who poisoned her boyfriend and sewed his mouth shut after she caught him cheating on her.

The Sandersons vow to kill any teenagers they meet (and threaten to murder many others). Mary Sanderson (the middle sister) threatens to “fricassee” someone. The Sandersons are delighted when they learn that a certain spell requires the blood of their enemy (and Winifred uses her long, sharp nails to nick Cassie’s neck for a drop of blood). Winifred is sometimes violent toward her sisters, smacking Sarah across the face at one point.

A flashback shows the Sanderson Sisters with nooses around their necks. (And the camera shot that follows shows their legs dangling off the ground as they had been hanged.)

Becca and her friends throw rocks at the Sandersons. Though he’s technically dead, Billy occasionally loses body parts, such as his hand and his head.

A girl storms through a crowd, knocking things out of people’s hands and shoving them aside. Winifred breaks a plate in anger. Three young girls are roughly handled by townsfolk trying to separate their family. A boy faints and falls to the ground.

Crude or Profane Language

A young Winifred takes delight in the fact that she took the Lord’s name in vain twice . We hear nearly 15 other misuses of God’s name. In one scene, Puritans are scandalized by these outbursts.

We hear a single use of “d–n.” Characters repeatedly substitute the word “b–ch” for witch. Someone exclaims, “Holy Lucifer!” Other insults are exchanged.

Drug and Alcohol Content

Several teens attend an unsupervised party, though it’s unclear if their yellow Solo cups contain alcohol or not.

Other Negative Elements

Even before Winifred and her sisters dabbled in the dark arts, the people of Salem called them “wicked” and “witches.” They specifically called Winifred ugly, and many were angered by her pro-female stance (she’s scolded for turning down an arranged marriage and speaking ill of her would-be betrothed). And it’s perhaps because of this mistreatment and rejection that the Sandersons acted as badly as they did.

We learn that the Sanderson Sisters were orphaned at a young age. And when a young Winifred refuses to obey Salem’s reverend, he tries to take Mary and Sarah out of her custody (though the girls escape).

Winifred is domineering over her sisters even though they are good to her. She often puts her own wants and desires before theirs. And it’s clear Sarah and Mary wish she appreciated them more.

A girl says something is based on the “patriarchal fear of female aging.”

Characters lie and break promises. Some act cowardly. Winifred ignores several warnings not to do a dangerous spell and pays the price for it. A teenage girl throws a party even though her dad specifically forbade it. Some teens are rude about their friend’s mom. Some teens are mean to each other.

Someone passes gas. We hear a cat is “scared poopless.” The Sanderson Sisters eat and drink beauty products (not realizing they are supposed to be applied topically).

Oh yes, the Sanderson Sisters are back. Only this time, consuming the souls of Salem’s children won’t be enough. Now, they’ve vowed to become the most powerful witches ever . And they want to destroy all of Salem’s citizens.

The spiritual content found here pretty much falls in line with what we saw in the original Hocus Pocus back in 1993. That is to say, it’s a story played for dark laughs that’s full to the witch cauldron’s brim of spooky spirituality. The result is a sequel that takes the original’s occult themes and amplifies them.

The Sandersons, by their own admission, are evil . Yes, Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker (who played the trio of sisters in the original film as well) can be pretty hilarious. But they worship Satan. And they’re using what’s specifically labeled as “dark” magic to conjure enough power to kill all the people of Salem.

Sexual content isn’t graphic, but again, like the predecessor, we hear awkward conversations about virginity among young teens. Meanwhile, some LGBT characters (including drag queens) make an appearance as well.

Language concerns are relatively minor, but a young Winifred Sanderson boasts about taking the Lord’s name in vain twice . And even though someone calls this abuse “blasphemy,” God’s name is repeatedly and casually misused throughout the rest of the film. To me, those profanities further demonstrate the filmmakers’ blatant disregard for the sanctity of His name.

And it’s a shame that the film’s only truly redeeming quality also comes from its villains . The Sanderson Sisters love each other. Yes, Winifred finds Mary and Sarah to be infuriating at times, but she never wants to be apart from them either.

Becca, Izzy and Cassie, though technically the heroes, have a weak storyline by comparison. Their own redemption arc is overshadowed by the fact that they act like immature and spoiled teenagers through most of the film.

And frankly, they don’t hold a Black Flame Candle to the Sandersons.

So while Hocus Pocus 2 might seem like spooky PG silliness for some, its “unholy mischief” offers plenty of reasons for families to steer clear of this sequel’s occult imagery, ideas and worldview.

Emily Tsiao

Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.

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'Hocus Pocus 2' First Reviews Praise Main Trio's 'Electric Presence'

"The original cast return to remind us why Hocus Pocus became a cult classic," IGN's Amelia Emberwing writes in her review of Hocus Pocus 2 , out Friday

The first reviews for Hocus Pocus 2 have landed!

The highly anticipated sequel to 1993's Hocus Pocus premieres Friday on Disney+, and critics seem to be in agreement that the Sanderson sisters — Bette Midler , Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker — are back to their witchy selves, in the best way.

"What's most interesting about Hocus Pocus 2 (besides its utility as a lesson in how you can't bottle and resell nostalgia) is its star trio: Midler, Parker and Najimy reprise their roles with the same energetic kookiness that made Hocus Pocus beloved. You can tell they're having fun," Lovia Gyarkye writes in her review for The Hollywood Reporter , adding that the three "have an electric presence on screen, their chemistry virtually unchanged in the decades between films."

For more on Hocus Pocus , listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

But at the same time, she continues, the sequel feels like it "honors [the] history" of the original movie "without knowing quite how to move beyond it ... bear(ing) the markings of a struggle between embracing existing fans and courting new ones."

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According to IGN 's Amelia Emberwing, "The original cast" — which includes Midler, 76, Najimy, 65, Parker, 57, as well as Doug Jones as zombie Billy Butcherson — "return to remind us why Hocus Pocus became a cult classic."

"The original cast step into their former roles like they're well broken-in witch boots, and all the new players make admirable additions to the Hocus Pocus franchise," Emberwing adds.

"There isn't a lot that can go wrong when you put three fabulous character actresses onscreen together (yes, Sarah Jessica Parker was once a character actress!), but you have to give them a little something to work with," IndieWire 's Jude Dry writes.

Dry goes on to call Hocus Pocus 2 "a totally satisfactory sequel" but notes "the plot is basically the same and the jokes mere updates to the original."

Although that might not necessary be a bad thing. Says Dry, "Why mess with a good thing when you can simply recreate it?"

RELATED VIDEO: Hannah Waddingham Says People Will "Fall in Love" with Hocus Pocus 2

Other reviews are a bit more critical, like from USA Today 's Brian Truitt, who says, "The witches are done dirty, yet the youth movement also isn't well served."

"With its well-trodden fish-out-of-water and teen-movie tropes, Hocus Pocus 2 succeeds in showing that not every popular movie needs a starry sequel decades after the fact," Truitt adds.

Hocus Pocus 2 is set "29 years since someone lit the Black Flame Candle and resurrected the 17th-century sisters, and they are looking for revenge," according to a plot summary by Disney.

"Now it is up to three high school students to stop the ravenous witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on Salem before dawn on All Hallows' Eve," the summary adds.

Joining Midler, Parker, Najimy and Jones, 62, the new cast includes Whitney Peak , Belissa Escobedo , Tony Hale , Sam Richardson and Hannah Waddingham .

Hocus Pocus 2 is streaming Friday on Disney+.

Review: Thou wilt have a perfectly OK time with the Bette-middling ‘Hocus Pocus 2’

Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy go shopping at Walgreens in the movie "Hocus Pocus 2."

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By one of those coincidences that leads me to suspect witchcraft — or perhaps just the more banal dark magic of social media — this week has renewed some heated online chatter about the dubious cultural legacies of two very different movies. One of them is James Cameron’s 3-D wonderment “Avatar” (2009), which recently returned to theaters as a warm-up act for “Avatar: The Way of Water.” That soon-to-arrive sequel will test some of the more persistent putdowns of the first “Avatar,” namely that it was a rare box office juggernaut with a negligible pop-cultural imprint. It was an event movie that everyone saw, the argument goes, but few really loved.

The other movie is the family-friendly supernatural comedy “Hocus Pocus” (1993), which, like “Avatar,” has now spawned a long-awaited follow-up. But unlike “Avatar,” “Hocus Pocus” set no box office records on release, broke no technological ground and received mostly indifferent to hostile reviews. The 10-year-old me who saw it in theaters (and countless times afterward on VHS) would have supplied one of the more enthusiastic notices, won over by its wanly funny-spooky vibes, its now-creaky visual effects and the shrieky rapport of Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker as the Sanderson Sisters, a trio of 17th-century New England witches with a taste for young children and archaic second-person-singular pronouns.

Mini-me also would have been delighted by the prospect of a sequel, if disappointed to hear it would take almost 30 years to get off the ground. That lengthy gestation speaks to the long, weird shelf life of the first “Hocus Pocus,” received as a campy misfire but reclaimed, over the decades, as a Halloween staple and (oc)cult classic. It occasioned fan guides, TV specials, theme-park attractions and wildly popular anniversary screenings, some of them attended by ye olde original cast and crew. Parker even launched her own spinoff sitcom, “Hex and the City.” OK, I madest that up.

Belissa Escobedo, Whitney Peak and Lilia Buckingham in the movie "Hocus Pocus 2."

Despite all this, the charms of “Hocus Pocus” remain elusive for many, its retroactive popularity an ongoing source of bafflement. “Hocus Pocus 2,” arriving this week on Disney+, is unlikely to clear up anyone’s confusion. But neither will it make anyone terribly unhappy. Directed by Anne Fletcher (“The Proposal,” “27 Dresses”) from a script by Jen D’Angelo, the movie is a thin but painless retread, cloaking its derivative storytelling in a familiar cloak of fan gratification. It kicks off in 17th-century Salem, Mass., where a defiantly impious young Winifred Sanderson (a very good Taylor Henderson) flees into the forest with her sisters, Mary (Nina Kitchen) and Sarah (Juju Journey Brener). There, they meet an older witch (“Ted Lasso’s” Hannah Waddingham) who bequeaths them a magic spellbook that will unlock their dark powers.

Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker perform a spooky Blondie cover in Disney+'s "Hocus Pocus 2."

Here’s how the ‘Hocus Pocus’ sequel followed up that legendary musical moment

After the ‘alchemy’ of ‘I Put a Spell on You,’ Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker cover a Blondie hit in the Disney+ sequel.

Sept. 30, 2022

Flash forward to the present day, which happens to be exactly 29 years after the events of the first “Hocus Pocus,” when a virginal high schooler ill-advisedly resurrected the Sanderson Sisters for one Halloween night of literally soul-sucking mayhem. That’s what happens again in “Hocus Pocus 2,” this time by way of a rather smarter teenager, Becca (Whitney Peak), and a very dumb Salem historian, Gilbert (Sam Richardson), plus some tortuous story logic that brings the evil sisters whooshing back to life. As the lip-smacking, incantation-hurling Winifred, Midler gorges herself anew on the scenery and sometimes blasts it with lightning bolts. Najimy and Parker are also back as dopey Mary and ditzy Sarah, respectively, who live to sniff out children and lure them to a tasty death.

The Sandersons’ shtick — part sub-Three Stooges slapstick, part “Saturday Night Live” parody of “The Crucible” — is no more clever or inspired than it was in the first movie, but Midler, Najimy and Parker remain such game performers, so adept at vampy antics and menacing facial contortions, that thou wilt not really care. They’re particularly funny in one sequence in which Becca and her friend, Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), try to distract the witches from their pedicidal rampage by taking them shopping at Walgreens, where they’re duly wowed by the advanced sorcery of beauty products and automatic sliding doors.

A man in period dress and long unkempt hair stands in a room in the movie "Hocus Pocus 2."

Apart from some complications involving the town’s geekily Halloween-obsessed mayor (Tony Hale), that’s about it for narrative novelty. “Hocus Pocus” die-hards won’t be surprised by the reappearance of Winifred’s undead paramour, Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones, lean, green and un-mean as he was in the first movie). And after their 1993 rendition of “I Put a Spell on You,” of course the witches are obliged to revive their Vegas-style lounge act here, this time while crashing (what else?) a Sanderson Sisters-themed costume contest — a self-congratulatory wink at how popular the “Hocus Pocus” phenomenon has become.

It has also become, at least in this passably entertaining sequel, a softer, more sentimental thing than in its earlier incarnation. Rather than sucking the souls of Salem’s children, the witches decide to shore up their power with the mother of all spells, initiating an “Into the Woods”-style quest for ingredients. No one bursts into Sondheim here ( a Blondie classic is the soundtrack highlight ), but it all builds to an appreciably moving, even Sondheimian warning to be careful what thou wishest for. That poignancy sets it apart from the first movie, as does the fact that nobody turns into a cat this time around. For that, we’ll always have “Avatar.”

‘Hocus Pocus 2’

Rating: PG, for action, macabre/suggestive humor and some language Running time: 1 hour, 43 minutes Playing: Streaming on Disney+

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Justin Chang was a film critic for the Los Angeles Times from 2016 to 2024. He won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in criticism for work published in 2023. Chang is the author of the book “FilmCraft: Editing” and serves as chair of the National Society of Film Critics and secretary of the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn.

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Hocus Pocus 2 Review

The witch is back, and there’s much more than hell to pay..

Hocus Pocus 2 debuts on Disney+ on Sept. 30, 2022.

Almost 20 years ago, the original Hocus Pocus debuted to lackluster reviews and limited financial returns. Thankfully, you can’t keep a bad witch down. After becoming a beloved cult favorite over the years, the Sanderson Sisters have returned with all new mischievous plans, and they’ve brought a brand new cast along with them. It may be cursed with some shoddy greenscreen, but it still reminds us how these witches were able to cast a spell on us in the first place.

2022’s sequel follows Becca (Whitney Peak), Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), and Cassie (Lilia Buckingham) as they fight to keep Salem safe from the series’ original witches, Winifred (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy), and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker). We also meet enthusiastic new players like the wonderful Gilbert (Sam Richardson) and see the return of old favorites like Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones). The original cast step into their former roles like they’re well broken-in witch boots, and all the new players make admirable additions to the Hocus Pocus franchise.

Hannah Waddingham is, of course, absolutely brilliant as the Witch Mother. Unfortunately, she just so happens to be criminally underused.

Now that that’s been addressed, let’s talk about Hocus Pocus 2’s biggest issue: it’s not filmed in Salem. Now, plenty of films don’t shoot on location. Even the original Hocus Pocus was shot mostly on a soundstage in Los Angeles while graveyard and other exterior shots took place in Massachusetts. The reason it’s a problem here is because it looks like it wasn’t filmed in Salem. It’s wonderfully nostalgic that Hocus Pocus 2 feels like the Disney Channel Original Movies of yore, but the fact that it looks like one in 2022 is pretty rough. The most egregious example is the moonlit forest backdrop that takes up much of the third act. You’ll know it when you see it.

Who's your favorite Sanderson Sister?

Outside of some ugly greenscreen work (and a complete lack of cobblestone in what’s meant to be historic downtown Salem), Hocus Pocus 2 has some fun attention to detail. For example, the town’s Mayor Traske is noted to have ties to the Salem Witch Trials, and the family does! (Though their name was spelled Trask. Anyway, Bridget Bishop: Innocent.) Meanwhile, there are some nice witchy details like the use of angelica leaves to lift curses. It’s really the root that’s used for protection, but as IGN’s Resident Witch I am letting it slide. Finally, Waddingham’s Witch Mother tells a young Winnifred that “one day, Salem will belong to us.” And it does. Today, up to 1,600 of Salem’s population identify as witches, and you can’t throw a stone downtown without hitting a shop devoted to or celebrating the craft.

Hocus Pocus 2 is all about the power of the coven. Some folks might call it trite or twee, but I personally find it hard to root against a story about sisterhood even if it may be guilty of a little fluff. Besides, who cares about the quest for ultimate power if you can’t take your sisters along with you? Who will you sing magical bops with if they’re not there to back you up? What are you gonna do, bewitch an entire town by yourself?!

Legacy sequels will, of course, always get compared to their predecessors, but it’s practically apples and oranges with Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2. They both have the same leading ladies, but the two focus on completely different things otherwise. The original was all about its non-witch human characters like Max, Dani, and Allison. Meanwhile, though Hocus Pocus 2 does give Becca, Izzy, and Cassie their fair share of relevant screen time, this one feels like it’s more for the Sanderson Sisters. Whether you believe that’s for cynical, merch-selling reasons or because of the uptick in stories told from the “villain” perspective is up to you. Either way, it works for the story and complements the new player’s narrative arc quite nicely. Plus, the focus on the Sanderson Sisters means we get way more musical moments than we did in the first movie! The main number is the show stopper, but their other songs are fun enough.

Like the original, Hocus Pocus 2 leaves things open for another sequel. That doesn’t really feel necessary with where things close out, but it is a nice homage to the final scene from the 1993 movie. Only time will tell if this is the last we see of the Sanderson Sisters and Becca’s circle but, for now, it was a happy enough return to Salem.

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Click through for a spotlight on some of the most notable September 2022 Disney+ releases!

Amelia is the entertainment Streaming Editor here at IGN. She's also a film and television critic who spends too much time talking about dinosaurs, superheroes, and folk horror. You can usually find her with her dog, Rogers. There may be cheeseburgers involved. Follow her across social @ThatWitchMia

The Sanderson Sisters are back and the cost is a lot steeper than hell this time. The original cast returns to remind us why Hocus Pocus became a cult classic, and new players give fans being introduced to the franchise wonderful characters to cheer on, although Hannah Waddingham should have been given more to do. Some shoddy greenscreen work pulls Hocus Pocus 2 down, but otherwise it feels like a Disney Channel Original Movie in a charming way.

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'Hocus Pocus 2' review: Beloved Halloween cult classic loses its magic in wretched sequel

By the time the witchy Sanderson sisters become enchanted by the electronic doors at a Walgreens drug store, you realize just how wickedly off course “Hocus Pocus 2” has gone.

The 1993 Halloween cult classic starring Bette Midler , Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy was a mostly forgettable dud with some safe and fun kid-friendly high jinks. Compared to the terribly unnecessary new sequel (★ ½ out of four; rated PG; streaming now on Disney+ ), the OG “Hocus Pocus” might as well be a classic from the Universal monsters canon. Directed by Anne Fletcher (“The Proposal”), the follow-up fails in every way, as a retread of the beloved ‘90s vehicle and as a youth-centered setup for future installments.

'Lock up your children!': See the first look at 'Hocus Pocus 2,' chilling new trailer

Although it has its faults, the original “Hocus Pocus” (directed by a pre-“High School Musical” Kenny Ortega) found a novelty with the Sanderson sisters – bucktoothed leader Winnie (Midler), barking oddball Mary (Najimy) and lovable dimwit Sarah (Parker) – introduced as horror villains by way of the Three Stooges. Three centuries after being hanged by Salem’s residents, they were brought back to life (thanks to a teen virgin lighting a magic candle) to run amok, amok, amok on the town, sucking the life force out of children so the siblings can remain young.

Even though it seemed they permanently poofed into colorful dust at the end of the ’93 movie, “Hocus Pocus 2” runs the plot back, with young wannabe spellcasters Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) inadvertently unleashing the witches again. They get help from their friend Cassie (Lilia Buckingham), who has been spending more time with the popular kids than her longtime pals, when her mayor dad (Tony Hale) becomes an unexpected target for the Sandersons’ vengeful shenanigans.

'Hocus Pocus' original review: Read our critic's not-so-good take on the first movie in 1993

The potion-brewing siblings are the latest, after the subjects of “Maleficent” and “ Cruella ,” to receive a Disney villain “they’re not that bad” origin tale, as their childhood backstory is forced into the “Hocus Pocus” sequel. On one hand, it’s a timely bit of girl empowerment (and one of the only aspects of the movie that kind of works). Yet it also renders the Sandersons toothless.

While in the first film they were goofy women with a penchant for out-of-nowhere musical showstoppers, the sisters actually felt dangerous, since they were straight up murdering children for youthful makeovers. In the sequel, the Sandersons are mere filler, rather than killer, in their attempt to be all powerful, more inept than ever and, in Mary’s case, riding Roombas. They even sing a switched-up version of Elton John’s “The Bitch Is Back" (and you can guess which word is changed).

'Hocus Pocus 2' premiere: Kathy Najimy talks pressure of sequel, writer teases 'third' movie

The witches are done dirty, yet the youth movement also isn't well served. There are so many Easter eggs and callbacks to the original “Hocus Pocus” piled on that the teens don’t have the focus they need to be fleshed-out heroes of the story. Placing the sisters front and center in the sequel takes away from the younger characters' development, although two guest stars make the most of their time: Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso”) plays a witch the Sandersons meet in 17th-century Salem, and Sam Richardson is owner of the magic shop frequented by Becca and Izzy. (From “Werewolves Within” to “The Afterparty,” Richardson usually makes everything he’s in better, but he can save only so much of this travesty.)

With its well-trodden fish-out-of-water and teen-movie tropes, “Hocus Pocus 2” succeeds in showing that not every popular movie needs a starry sequel decades after the fact. (Tom Cruise’s new “Top Gun” is the rare exception.) Midler, Najimy and especially Parker gave a needed spark to the mediocre original that’s missing in the sequel, an accursed undertaking that lacks any of the spell it cast on nostalgic fans.

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Screen Rant

Hocus pocus 2 reviews say sequel leans on nostalgia for better & worse.

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The reviews are in for Hocus Pocus 2 , and critics largely disagree on whether the nostalgia-heavy sequel is a trick or a treat. The original 1993 Hocus Pocus introduced audiences to the Sanderson sisters, a trio of witches made up of Winnie (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimi), and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker). They drain the life force out of children in Salem, Massachusetts and are executed for their crimes. However, they return on Halloween night when a group of kids lights the Black Flame Candle, unknowingly resurrecting them and sending them on a brand-new rampage around town. That original film was helmed by High School Musical director Kenny Ortega .

This year, on September 30, Disney+ is bringing the franchise back to life with its first sequel, directed by The Proposal 's Anne Fletcher. The film will reunite all three Sanderson sister actresses alongside Doug Jones reprising his role as the slapstick zombie Billy Butcherson, though it will not feature the return of the original cast of youngsters, including Omri Katz, Thora Birch, and Vinessa Shaw. This time around, a new crop of kids will light the Black Flame Candle and release the vengeful sisters.

Related: Why Max, Dani & Allison Don't Return For Hocus Pocus 2

Earlier today, the embargo was lifted on reviews of Hocus Pocus 2 and critics were able to share their thoughts on the sequel. They are largely divided on whether it has been able to recapture the magic of the original film, though its supporters seem to outnumber its detractors by a hair. One thing nearly everyone seems to agree on, however, is that returning star Bette Midler delivers a powerhouse performance and that the project should be a real Halloween treat for folks who don't mind a heavy dose of nostalgia. However, nostalgia does seem to come at the expense of the new young cast, who don't get much to do in the face of expanded roles for all three witches. Read selected quotes from critics below:

Ferdosa, Screen Rant :

The film does struggle when it comes to the script. While the novelty of the Sanderson sisters roaming the 21st century earns a couple of chuckles, the script can’t quite meet the charm and charisma naturally imbued in the lead actresses, namely Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy. Sarah Jessica Parker plays up her inappropriate sex appeal playfully, but she has little offered to her, with the script seemingly catered to Midler and Najimy. On top of that, the new ensemble barely holds on, with paper-thin characters that are hollow imitations of the typical Disney Channel character.

Peter Debruge, Variety :

The movie misses the opportunity to serve up a useful portrayal of the petty divisions that drive old friends apart, while orienting itself to lecture audiences on the importance of loyalty and the perils of egotism. It’s doubtful that such moral lessons are the reason anyone’s watching “Hocus Pocus 2,” which again blends Midler’s hammy diva persona with details that feel almost too dark for a kids’ movie (but have since been normalized by the likes of Neil Gaiman and Tim Burton).

Jude Dry, IndieWire :

It’s the witches’ world; everything else is just scenery to get these three back on broomsticks together. Unfortunately, their mean streaks seem to have softened over the years, and the movie relies on a manufactured sisterly bond to wrap things up. The script adds a saccharine sweetness along with its teen feminist morality play, as if it’s far too aware of sending a message. Some things, it seems, are better left buried.

Amelia Emberwing, IGN :

The original cast return to remind us why Hocus Pocus became a cult classic, and new players give fans being introduced to the franchise wonderful characters to cheer on, although Hannah Waddingham should have been given more to do. Some shoddy greenscreen work pulls Hocus Pocus 2 down, but otherwise it feels like a Disney Channel Original Movie in a charming way.

Lovia Gyarkye, THR :

Midler, Parker and Najimy have an electric presence on screen, their chemistry virtually unchanged in the decades between films. Their scenes are the most consistently enjoyable of Hocus Pocus 2 — the moments when it feels like everyone behind and in front of the camera are under their enchanting spell.

Peter Travers, ABC News :

Is "Hocus Pocus 2" often as exhausting as it is entertaining? Sure. But the inspired lunacy of Midler, Parker and Najimy is impossible to resist, whether they're flying on broomsticks or vacuum cleaners. One way or another, as the song goes, they're gonna get ya, get ya, get ya, get ya.

Brian Truitt, USA Today :

The witches are done dirty, yet the youth movement also isn't well served. There are so many Easter eggs and callbacks to the original “Hocus Pocus” piled on that the teens don’t have the focus they need to be fleshed-out heroes of the story.

How Hocus Pocus 2 Compares to the Original

The Sanderson sisters posing for Hocus Pocus 2

The Rotten Tomatoes score for Hocus Pocus 2 will continue to fluctuate throughout the week, as more and more reviews are added to the aggregator. However, at the time of writing, the score has landed somewhere around the 68%-70% range, which is comfortably Fresh. Even if it eventually dips below the line into Rotten, it seems that the sequel will still rank considerably higher than the original Hocus Pocus , which is at a thoroughly Rotten 39%, though general audiences were considerably kinder to it, giving it a 71%.

This increased score for Hocus Pocus 2 may indeed largely be a result of the overall cultural shift in perception of the original film. Although the original film was both a critical and commercial flop, it became a Halloween cult classic on home video. Since then, it has risen to become a genuine classic in the eyes of many despite its inauspicious debut, so it makes sense for younger critics to now have warmer feelings toward the original that can then color their perceptions of the way the new movie functions as a follow-up.

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Hocus Pocus 2

Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)

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Bette Midler reveals the movie of hers she and her husband cried watching: ‘He just loved it’

New episodes of Hoda’s podcast are available every Wednesday — just search “Making Space” wherever you get your podcasts, or click here .

Bette Midler’s performances have moved countless fans over the years, and when Midler looks back at her own work, she says there’s one movie scene in particular that brought a tear to her eye when she watched it.

“Strangely enough, I did cry at the end of 'Hocus Pocus,' the last 'Hocus Pocus,' that thing where they all sort of disappear,” she said during the July 24 episode of the “Making Space with Hoda Kotb” podcast .

“My husband cried, too. We both did,” she added.

Midler was referring to the poignant ending of “Hocus Pocus 2,” the 2022 sequel to her 1993 cult classic.

In the movie’s final moments, Midler’s character, Winifred Sanderson, relinquishes her powers and appears to gives up her life to be with her beloved sisters, Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mary (Kathy Najimy), who have vanished into sparkling dust.

In the scene, Winifred appears to accept her mortality and possibly contemplate an afterlife.

“It was like, you know, ‘Is that what it’s like?’” Midler told Hoda. “And (my husband) was so impressed. He just loved it. We both cried.”

Midler also opened up in general about the benefits of shedding some tears.

She seemed moved when Hoda mentioned a friend who only saw her mother cry a few times in her life, including when watching Midler’s 1988 movie, “Beaches.”

“That is so extraordinary that you’re saying that,” Midler said. “Because I, of course, have my shrink, and she tells me there’s nothing like a good cry.”

Midler also mentioned her husband, Martin von Haselberg , later in her chat with Hoda.

She reflected on how they tied the knot 40 years ago after having only dated a short while.

“The time was right, and he was fabulous, and I thought what could happen? You know, and I took a flyer because people took flyers then. I think they still do,” Midler said.

The “First Wives Club” star also smiled as she recalled their Vegas nuptials.

“And we went to Vegas and got married by an Elvis impersonator. Always a good idea,” she said. “And on the way back, it snowed. So we took that as a very, very good omen. It was very beautiful.”

Midler’s husband generally keeps out of the public eye, but he has opened up in the past about their romance.

“She’s just got a very big range, which makes it pretty exciting to live with,” von Haselberg said of his wife in an interview with The Mountains magazine in 2023. “It keeps me on my toes all the time. This is not a languid life that I lead with her, believe me. It’s like being on a roller coaster I cannot get off.”

Lindsay Lowe has been a regular contributor to TODAY.com since 2016, covering pop culture, style, home and other lifestyle topics. She is also working on her first novel, a domestic drama set in rural Regency England.

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A Smartphone Can’t Help You Now: How Horror Movies Solve Their Cell Problem

When one quick call can eliminate danger and undermine screams, filmmakers have to figure out a workaround. Sometimes it can even deepen a story.

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In a very dark movie scene, several figures hold up well-lit screens to their faces.

By Rich Juzwiak

A cellphone lies in a rustic Airbnb, smashed by an intruder. Then, when another is procured, a faulty connection interrupts a call to 911.

A navigation map on a smartphone glitches as a driver plunges deep into the woods.

Criminals on a kidnapping job are ordered to surrender their phones “to be completely certain that you can’t be tracked.”

An exasperated partyer in rural Ontario wonders aloud to a member in his group, “How long is it going to take for you to realize there’s no reception out here?”

These are some of the ways that recent horror movies have gotten around what is at this point an age-old problem: the cellphone. In working order, they can render predicaments more solvable and certain situations easier to escape — potentially. Before the late ’90s, there was little need to make such a show of connectivity failure. Lines would go down or get cut, sure, but isolation in the age before mass cellphone usage was easier to come by and therefore easier to believe onscreen. Back then, the tropes didn’t have to trope so hard.

Then came the cell, and movies like “House on Haunted Hill” (1999) and “Jeepers Creepers” (2001) featured characters realizing they were holding useless plastic flip-bricks as their situations grew hairy. (In the former, the possessed house kills the signal before any of its inhabitants; in the latter, young adult siblings bicker over a low battery notification after witnessing what turns out to be a winged demon.) With smartphones, there was even more to neutralize, like GPS maps and internet searches. Movies taking pains to explain away cellphones were so prevalent that by 2009, I could collect more than 40 clips for a supercut exploring this development in the previous decade or so.

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COMMENTS

Hocus Pocus 2 movie review & film summary (2022)
Hocus Pocus 2. Nell Minow September 29, 2022. Tweet. Now streaming on: Powered by JustWatch. The 1993 Disney movie " Hocus Pocus " is the story of three witch sisters who were executed in Salem in 1693 and returned to create havoc 300 years later on Halloween. It is more than a classic; it is a cultural touchstone.
Hocus Pocus 2
Oct 2, 2023 Full Review Kevin Slane Boston.com While there are plenty of fan service nods to its 1993 predecessor, "Hocus Pocus 2" stands capably on its own, offering a spooky diversion for a ...
'Hocus Pocus 2' Review: Disney+'s Nostalgia-Heavy Sequel
Rated PG, 1 hour 43 minutes. Hocus Pocus 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the original Disney film, honors its history without knowing quite how to move beyond it. Directed by Anne Fletcher ...
Hocus Pocus 2
Hocus Pocus 2 is brimming with hijinks, fun music numbers, and laughs. Unfortunately, the plot is the weakest link in this film. Full Review | Original Score: 6.5/10 | Jan 4, 2023. If you enjoyed ...
'Hocus Pocus 2' Review: Bette Midler and Sisters Conjure More of the
Hocus Pocus 2, Sarah Jessica Parker. 'Hocus Pocus 2' Review: Bette Midler and Sisters Conjure More of the Same in Decades-Later Disney+ Sequel. Reviewed on Disney Debut, Sept. 26, 2022. MPA ...
Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)
Hocus Pocus 2: Directed by Anne Fletcher. With Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Whitney Peak. Two young women accidentally bring back the Sanderson Sisters to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking havoc on the world.
'Hocus Pocus 2' review: Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica
Disney regularly wrings inordinate mileage out of nostalgia, which can easily obscure when the source wasn't quite as worthy of praise as we like to remember. "Hocus Pocus 2" should benefit ...
"Hocus Pocus 2" review: The witches make a lively return
Regardless, a straight-to-Disney+ sequel made 30 years later seemed like a cynical endeavor at best. So it was a pleasant surprise to find that " Hocus Pocus 2 " is actually pretty fun. Set in a Stars Hollow-like Salem, it's the perfect Disney+ movie — seasonally appropriate entertainment that, for at least one night, may save a family from the doom of endless scrolling and indecision.
'Hocus Pocus 2' review: Cheeky, nostalgic, and practically magic
Hocus Pocus 2's obvious nostalgia factor is an audience double-whammy, satisfying the millennials and Gen-Xers who rented it religiously on VHS from Blockbuster in the '90s, and Gen-Z fiends ...
Hocus Pocus 2 review: that old black magic, new again
Fans of the 1993 film will find plenty to like about Hocus Pocus 2, which manages to channel much of the same energy, humor, and seasonal playfulness of its predecessor. Midler, Parker, and Najimy ...
Hocus Pocus 2 Movie Review
Lead actors are White, Black, and Latina. Mention of kisses and being a virgin. Parents need to know that Hocus Pocus 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to Disney's hugely popular 1990s fantasy comedy Hocus Pocus. Like the original, the witchy sequel is family-friendly overall but does have magical violence, name-calling, and gross-out scenes ...
Hocus Pocus 2 review
Summary. Hocus Pocus 2 blends in the themes that gave the original cult status with a new heartfelt story while introducing the magic to a new generation. This review of the Disney+film Hocus Pocus 2 does not contain spoilers. The witches are back! After nearly three decades, Disney finally decided to grace viewers with a sequel for their cult ...
'Hocus Pocus 2' Review: Still Spelling Trouble
In a slight retread of the first film's plot, "Hocus Pocus 2" follows two present-day Salem teenagers, Becca and Izzy (Whitney Peak and Belissa Escobedo), who accidentally bring the witchy ...
Hocus Pocus 2 Review
Hocus Pocus 2 Review. 29 years after the Sanderson sisters were last seen in Salem, a virgin, Becca (Whitney Peak), lights another black flame candle and releases them to cause more havoc. Cue ...
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Movie Review. Legend has it that if a virgin lights the Black Flame Candle on All Hallow's Eve during a full moon, the Sanderson Sisters will rise again, wreaking havoc upon Salem, eating the souls of every child. "It's all just a bunch of hocus pocus," Max said, 29 years ago. And despite his little sister, Dani, ...
Hocus Pocus 2
Now it is up to three high-school students to stop the ravenous witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on Salem before dawn on All Hallow's Eve. Comedy. Family. Fantasy. Directed By: Anne Fletcher. Written By: Jen D'Angelo, David Kirschner, Blake Harris, Mick Garris.
Hocus Pocus 2 Reviews Praise Main Trio, Criticize Nostalgia Reliance
The first reviews for Hocus Pocus 2 have landed! The highly anticipated sequel to 1993's Hocus Pocus premieres Friday on Disney+, and critics seem to be in agreement that the Sanderson sisters ...
'Hocus Pocus 2' review: A Bette-middling Disney sequel
Doug Jones in the movie "Hocus Pocus 2.". Apart from some complications involving the town's geekily Halloween-obsessed mayor (Tony Hale), that's about it for narrative novelty. "Hocus ...
Hocus Pocus 2 Review
Hocus Pocus 2 debuts on Disney+ on Sept. 30, 2022. Almost 20 years ago, the original Hocus Pocus debuted to lackluster reviews and limited financial returns. Thankfully, you can't keep a bad ...
'Hocus Pocus 2' review: Disney sequel does the Sanderson sisters dirty
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy return as witchy sisters in Disney's "Hocus Pocus 2,' an accursed sequel to the beloved 1993 film.
Hocus Pocus 2
Hocus Pocus 2 is a 2022 American fantasy comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher, written by Jen D'Angelo and produced by Walt Disney Pictures.It is a sequel to the 1993 film Hocus Pocus and the second installment in the Hocus Pocus franchise. The film stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and Doug Jones reprising their roles, with Sam Richardson, Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo ...
Hocus Pocus 2 Review: This Witchy Sequel Doesn't Hold A Candle To The
Hocus Pocus 2. In 2022, fans of the cult-classic Hocus Pocus finally received a proper sequel. Directed by Anne Fletcher, the sequel reunited stars Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker as they once again reprised their roles as the Sanderson Sisters, a trio of dastardly witches. The story is simply a rehash of the first film.
Hocus Pocus 2 Reviews Say Sequel Leans On Nostalgia For Better & Worse
The reviews are in for Hocus Pocus 2, and critics largely disagree on whether the nostalgia-heavy sequel is a trick or a treat.The original 1993 Hocus Pocus introduced audiences to the Sanderson sisters, a trio of witches made up of Winnie (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimi), and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker). They drain the life force out of children in Salem, Massachusetts and are executed ...
Bette Midler Says She And Husband Cried Watching 'Hocus Pocus 2'
Midler was referring to the poignant ending of "Hocus Pocus 2," the 2022 sequel to her 1993 cult classic. Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker returned as the Sanderson sisters ...
Bette Midler and Sheryl Lee Ralph dish on aging, their R-rated movie
Midler recently starred in a "Hocus Pocus" sequel on Disney+ in 2022, and in 2017, won a best actress Tony Award for her brassy yet tender turn in "Hello, Dolly!
How Horror Movies Solve Their Cellphone Problem
The lack of a working signal plagues characters across subgenres — apocalyptic survival stories ("Bird Box" and "Knock at the Cabin"), deadly eat-the-rich sendups ("The Menu"), found ...

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Reviewed on Disney Debut, Sept. 26, 2022. MPA Rating: PG. Running time: 103 MIN.

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