Hocus Pocus 2
Released on Disney+ Sept 30, 2022
Runtime: 2 Hour 47 Minutes
Rated PG
The black flame candle is lit once again and the Sanderson Sisters return to terrorize Salem and hunt down children. This time we get some backstory to the trio of witches and three new heroes. Once again they are after eternal life, eating children, and singing.
Themes:
Themes in the movie include witchcraft, revenge, family, virginity, spells, curses, friendship, betrayal, making fun of others, being different, and what you value most.
Language:
There are a few religious exclamations, the word for what beavers build crops up once, and also the word heck showed up. There was actually not that much cursing in it. Be prepared for words like virgin and words that are associated with witchcraft.
Stuff to be aware of:
This is a movie about witches so be prepared for about the same amount of the occult as the first one, however this time the heroes are into witchcraft. The heroes like and dabble in the occult, so witchcraft itself is not seen as “bad” in the sequel. There are several references to children being eaten or their souls being taken. There is a Zombie. Satan is mentioned. There are two men who appear to be in a relationship sitting on a couch watching the original movie. There are also several men dressed up as the Sanderson sisters for a costume contest.
Overall:
Disney was betting big on nostalgia here. The story is pretty basic. If we didn’t have the original (which is so beloved) and this movie was on it’s own I would probably give it an okay review and move on. But we do have the original movie, and this one wasn’t as good. It never really justifies itself for existing other than nostalgia and to set up future movies. There are some funny moments and, as would be expected, the Sanderson sisters are hilarious. The three actresses have still got it, but the story itself was just okay. Also, the childre they got it play the young Sanderson sisters were great.
I have watched the original multiple times over the years, but I don’t see myself doing that with this one. I laughed several times, but didn’t find myself enjoying this one as much as the original.
Something about this one I liked is that being a virgin is not made into a running joke. There are some jokes about how weird that concept was in the first movie, but I like how it’s okay and acceptable to be a virgin in this one. No one gets made fun of for making the wise (and biblical) decision of being a teen virgin.