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by Frank Showalter

Hocus Pocus

F: 1 star (out of 5)
1993 | United States | 96 min | More...
Reviewed Oct 31, 2020

On Halloween night in Salem, Massachusetts, a transplanted L.A. teen inadvertently resurrects three witches, played by Midler, Parker, and Najimy. With a single night to live, they attempt to steal the town’s children’s life to extend their existence.

Kudos to the Salem location photography, but this mess of a movie reeks of studio notes. The teen protagonist and incessant virgin references point to a darker tone and older target audience. The tag-along kid-sister and stagy presentation skew toward traditional G-rated Disney adventure fare. And nobody’s reigning in Midler, who’s delivering full-on camp. Everyone’s making a different movie and they all disappoint.

Viewing History

  • Watched on
    Sat, Oct 31, 2020 via Disney+