Credit: Hocus Pocus 2
The new Hocus Pocus movie debuted on September 20, 2022, and there is nary an 80s or 90s woman alive who did not tune in to watch it. In fact, we’d even go so far as to guess that many purposely blocked out that lovely Friday evening to stay home, watch the movie, and see if the 29-year wait for a second one was worth it. Spoiler alert – it was fine, but the new Hocus Pocus movie doesn’t even touch the original in terms of being good. It’s definitely cute, and it’s definitely worth watching, but it will never be better than the original. Hocus Pocus 2 won’t become a cult classic, but nothing will ever take that from the first Hocus Pocus. Read on to find out the five top reasons the first Hocus Pocus is the single best Halloween movie ever made.
1. The Cast of Hocus Pocus (the OG) is Top Notch
While the big names are in both movies, the cast of the original Hocus Pocus movie makes it. Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy are the stars, but no more so than Omri Katz, Thora Birch, Vinessa Shaw, Sean Murray, Larry Bagby, Tobias Jelinek, Stephanie Faracy, Charles Rocket, and Doug Jones. Each one of these characters could have stood on their own and done so much for this movie, whereas it’s our personal opinion that the second movie did not bring that kind of character base to the others. The original Hocus Pocus focused on giving good stories to the kids and extras, and the second did not.
2. It’s the Best Family Movie
October 1 is known as Hocus Pocus day in our house. We sat down that evening with popcorn, good wine, and two hours to watch the movie to kick off the holiday season. It’s the classic family movie night movie to begin Halloween, and it always has been. Why? Because it is not terrifying or scary for any of the kids. The adults love it, the big kids love it, and even the little kids can watch without fear or nightmares. The witches, the story, the entire thing is perfectly witchy but so much fun and not even remotely dark. The second movie is just a little too dark and depressing. The main character outside of the witches in Hocus Pocus 2 is too serious, she seems like she’s depressed, and we don’t see her smile. The story isn’t light and fun.
3. The First Movie Has Thackery Binx
Everything good about the original Hocus Pocus comes from the talking cat. Thackery Binx is sarcastic, funny, loyal, and lovable, and the second movie needed a talking cat. The movie focuses on the witches, yes, but it focuses primarily on the fact that Binx has been wandering the earth for 300 years away from his family because of a curse put on him, and the story brings this beautiful story full circle. We love it.
Credit: Hocus Pocus 2
4. There is No Greater Movie Scene Than the Singing Scene in This Movie
When Max and his friends find his parents in town at the big Halloween party, they try to warn everyone that the witches are back. The band leader, however, thinks it is a prank, and he calls the Sanderson Sisters up on stage to sing. Bette Midler’s Winifred kills it with a rendition of “I Put a Spell On You” that we could watch on repeat without complaint. It’s movie magic.
5. The Humor is Perfect
Those of us who were born and raised in the 80s and 90s are the best generation – and it’s because we were raised with sarcastic humor and parents who loved us but didn’t cater to our every single whim. This movie is a classic example of that, and it’s a solid reminder that those were the days. The days when kids went trick or treating on their own, got into trouble and didn’t immediately run home crying to their parents, and were not offended by every single thing. It is nostalgic to the point of being amazing, and we love it.
Credit: Hocus Pocus
The new Hocus Pocus movie is cute, but it’s not nearly as good as the original. There are a million reasons why the first is the best movie ever made for the Halloween season, and these touch on that a little. The movie is magic, and nothing that Disney does can touch that, replicate it, or replace that. However, we would be entirely open to a new Hocus Pocus movie showing how young Winnie and her sisters decided to grow into their powers after they found Book in the woods. The second movie would have been so much better if it were all about that rather than what it was about.
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