Last Night I Watched: ‘Hocus Pocus’ (1993)

Director: Kenny Ortega

Cast:  Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy

Running Time: 96 minutes

Country: USA

Even though Halloween is traditionally linked with fear and horror, a strong thread of campy fun has run through the holiday in recent years, exemplified by the growing number of comedic and sexualised costumes. Few films blend the scary and silly sides of this holiday season as well as Disney’s 1993 cult classic, Hocus Pocus.

Image: Andrew Cooper & Mikki Ansin/The Walt Disney Company

The plot is almost absurdly simple – three sister witches are killed in Colonial Salem and return 300 years later to terrorise the adolescent protagonists and their talking cat. Whilst this could seem extremely generic, the cast and writers bring a skill and sense of fun to the script that keeps it fresh and exciting. In fact, this film is arguably better than most true horror films – luckily, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, meaning you laugh along with the film rather than laughing at it.

Image: Andrew Cooper & Mikki Ansin/The Walt Disney Company

The star of the delightfully tacky romp is Bette Midler, in one of her best performances ever. She is resplendent as Winifred, the oldest Sanderson sister, transformed by buckteeth and an enormous ginger wig. In fact, Midler recently admitted it was her favourite filmmaking experience, commenting on the fun that everyone had on set. The other witches (played by Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker) aren’t content to be left in Winifred’s shadow, each of them bringing a memorable performance to the screen, and adding to the glee that these ostensibly scary sisters bring to the film.

The craziness ramps up a notch when the witches arrive at a Halloween party that all the adults are attending – when their cover is at risk, the witches proceed to distract them all with a glorious rendition of “I Put a Spell on You”, which doubles as a spell to keep them from interfering with the sisters. Making full use of Midler’s phenomenal voice, this is often referred to as the standout scene by fans. The witches are the true stars of this film, despite the valiant effort from the rest of the cast.

Although the effects are somewhat primitive, and the characters often reek of trope, this film shines regardless

Although the effects are somewhat primitive, and the characters often reek of trope, this film shines regardless. Panned by critics on release, the film has since become a cult classic – it’s not hard to see why though, as even these flaws contribute to an endearing goofiness reminiscent of both Hammer Horror films and Mel Brooks comedies. This is what makes it the perfect film for modern Halloween – after all, who’s actually scared of October 31^st anymore?