31 Days 31 Horror Movies! Day 3: Hocus Pocus (1993)

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Here’s one for the kids.

Hocus Pocus is a classic for those who grew up in the `90s. Older audiences at the time (and possibly even today) don’t care much for it. Perhaps they think the movie is too juvenile or something. Either way, it’s a film that your kids are going to love.

The movie begins during the Salem Witch Trials. Three convicted witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy) are sentenced to death after turning a child into an immortal black cat. As punishment for their hanging they curse the town by vowing to return when a virgin lights the Black Flame candle on a Halloween night with a full moon. 300 years later there’s a boy named Max (Eerie Indiana’s Omri Katz) who hates Halloween because he feels that it was created by the candy companies. However, he has a little sister named Dani (a young Thora Birch) who’s obsessed with the holiday and forces him to take her trick-or-treating when their parents go to a party for the night. While trick-or-treating they pass by the house of the girl who Max has a crush on. Her name is Allison (Vinessa Shaw). They talk her into joining them on a trip to the Sanderson House, where the three famous witches lived, which has been turned into a museum. While there, Max lights the Black Flame candle and frees the witches. Now, they must stop them before dawn or else these witches will be here to stay permanently. Thankfully they have the guidance of the young boy who was turned into a black cat 300 years ago.

Kenny Ortega, a famous dance choreographer, directed this film. The previous year he had directed Newsies, starring a young Christian Bale, which was a legendary flop at the time. So, it’s surprising that he got a second chance. But if there’s one thing that both movies have in common it’s that they’re highly entertaining. That’s the best thing that can be said about Hocus Pocus - it’s fun! There’s over-the-top performances, good humor (some with innuendos), and exciting scenes with the kids racing against the clock to stop the witches. What more can you ask for from a family-friendly Halloween movie?