Review of Hocus Pocus (1993) by Bill M — 24 Oct 2015

This Halloween favorite is probably the only Disney family movie featuring child killing, zombie mutilation, live witch burning via giant pottery oven, a run over cat graphically re-inflating, and a witchcraft book bound in human flesh.

Out of cortex this sounds like something from The Exorcist but such is the way that this kid friendly but still menacing flick balance's the sinister with the whimsical that it's all brilliantly veiled by silly, colorful fun.

This is a really good kids adventure film, far better than I remember it being, with Bette Midler a particular treat as the lead witch Winfred, the actress clearly having a blast with a deceptively goofy, pantomimey yet offhandedly dark character (she is after all a jovial child murderer) and it's this truly nasty streak that the film has perfectly hidden under it's light surface that makes it such a proper treat for kids this time of year.

There are some issues, the tone of the film veers a bit, and the middle section of the movie were the witches chase the three kids all over the same locations multiple times is a bit tedious and meandering, but overall this movie looks more and more like an actual classic as it ages.