Hocus Pocus: A Halloween Tradition

Originally released in 1993 by Disney, Hocus Pocus is still considered a Halloween season must watch. Disney has a way with taking twisted tales and making them a family tradition, and this one is no different. With it’s dark undertones, and phrases like ‘shish-ka-baby’, there are times when it’s hard to believe that this movie only received a rating of PG.

Many people watch this movie as part of their seasonal rotation and it’s not hard to see why- Hocus Pocus mixes seducing and killing children for their youth with humor in such a way as to create the perfect enchanting Halloween tale. Nothing can really compare with witches tossing around a dead man’s toes playfully while simultaneously preparing to literally suck the youth out of a child. With its witches, magic, spell book bound in human skin, and bad ‘Dadcula’ jokes, this makes for a wickedly wonderful All Hallow’s Eve tradition.

The characters themselves are portrayed wonderfully, with a special shout out to Thora Birch, who played the sassy eight year old alongside the lead character, Max (Omri Katz), and Sarah Jessica Parker, who played an alluring airhead of a witch especially well. Despite this movies age it has held up fairly well over the years and will hopefully still find relevance with you over the holidays!