Lock up your children, because the Sanderson sisters are back to haunt Salem 29 years later! Hocus Pocus 2 comes creeping in just in time for spooky season, and it’s chock full of jokes, chaos, and Halloween antics—even if it doesn’t quite live up to the original.
The film starts when the most powerful coven in history was nothing but three young girls beginning to learn the ways of dark magic. Of course, a look into their past is interesting (especially because there was no time for their origin story in the first movie), and this theme continues throughout. We’re able to see more of the sisters’ deep bond rather than just their scheming.
Don’t get it twisted—there’s plenty of time for that, too. Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker are as devious as ever as the Sanderson sisters. The sequel has not forgotten that, at the core, this trio makes Hocus Pocus what it truly is. Midler, Najimy, and Parker serve up comedic and conniving moments with ease and bring viewers a big dose of nostalgia. Plus, Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones) makes a reappearance and helps a magic shop owner–a long-time Sanderson sisters fan–when he gets into a bit of a pickle with the coven.
This film is updated for the 2022 viewer, with jokes about how much technology has changed (feat. Walgreens). Scenes like these make such a pinnacle Halloween film from the past feel like it can still fit perfectly for all ages, even today.
The plot is a little less tight than in the 1993 film, and though the new characters are lovable enough, they are very surface-level and not given a lot of attention. Becca (Whitney Peak, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) lights the black flame candle to bring the sisters back without realizing it, and everything that follows is a fairly predictable storyline. They have to stop them from killing the mayor–who happens to be a descendant of the Reverend the sisters used to knew in their childhood–and becoming all powerful. But since the movie takes place on Halloween day, it’s safe to say that a couple of frantic and spooky hours are not enough to unpack all of the characters’ intricacies.
The humor is still cheeky and timed well, and the songs are still enjoyable albeit slightly random. There’s also a sweet moment at the end where we see the true bond of the Sanderson sisters and how these witches are nothing without their coven. It’s a nice message for a family-friendly Halloween movie, but the ending definitely feels like there’s still so much to discover, like how the heck Becca’s newly discovered magical powers even work or whether or not this is the end of the Sanderson sisters for good. Not to mention that it would’ve been nice to see the sisters explore Salem more and do a bit more of their magic early on in the film.
When it comes down to it, Hocus Pocus 2 is still a fun sequel to a beloved film that will get families on the couch with a bowl of popcorn–or perhaps candy apples–this Halloween season. Although it struggles to live up to the classic, it carries the same creepy and exciting Fall feeling and allows the Sanderson sisters to return for one more havoc-wreaking adventure.
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