Hocus Pocus (1993)

Director:

Kenny Ortega

Writers (WGA):

David Kirschner (story) and
Mick Garris (story) ...

Release Date:

16 July 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

It's just a bunch of Hocus Pocus!

Plot:

More than 300 years ago, 3 witches were sentenced to die in Salem, Massachusetts and a boy was turned into a cat (a black cat...

Plot Keywords:

Human Becoming Animal | Hocus Pocus | Child Murder | Transformation | Talking Cat

Awards:

2 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Bette Midler	...	Winifred 'Winnie' Sanderson
Sarah Jessica Parker	...	Sarah Sanderson
Kathy Najimy	...	Mary Sanderson
Omri Katz	...	Max Dennison
Thora Birch	...	Dani
Vinessa Shaw	...	Allison
Amanda Shepherd	...	Emily Binx
Larry Bagby	...	Ernie / 'Ice' (as Larry Bagby III)
Tobias Jelinek	...	Jay
Stephanie Faracy	...	Jenny Dennison
Charles Rocket	...	Dave Dennison
Doug Jones	...	Billy Butcherson
Karyn Malchus	...	Headless Billy Butcherson
Sean Murray	...	Thackery Binx
Steve Voboril	...	Elijah

MPAA:

Rated PG for some scary sequences, and for language.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:10 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Peru:PT | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Ballroom, Park Plaza Hotel - 607 S. Park View Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Trivia:

During the final fight in the cemetery, the background music imitates Miss Gulch's (the Wicked Witch) theme from The Wizard of Oz (1939).

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Sarah sings her song she's in the sky above the lighthouse along the coastline of Marblehead - one town over from Salem.

Quotes:

Master's Wife: Now, tart face, take your Clark bars and get out of my house!
Winifred Sanderson: Make us.
Master: Honeybunch...
Master's Wife: Ralph, sic'em!
[a small dog chases Winnie, Sarah and Mary out of the house]

Movie Connections:

References TRON (1982)

Soundtrack:

I Put a Spell on You

They'll "Put A Spell On You"!

A traditional "Halloween Ghost Story" turns into a real life adventure for 3 kids who break the spell of the Sanderson Sisters. The story is an engaging one and will have even grown-ups pay close attention. The Sanderson Sisters (wonderfully played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy), convicted of witchcraft in Colonial Salem, Massachusetts and put to death some 300 years ago, are brought back to life when "a virgin lights the black candle". It's up to two teenagers and an 8 year old to stop the wicked witches from succeeding with their sinister plan: to lure the town's children to their witch house and "drink" their life-force away from them.

Bette Midler steals the show when the sisters crash a Halloween party, singing "I Put A Spell On You". There are many "time jokes" as well, having the 17th century sisters "confused" when they experience 20th century life: Blinded by a truck's head lights, they are convinced the sun is rising; they frantically avoid stepping on a blacktop driveway when they are told that it is "a black lake of death"; unable to find a broomstick, one of the sisters heads for the sky on a Hoover vacuum cleaner. The jokes are pretty good, and I was entertained throughout the film. I have watched "Hocus Pocus" several times already, and will watch it again and again. This is another example of a movie made for kids, but enjoyed by grown-ups as well. Recommended!