Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Hocus Pocus 2If you don't want any spoilers, then check out our spoiler-free review.
Nearly thirty years ago, the Black Flame candle was lit and the mayhem of Winnie (Bette Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker), and Mary Sanderson (Kathy Najimy) was unleashed on Salem, Massachusetts. Though Hocus Pocus was not a box office success by any means, it became a Halloween cult classic and left an indelible mark on a generation. Legacy sequels can be a gamble for studios—they all can’t be Top Gun: Maverick—and Hocus Pocus 2 manages to recapture the magic without sacrificing the integrity of the story that came before or jeopardizing the future of the newly minted franchise. As thrilling as it is to see the Sanderson Sisters reunited, the film’s strength lies within the performances of the incoming cast: Becca (Whitney Peak), Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), and Cassie Traske (Lilia Buckingham).
Hocus Pocus 2 starts at the beginning, looking backward at the 17th century when a young Winnie (Taylor Paige Henderson) finds herself caught in the crosshairs of the Reverend Traske who wants to marry her off to his son to curb her witchy tendencies. But to marry her off means to separate her from her sisters and this is one thing that Winnie simply refuses to do. The three young sisters retreat into the forest to escape an incensed crowd and stumble across The Witch Mother (Hannah Waddingham) who offers up helpful information about witchcraft and the book that has become an iconic part of Hocus Pocus lore.
The Hocus Pocus sequel is incredibly aware of the fact that it is a sequel, both in presenting Gilbert (Sam Richardson) as a little boy who saw the Sanderson Sisters flying through the sky in 1993 and dedicating his life to resurrecting them once more, to the blink-and-you-miss-it moment that sees the sisters flying past a window of someone watching Hocus Pocus, to the way Salem has embraced the Sanderson Sisters as their tourist trap fodder with costume contests and a dedicated fanbase. It’s almost as though the film’s scribe, Jen D'Angelo, knew that leaning into the meta element of the film was the right direction to go. It’s through the meta adoration of the original film that some of the best moments occur.
Like Hocus Pocus fans, Gilbert has been waiting thirty years to summon the Sanderson Sisters, and he gets his wish by tricking Becca and Izzy into lighting the Black Flame candle under a full moon. Naturally, the sisters resume their quest for eternal youth and immorality, which is made even easier with a somewhat willing servant in Gilbert and the blood of their one true enemy coursing through the veins of Cassie Traske, who happens to be the reverend’s descendant. In the midst of all of the chaos, Becca discovers that she is actually a witch—not just a teenager interested in witchcraft—which puts a bit of a knot in the sisters’ plans.
The Sanderson Sisters aren’t the only original characters who make their grand return in the sequel. Winnie’s long-lost love, Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones), is brought back from the grave, once again the pawn of their plans, except there’s a twist this time. He just wants to have a good time at the Halloween carnival, keep his head, and clarify that he was never Winnie’s lover—they shared one kiss in the cemetery and that was that. Billy has always been a fan-favorite character, and it’s quite fun to see how they’ve given him a little more agency, despite being a reanimated zombie.
Even the Sanderson Sisters get a really heartfelt story. Sure, they’re still unrepentantly out for themselves, but Winnie is given the chance to remind the audience that it’s always been about the three of them getting to live forever together. They’re nothing without each other, just like a witch is nothing without her coven. While the first Hocus Pocus definitely has relatable themes, the sequel feels like it was purposefully designed with a family-focused central theme. In the final act, Winnie gets everything she’s longed for, but to the detriment of the one thing that she can’t live without. To live forever means to lose her sisters, and that’s something she’s not willing to sacrifice.
While Hocus Pocus 2 does retrace similar avenues explored in the first film, it never does it without purpose. It makes it clear that, should this newly minuted franchise turn into a trilogy, the Sanderson Sisters’ story is at an end. With Becca finding a sort of sisterhood with both Izzy and Cassie–a coven of her own, if you will—there’s a world of potential left behind to explore not only their story but The Witch Mother’s. Because you don’t cast Hannah Waddingham without the intention of further utilizing her down the road.
Director Anne Fletcher’s background as a choreographer is just as evident in her direction of Hocus Pocus 2 as it is with classic rom-coms like 27 Dresses and The Proposal. She has a keen eye for building engaging scenes, whether it's a crowd of hypnotized Halloween partygoers or two friends trying to figure out how to stop a trio of witches on broomsticks, Roombas, and Swifters.
Hocus Pocus 2 is the perfect way to kick off the Halloween season. How could you possibly go wrong with the magical return of the Sanderson Sisters, a raucously fun cover of “The Witch is Back,” and a cast that is clearly having the time of their lives bringing this sequel to life? Hocus Pocus has never been a film meant to impress, it’s meant to entertain once a year when nostalgia rolls in with the turning of the leaves, and Hocus Pocus 2 achieves its goal of recapturing the magic of the classic with a fresh new approach.
Rating: B+
Hocus Pocus 2 is now streaming on Disney+