Grab your brooms, because the Sanderson sisters are back and Hocus Pocus 2 is a go
Film Features Hocus Pocus
The original Sanderson sisters are officially returning for Hocus Pocus 2, the long-awaited sequel to the 1993 cult classic Disney Halloween film. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy will reprise their roles as Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson. Hmmmm, maybe Bette Midler didn’t think it was such a bad idea after all. This adaptation will follow three young women as they “accidentally bring the Sanderson Sisters back to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world.” Like the sisters themselves, this now-franchise is waking up from a long time away, and it will be a wickedly good time watching them navigate the 21st century.
Here are just a few things that will be absolutely necessary for the sequel. First, another legendary singing moment from Bette Midler. Her cover of “I Put A Spell On You” in first film reigns over so many others. Another corset and white wig moment for Sarah Jessica Parker’s character is essential. And finally, plenty of scenes featuring the sisters trying to figure out today’s modern technology. We can already picture a ditzy Sarah Sanderson try to work a cell phone for the first time while her fellow 300-year-old sisters look on in bewilderment. Or, like to the original, Mary Sanderson will ride a Bird scooter around town, soaring through the air.
Adam Shankman, who was originally slated to direct this sequel, will be too busy working on another sequel (the 2007 Amy Adams film Enchanted, titled Disenchanted), but he’ll still be credited as executive producer. Anne Fletcher, known for her work on 27 Dresses and The Proposal will take over as director. Hold onto your witch hats though, the sistaaaahs will not be back until fall of 2022, so this Halloween will just feature a rewatch of the tried and true original.
22 Comments
People between the ages of 30 and 40: “Oh my god! Finally, a Hocus Pocus sequel! I can’t believe it took this long! I’m so excited! Hocus Pocus is the best movie ever made!!!!”Everyone else: “Hocus Pocus? That was the terrible kids’ movie where Bette Midler had creepy teeth, right? Does anybody care about this?”
As a 40 something person who’s little brother made him watch the original way too many times gotta say I’m in “Everyone Else” camp with this comment.
Thankfully Friendtopia decrees only that all citizens must watch Hocus Pocus and nothing about enjoying it, so you will not be killed.
Zig-a-zow.
I’m a simple man. I see a Crazy Ex-Girlfriend reference and I give it a star.
I’m also in my forties. I do not understand the Hocus Pocus fandom. Or Space Jam.
There’s some weird fandoms from when I was older I can’t grasp. For me, what is the fucking fascination with Saved By The Bell?
Same here. I mean, I was a kid in the eighties and I’m not obsessed with Out of This World or whatever.
But your love for V.I.C.K.I or whatever that show with the robot girl remains intact, right?
Screw “Small Wonder!” It’s “D.A.R.Y.L.” OR GTFO!!
Ooh, fancy man with his big movies starring Lenny from Laverne and Shirley…I’ll have you know I’m perfectly content with my dollar store “C.H.O.M.P.S” and Valerie Bertanelli…
I was a little too old when it first hit, but having watched it 80 times with my daughters now, haha, I’m now in the first group.
yeah but puberty
My 8 year old nephew loves Hocus Pocus. Definitely seems to be in Home Alone territory where parents show it to their kids and the kids love it.
As the evil person who dares to “enjoy things” without rolling my eyes in withering contempt at anything popular, I’m looking forward to this. A nice bit of nostalgia, maybe a new Halloween watch, what’s gotta be wrong with that?
I’m with you on this completely. I’m of course fine with anyone not liking Hocus Pocus…not everything is going to be one’s cup of tea. But first, the original is clearly a self-aware piece of camp theatricality riffing on the whole kid’s adventure/ horror movie genre. And second, this sequel is happening ENTIRELY because people wanted it so badly. It took Disney decades to accept that people adored these characters and wanted desperately to see more of them. Frankly, Disney nearly rebooted Hocus Pocus with new, younger actresses as the witches…which WOULD have been a crass cash-grab…but fans were clear they loved the PERFORMANCES from the original. This sequel is a labor of love from top to bottom, clearly. Truly don’t understand the haters.
Maybe it makes me a bad person but I really hope this tanks, like, so hard. I’ve heard too many people looking through glasses so rose tinted they’re almost opaque saying Hocus Pocus is a classic when it’s mediocre at best.I don’t know, maybe it’s some misplaced FOMO (Maybe call it jealous of having missed out?) because I am in the age bracket of the people who worship this thing but I never saw it as a kid, but no matter how hard I try I cannot see past the badness of it. Or maybe it’s just that I’m so done with remakes/reboots/sequels to things that do not need them. We are weeks away from the Space Jam sequel, a movie I would have died to see… when I was 7, but I’m old enough now to recognize that the world doesn’t need that.
I don’t worship Hocus Pocus or anything, but since they’re going to be doing this whole nostalgia thing for a while anyway there are certainly worse candidates.
I’m 41, my wife is 34. She’s all in on this franchise, bit man, without nostalgia goggles it’s a terrible film. The performances by the witches are the only redeeming qualities.
I (44) was finally shown this film by my wife (32) in the past year or two…And yeah, what you said.
I haven’t seen the original, but it’s a kids movie, right? And it’ll get nostalgia watches, and hopefully not be so bad parents hate their kids watching it, and those older fans will watch it with their kids, seems like a perfectly good idea. As long as they don’t go too overboard with SJP’s witch becomes a tiktoker.I’m actually pretty hype for the Enchanted sequel, that movie is really underrated (as are the performances, James Marsden is really fantastic in it)
I’m all for dissenting opinions and fair criticism, but lately every AV Club comments section seems to just devolve into a bunch of people all too eager to instantly jump in and loudly pronounce that SUBJECT X is “actually garbage and I don’t understand why anyone actually likes it.” Unless it’s something that’s particularly grating to you, I don’t understand the impulse to chime in. If I see an article about the Red Hot Chili Peppers or, I dunno, a random movie I dislike, I just scroll past and move on.