Hocus Pocus 2: Review for the Sandersons’ Comeback Tour

On Friday, September 30, Hocus Pocus 2 premiered on Disney+. After years and years of asking, fans of the now cult classic, Halloween favorite Hocus Pocus finally got what they had been wishing for — a return to Salem with the Sanderson Sisters.

Although seeing the Sanderson Sisters again, after nearly 30 years of waiting, was a nostalgic thrill, many fans were left wanting more as the end credits rolled.

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Salem’s Most Infamous Sisters

As Hocus Pocus 2 begins, viewers are whisked back to Salem in 1653. There, we learn how the Sanderson sisters first got their powers. It is quickly and abundantly clear that Winifred, Mary, and Sarah do not fit in with the other villagers. Their peculiarities constantly raise trouble. Winifred is banished for her transgressions, and together the sisters seeks refuge in the Forbidden Wood.

Once inside, they meet a powerful witch who gives the sisters The Manual of Witchcraft and Alchemy. The three sisters waste no time in beginning their practice of witchcraft. Their first major spell from the book sets fire to the home of Reverend Traske, the man responsible for their banishment.

On the one hand, the childhood flashback feels a little long. It also changes the story of how Winifred got her beloved Book. However, it’s still enjoyable to see that the dynamics between the Sandersons existed even as young girls. The actor who plays young Winifred is especially entertaining, capturing Winifred’s melodramatic mannerisms and essence at every turn. The beginning also sets the tone for the rest of the movie: This story will belong primarily to the Sanderson Sisters, to both the movie’s benefit and detriment.

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Coven on the Rise

The movie returns to the present day and introduces the three main teenage protagonists: Becca, Izzy, and Cassie. While Becca and Izzy seem close, there is apparent strain between Cassie and Becca. According to Cassie’s boyfriend Mike, Becca and Izzy still enjoy dabbling in magic and “witchery.” Cassie, meanwhile, has shifted her focus to her boyfriend and social life.

To prepare for Becca’s birthday on Halloween, the two girls go to the local magic shop (located in the former Sanderson Witch Museum). The owner, Gilbert, gifts Becca a crudely made, magically charged candle for her birthday ritual. Later, when the girls light the candle in the Forbidden Wood, the candle sparks and the flame turns black.

The Sanderson Sisters’ Encore

As Izzy and Becca panic, the ground splits. At last, the Sanderson sisters make their triumphant, musical return! In many ways, this is where the movie shifts for better and for worse.

While the three main characters are certainly likable, they lack the charm and charisma that Dani, Max, and Allison had in the original Hocus Pocus. In this way, the larger-than-life Sanderson Sisters breathe life into the story. The trio steals the spotlight with ease. Had the main characters been better fleshed out or given more time, they might have been more compelling protagonists.

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New Century, More Problems

A large contributing factor to the success of the original was the balance between the children, Billy, Binx the cat, and the three witches. Fans rooted for Max, Dani, Allison, Billy, and Binx but they also took wicked pleasure in the Sandersons’ capers. While the audience still knows the Sanderson Sisters must be stopped, it’s mostly because of moral obligation. During their second resurrection tour, we come in knowing the sisters are bad and villains must be stopped — unlike the original, where there was genuine concern for the main protagonists’ safety.

This is not to say that the movie does not have its charm. Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker carry the movie from this point out with a hearty assist from the not-entirely-necessary but very-welcome Tony Hale as Mayor Traske.

Now that they’re back in the world of the living, the Sandersons struggle. A lot has changed since 1993. Beauty treatments, Snapchat filters, and automatic doors are all new to the sisters, and the ways they rationalize these things provide some of the movie’s funniest moments. Their transportation also looks different this time around as they run amok through Salem. Winifred gets the standard broom while Sarah settles for a Swiffer Wet Jet and Mary skates through the skies on Roombas.

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Maxed Out on Magicae

The sisters spend much of the movie trying to cast the Magicae Maxima spell, which will make Winifred all-powerful despite Book’s resistance. Becca and Izzy try to warn Cassie and her father, who are descendants of the Sandersons’ enemy Reverend Traske, that the witches are literally out for their blood to use in the spell. Gilbert enlists the help of Billy to gather the ingredients after the witches curse him, only to betray the beloved zombie in the end.

Although Becca’s discovery of her magical abilities has its moments, the impact is weakened since there’s minimal investment in the character’s overall development. The most amusing moments during this portion of the movie come from Mayor Traske’s futile attempts to get his coveted caramel apple and a spellbinding musical performance from the Sanderson Sisters.

Book’s Big Betrayal

In the end, Winifred successfully casts the Magicae Maxima spell and Book defects to Becca. Unfortunately, this is where the movie loses its footing entirely. Book suddenly seems to have a conscience despite containing truly evil spells. Remember when Book allowed the Sandersons to steal the life force of children and turn a child into an immortal black cat?

Before, Book answered Winifred’s every call, even acting as a beacon for her plans. There is also the alarming reality of Book being bound in human flesh. Book can contain multitudes too, it seems.

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The Sandersons Spell Trouble

With Magicae Maxima successfully cast, Becca tells Winifred that she will lose what she loves most. Seconds later, Mary and Sarah fade from existence. Winifred mourns her sisters as they depart, leaving only beautiful shimmers in their witchy wake. In a move entirely out of character, Winifred reverses the spell and joins her sisters. A swirl of magical energy sparkles throughout the clearing in the forest. Warm music swells and the witches are presumed to be gone.

The music, plus a profoundly emotional Winifred, suggest that this is a sad thing — which is disconcerting to say the least. While the bond between the sisters is loving (in its own unnerving and wholly unhealthy way), their disappearance from the world is no bad thing.

A Spell of … Redemption?

In its attempt to humanize the three sisters, the movie undermines how delightfully terrifying the witches are. It’s their very lack of humanity and their selfish, violent pursuits of eternal youth that make Winifred, Mary, and Sarah so frightening in the original Hocus Pocus.

Beyond that, the sudden change of heart and the shift in how the Sandersons are presented creates a problem. Now, the movie asks the audience to do the impossible task of forgiving witches who have killed and cursed others, including children. While exploring their sisterhood further was certainly interesting, doing so by trying to make the audience grieve their fate weakens the witches and diminishes the anguish and pain they inflicted across centuries.

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All of this is not to say that the movie wasn’t enjoyable during many parts. Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker were just as wicked and wonderful to watch as ever, especially considering what they were working with. Knowing Billy Butcherson finally got his eternal rest was a wonderful touch.

A post-credits scene hints at a potential third movie. Many fans would likely be excited — if only to give Hocus Pocus another try to stick the broom landing. With a more compelling story and protagonists, allowing the witches to return to their evil core, and perhaps even a fleeting appearance by the grown-up children from the original movie, Hocus Pocus could return to the core of what makes the original work so well even three decades on.

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