by Thomas Hoffman

Hocus Pocus is one of the Halloween movies that can be enjoyed anytime of year, even in July (which is when it debuted). Hocus Pocus originally was a box-office flop. But over the years, it gained a cult following, and fans have been screaming for a sequel for years. They finally got one. Unfortunately, the sequel was more of a trick than treat as it did not contain many of the things the fans wanted.

SPOILER ALERTS:
Sarah Jessica Parker once referred to the original Hocus Pocus as “a skit we did in 1993.” Hocus Pocus 2 was all but a series of skits glued together. If anyone watches one of the trailers for the original 1993 Hocus Pocus, you will see a number of scenes that are not in the actual movie. One of them takes place in a drugstore or supermarket. That no doubt served as inspiration for the drugstore scene in Hocus Pocus 2.

Hocus Pocus 2 did not lose the original’s magic, it re-captured the magic and then gave it up voluntarily. In all fairness, Hocus Pocus 2 provides a logical explanation of how the witches returned – the spellbook showed someone how to make another black flame candle. Hocus Pocus 2 failed to deliver a lot of the things fans had waited for. After all the years fans have waited for a Hocus Pocus sequel, there was no reprise of “I Put A Spell On You.” For years, many have wondered if Sarah’s “siren song” had more lyrics. There have been fan-fiction You-Tube videos with additional lyrics to Sarah’s song. Hocus Pocus 2 did not provide Sarah’s song or additional lyrics. The witches do, however, provide an “unmagical,” completely out- of -place performance of “One Way Or Another.” The song “The Witches Are Back” was a perfect follow up to “I Put A Spell On You.” Unfortunately, it is performed at the wrong time. Had they performed “The Witches Are Back” in place of “One Way Or Another” and “I Put A Spell On You”during the credits, the movie would have been far more magical. Hocus Pocus 2 has the feeling of a direct-to-video Disney sequel.

The original truly was a light horror movie, Hocus Pocus 2 was not. In the original, Winifred Sanderson calls Max a fool for sacrificing himself for his sister. In Hocus Pocus 2, Winifred does just that. The witches do not suck the lives out of any children in Hocus Pocus 2. The ending was moving, surprising, magical… and a slight cop out. From the flashbacks to the climax, one cannot help but feel more than a twinge of sympathy for the Sanderson sisters. After learning about the Sandersons’s childhood, the audience feels even more empathy. In the original, the witches are child killers. Funny child killers who are great at entertaining but child killers nonetheless. In Hocus Pocus 2, the Sanderson sisters are a family that sticks together to the end. One element that does live up to the original was the witches’ chemistry. This is one of Hocus Pocus 2’s positive qualities. If there is one thing Hocus Pocus 2 does have in common with the original, it is that Hocus Pocus 2 can also be enjoyed any time of year.

The difference in tone can be seen straight to the final scene. The original’s very last scene was a cliff-hanger, as the spellbook being alive questions if the Sandersons sisters are really dead. In the end of Hocus Pocus 2, we see a box marked “second black flame candle.” That box may as well have been labeled Hocus Pocus 3. Maybe Hocus Pocus 3 can deliver what Hocus Pocus 2 couldn’t.