Hocus Pocus vs. Hocus Pocus 2

Hocus+Pocus+vs.+Hocus+Pocus+2

Rachel Bowers, Writer

Max Dennison once said in a classic Halloween movie, “It’s just a bunch of Hocus Pocus”. I am sure you all know what movie is being referenced here, and it is Hocus Pocus. The first Hocus Pocus movie came out in 1993, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Miller, and Kathy Najimy. The movie is about three witches (a.k.a. The Sanderson Sisters) that get brought back to life after 300 years by a teenage boy, Max Dennison. The whole movie is about a few kids trying to stop the Sanderson Sisters from taking the life of another child, and trying to turn young again. It was not successful at first, partly because it was released on July 16th, 1993. But, after a few months, the movie made over $45 million across the world. Hocus Pocus is a classic Halloween movie that will never get old to anyone.

Then, on September 30th, Hocus Pocus 2 came out to watch on Disney+. The story is very similar to the first one. Two girls light a candle, which brings the Sanderson Sisters back to Salem. It again stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Miller, and Kathy Najimy, who all have the same roles they had in the first one. It is a big hit on Disney+, but it is not getting a lot of good reviews. On rottentomatoes.com, it is only rated at 63%. Lots of reviews are complaining about how it does not have the same effect as the first one, and how it is not as good. All in all, the second one is not that bad, but it is just so hard to beat because the first one is such a classic.

Here are some similarities and differences between the two movies:

Similarity- Both of the opening scenes start off with an eerie, dark setting with something flying across the moon, and landing in the same spot in Salem.

Difference- In the first movie, the citizens of Salem do not like the Sanderson Sisters. But, in the second movie, people dress like them because they like them. There is a Halloween costume contest, and the original Sanderson Sisters lose to some people who are dressed like them.

Similarity- In both movies, they go up on stage, and “put a spell” on a party. In the first movie, the song “I Put A Spell On You” is a classic song that was sung to place the people at the party under a spell. In Hocus Pocus 2, the song “One Way Or Another” is sung at a party, but the Sanderson Sisters incorporate their famous “In Kamma Koray Ama” to place a spell on all the guests.

All in all, I think that Hocus Pocus is the better movie between the two, but I would still recommend watching Hocus Pocus 2 so you can decide what movie you think is better.

 

Sources:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107120/

https://time.com/6218593/hocus-pocus-2-compared-to-original/#:~:text=With%20a%20budget%20of%20%2428,wrote%20the%20New%20York%20Times.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hocus_pocus_2