(Image courtesy of Walt Disney)I love Halloween. It’s the one of the only nights of the year when a bunch of people simultaneously decide that it’s alright to dress weird and have some fun with it. However, when I was a kid, I was terrified of all the scary movies — Freddy Krueger gave me nightmares for weeks, and there was nothing creepier than one of the "Goosebumps" specials. I usually chose to watch some of the lighter movies like “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
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Among my shelves upon shelves of VHS tapes was “Hocus Pocus,” one of my go-to Halloween flicks. Every year, as soon as the leaves started to change, I’d play the movie about once a week, always singing along to “I Put a Spell on You.” Just like “Yellow Submarine,” “Hocus Pocus” was a staple of my childhood.
Originally, the movie didn’t get amazing reviews. Roger Ebert gave the film one star, saying, " 'Hocus Pocus' is a film desperately in need of self-discipline.” This is an understandable statement, because there are many flaws in the movie’s plot. For example, Winifred, the oldest Sanderson witch, has no clue what cars are, but does not hesitate to jokingly say to Max, “Pull over! Let me see your driver’s permit." Either Winnie is very intuitive or there was a hiccup in the writing room.
Critics such as Ebert don't understand what the movie is trying to do! Let’s not pick this film apart for its inconsistencies. Let us revel in its goofiness and jump with joy, because we won’t have night terrors when it’s over!
Now, it's been years since I’ve seen the movie in its entirety, so there are many scenes and jokes that have slipped my memory. There is even one joke that I don’t even know if I was old enough to understand as a kid: the constant ragging on Max for being a virgin. It’s brought into the plot because only when a virgin lights the black-flame candle can the three Sanderson sisters come back to life, so the equation is as follows: Max lighting candle + Sanderson sisters come back to life = Max is a virgin. And boy, do they capitalize on the jokes.
Both the witches and Max's own love interest take turns mentioning his lackluster sex life, much to his embarrassment. Even Thackery Binx, the 300-year-old cat/boy, calls him out on it. Poor Max has to deal with three evil ancient witches while, at the same time, being attacked for his sexual inexperience. In all honesty though, have you ever heard of an ancient spell that doesn’t involve a virgin?
Neither have I.
The quality of this movie looks quite impressive for its 1993 release date. Most of the exterior scenes were shot in Salem, Massachusetts, while the interior scenes were filmed at studios in Los Angeles. In the scene where Sarah lures children to their home to be consumed for the witches' benefit, she appears to be flying over Marblehead Neck, Massachusetts. Although it obviously wasn’t filmed on location, the shot is still mesmerizing.
Also impressive is the fact that Jason Marsden, who plays Binx the cat, voiced overdubs for Sean Murray, who played the human version of Thackery Binx, for consistency. This was something I’d never known until this week, and most likely never would have guessed.
Despite small inconsistencies within the film, “Hocus Pocus” remains one of the greatest movies to watch during the Halloween season, and it won't prevent you from getting some sleep at night.
Put a spell on the reporter at wruof@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @willruof
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