Hocus Pocushas become a must-watch during Halloween season, and though there’s nowHocus Pocus 2, I have a couple of problems with it as it didn’t live up to the greatness of the first movie. Back in 1993, Kenny Ortega brought the fantasy comedy movieHocus Pocus, which introduced the world to the Sanderson Sisters: Winifred (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy), and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker). Although it received mixed reviews during its initial release and didn’t do well at the box office,Hocus Pocusis now a cult classicthanks to its annual airings on Disney Channel.
On August 09, 2025, in Salem, Massachusetts, Winifred cast a curse right before she and her sisters were hanged that would allow them to resurrect during a full moon on All Hallows’ Eve if a virgin lit the Black Flame Candle in their cottage – and that’s what happens 300 years later when Max Dennison lights the candle. To survive the night, the Sandersons need to suck the life out of at least one child, and so it’s up to Max, his sister Dani, and his crush Allison to stop them. Almost 30 years later,Hocus Pocus 2was released, but it wasn’t the sequel I expected.
Hocus Pocus 2 Recycled The First Movie’s Story
Hocus Pocus 2was released in 2022 on Disney+, and it was directed by Anne Fletcher.Hocus Pocus 2took the audience back to Salem to meet teenagers Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo). For Becca’s birthday, the friends plan to do a ritual in the woods and are given a candle for it by Gilbert (Sam Richardson), the owner of the Olde Salem Magic Shoppe. What Becca and Izzy don’t know is that the candle is the Black Flame one.
How Many Black Flame Candles Were Made In Hocus Pocus
Gilbert is able to bring the Sanderson Sisters back to life in Hocus Pocus 2 with another Black Flame Candle – but how many more are left?
Becca and Izzy end up accidentally resurrecting the Sanderson Sisters again, who are even more confused but also fascinated by the modern world. Instead of trying to suck the life out of children, this time the Sandersons are driven by revenge, and decide to cast the Magicae Maxima spell to eliminate the descendants of the Reverend who tried to separate them when they were young and take revenge on all of modern Salem – and the spell will also make them the most powerful.
Hocus Pocus 2relies heavily on nostalgia, and while that doesn’t really bother me, it does when that’s the only thing the movie has to offer.
If the story ofHocus Pocus 2sounds familiar it’s because it’s pretty much the same as in the first movie.Hocus Pocus 2relies heavily on nostalgia, and while that doesn’t really bother me, it does when that’s the only thing the movie has to offer.Hocus Pocus 2even recycles some of the Sandersons comedic moments from the first movie, such as their attempts to understand the modern world – the problem is that these don’t work 29 years later.
Hocus Pocus 2also doesn’t add much to the stories of the Sandersons and Salem(and that’s a setting with a rich history that can be used in aHocus Pocusmovie, as the first one did), which leads me to another key thing that madeHocus Pocus 2not quite work for me, despite being entertaining.
Hocus Pocus 2 Left Me With More Questions About The Sanderson Sisters Than Answers
The Sanderson Sisters’ Past Left Many Mysteries
Hocus Pocusdidn’t go intothe backstory of the Sanderson Sisters, only showing the moment they got caught after taking the life force of Emily Binx and turning her brother, Thackery, into a black cat, and their execution. Everything before that was a secret untilHocus Pocus 2arrived, which showed a very specific part of the Sanderson Sisters’ past.In 1653 Salem, Reverend Traske banished 16-year-old Winifredafter she refused to marry John Pritchett, which was seen as defying church authority.
As that would have meant being away from her sisters,Winnie, Mary, and Sarah fled to a nearby forest, where they met Mother Witch. The latter gave Winifred a magic book (her beloved “bookie”) as a birthday present but warned them about casting the Magicae Maxima spell, which makes the user all-powerful. Mother Witch also taught them how to stay young through the life force of children before she disappeared, after which the sisters used their new knowledge to curse the home of Reverend Traske.
Is The Witch Mother Hiding A Secret In Hocus Pocus 2? Sure Looks Like It
The Witch Mother’s past is one of Hocus Pocus 2’s biggest mysteries, and there’s still a lot to learn about the Sanderson sisters’ wicked mentor.
That’s allHocus Pocus 2revealed about the Sandersons, but it only left me with more questions about their past. Seeing the sisters all by themselves makes me wonderwhat happened to their parentsand what they did after cursing the home of Reverend Traske. Also,if Winifred was banished, I wonder how the sisters managed to keep living in Salem, in their now famous cottage, for many more years. Although athirdHocus Pocusmovieis currently in development, it’s unknown if it could answer all those questions about the Sandersons’ past.
Hocus Pocus 2 Is Funny But Not Spooky Enough
Hocus Pocus 2 Forgot Its Roots
Disney isn’t a name you would normally associate with spooky content, as most of its content is family-friendly, andthoughHocus Pocusis also a movie for all viewers, it’s actually spookier than it seems.Hocus Pocushas its dark moments that, had it been released recently, it would have been flagged as not necessarily kid-friendly. However,Hocus Pocusknew how to balance its spooky elements with humor… but the sequel didn’t.
9 Hocus Pocus Moments That Are Surprisingly Dark 30 Years Later
Hocus Pocus is a must-watch classic during the Halloween season, but even though it’s a Disney movie, it has some truly dark moments.
Hocus Pocus 2has a lot more comedic moments thanHocus Pocusand is a lot less spooky, andit wouldn’t bother me so much if those funny moments had landed better. Many of them felt forced and the performances were a bit over-the-top sometimes, and the moments that could have been used for spookiness were completely wasted – and this complaint leads to another, even bigger one I have withHocus Pocus 2.
Hocus Pocus 2 Took Away One One My Favorite Parts Of The Sanderson Sisters: That They’re Evil
The Sanderson Sisters Were Very Different, & Not For The Better
In its tone change towards more comedy,Hocus Pocus 2took away the Sanderson Sisters’ evil.Hocus Pocussaw their true evil from the very beginningwhen they lured Emily to their cottage to take their life force. The Sandersons then turned Thackery into a black cat and didn’t stop teasing and mocking Salem’s residents while awaiting their deaths. Once resurrected, the Sandersons used music to distract the adults and cast a curse that would force them to dance until they died, all this so they could lure all of Salem’s children to their cottage to take their life force.
Hocus Pocus 2toned the Sanderson Sisters down a lot, making them funnier but without the evil that made them so entertaining in the first movie. Even their plan to cast the Magicae Maxima spell was underwhelming and didn’t feel like something the Sanderson Sisters from the first movie would have done.
Giving Powers To The Girls Made Hocus Pocus 2’s Story Less Special
Izzy, Becca, & Cassie Turned Out To Be A Coven
A huge difference betweenHocus Pocusand its sequel is that the latter gave its main characters powers – and, contrary to what it might seem, that ended up playing against it.A big part of what madeHocus Pocusso important to me was that Max, Dani, and Allison were regular teenagers/kids(though I confess I support the theory about Allison being a witch) who had to use their creativity and intelligence to find a way to stop the Sanderson Sisters.Hocus Pocus 2, however, skipped all that and went on an easier path by making Becca a natural witch.
I was disappointed whenHocus Pocus 2made Becca a witch and also gave her friends powers, simply because it took away that relatable quality that Max, Dani, and Allison had.
Towardsthe end ofHocus Pocus 2,Becca, Izzy, and Cassie join together in a coven and successfully cast the reuniting spell for Winifred. While I love movies about witches and magic, I was disappointed whenHocus Pocus 2made Becca a witch and also gave her friends powers, simply because it took away that relatable quality that Max, Dani, and Allison brought in the first movie, which showed that anyone could defeat evil if they were creative enough and had the right support system.
Becca, Izzy, & Cassie Did No Justice To Hocus Pocus’ Main Characters
This connects directly to the point above. Max, Dani, and Allison were completely different (and there was even a considerable age difference between Max and Dani), but they complemented each other perfectly, enough to find a way to save Salem’s children from the Sandersons.What I feel ruined Izzy, Becca, and Cassie was the drama the first two had with the latter, who became estranged when she became popular and started dating a boy. It felt completely unnecessary andHocus Pocus 2could have worked even better without it, as they still had to warn Cassie’s father about the Sandersons’ plans.
As much asHocus Pocus 2tried,Izzy, Becca, and Cassie didn’t have the same chemistry that Max, Dani, and Allison had, which also made them weak main characters. Surely, that makes the focus on the Sanderson Sisters a lot stronger and they end up being the best characters in the movie, though with the above-mentioned changes that hurt the sisters.Hocus Pocus 2is entertaining, and it’s such a nostalgia fest that it’s a fun watch, but it didn’t live up to my expectations after how good the first movie was.
Hocus Pocus
Hocus Pocus is a multimedia franchise owned by Disney and created by David Kirschner and Mick Garris. The franchise began with the 1993 film Hocus Pocus, which centers on the town of Salem, Massachusetts, during the resurrection of the Sanderson Sisters, three witches who gain their powers from the souls of children. A sequel followed in 2022, with several projects such as a theme park attraction, a sequel novelization, and more arrived before the nearly twenty-year gap between films.
