Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy have reprised their wicked roles Hocus Pocus 2. But what about those of us who have never seen the original, or just want to revisit the camp ‘n’ creepy kids’ classic? Well, we’re in luck, because the original 1993 Hocus Pocus is (like its sequel) streaming on Disney+.
Directed by Disney veteran Kenny Ortega (Newsies, High School Musical) and written by Neil Cuthbert and horror legend Mick Garris (The Stand, Sleepwalkers) from a story by Garris and Child’s Play producer David Kirschner (this thing has quite the horror pedigree, really) Hocus Pocus sees the Sanderson sisters, three evil 17th century witches (that’d be Midler, Parker, and Najimy) return from the grave centuries after their execution to menace poor Salem, Massachusetts once more.
The only thing standing between the town and all manner of witchy nonsense? A gang of plucky kids (Omri Katz, Thora Birch, and Vinessa Shaw), a 17th century teenager who has been magically transformed into an immortal black cat (Sean Murray), and Billy Butcherson, the world’s nicest zombie (the legendary Doug Jones of Pan’s Labyrinth and Star Trek: Discovery fame). Cue lightly spooky shenanigans and kid-friendly laughs.
Back in the Age of Gen-X (that’s the ‘90s, youngsters) Hocus Pocus did moderately well in terms of box office success but the critics were not in the kindest of moods at the time and paid it scant regard. But audiences tend to tell the tale when it comes to these things, and brisk business in video stores and regular rotation on the small screen every October in the intervening years has seen the friendly fright flick become a cult classic—and one worthy of a legacy sequel. So, if you want to see what all the fuss is about, point yourself at Disney+.
