Review of Hocus Pocus (1993) by Fawn O — 31 Jan 2016

Alongside a consistently alluring fairy-tale charm and affectionately "wicked" themes, we find a smart, family-friendly, slapstick comedy that doesn't attempt to insult the intelligence and maturity of its audience. This is a highly engaging, often delightfully campy, Halloween feature about three fabled 17th Century Salem witches, a.k.a The Sanderson Sisters, whom seek to revive their youth by harvesting the souls of children via powerful black magic. That was until they were put to death by the town's people some 300 years ago after killing yet another young girl, Emily Binx, and transfiguring her heroic older brother, Thackery, into a talking black cat doomed to eternal life.

Sliding into 20th century Halloween, 1993, The Sanderson Sisters are resurrected when foolish virgin, Max, a maladjusted teenager whom recently moved into town from L.A. with his parents - and 8-year-old sister, Danny - lights the "black-flamed candle" to tempt fate and impress love interest, Allison; a sexy and spunky classmate who, much to Max's dismay, believes the tale of the legendary witches to be true. Max, Allison, and Danny (an adorably enchanting performance by a young Thora Birch) embark on humorous adventure to outwit and defeat the darkly-aligned sisters: Winifred (Bette Milder), the powerful and frightening ring leader; the overwhelmingly perky Mary (Kathy Najimy); and the sexy, although dim-witted, Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker). As the Sanderson Sisters hunt down new young souls for harvesting (Danny in particular) they learn to navigate contemporary advancements in humanity, such as black asphalt, city transit, and children dressing up in costumes on Halloween night.

I am not going to hide my shame. This film, as much as the critics may disagree on a technical level, is fantastic; it's truly a guilty pleasure. In fact, it carries a lot of nostalgic charm and I greatly appreciate its existence every October (just before Halloween) because it gently reminds me of those early childhood memories when I would go to the movie rental store with my mother. It never failed: I always wanted to rent Hocus Pocus. It was either that or Miyazaki's "Kiki's Delivery Service"; that was until my mother finally had enough and bought me both on VHS to watch to my heart's content. I had a thing for anything to do with witches and magic growing up; still do, if we're being unashamedly honest.

[A++] -- 96%.