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Hocus Pocus 2, review: Wokus Pokus more like, but diverting, honourable twaddle for all that

Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker in Hocus Pocus 2
Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker in Hocus Pocus 2

When Hocus Pocus opened in 1993, it lost Disney around $16.5 million: the shattering yet apparently impossible-to-foresee result of releasing a Halloween-themed family comedy in the middle of July. In subsequent Octobers, however, this cheerfully naff witchy caper became an increasingly popular VHS rental, and over the next decade or so it amassed cult – or perhaps coven – status.

Starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and a pre-Sex and the City Sarah Jessica Parker, it told of the three Sanderson sisters of Salem, Massachusetts, who return to stalk this earthly plane on the 300th anniversary of their hanging. No one could argue it was a cinematic coup, but its three lead actresses had an enjoyably demented comic chemistry – their scenes often felt as if they’d pulled on their costumes at a remote location, knocked back 12 espressos, and had then been driven to the set in a horse box and let loose.

One year shy of three decades later, this reunion sequel strikes much the same campy, haywire tone – and, in line with its predecessor’s success as living-room entertainment, is eschewing cinemas for Disney+. Again, the Sanderson sisters return from the netherworld, again thanks to a ritual requiring the participation of a virgin – though fewer up-the-sleeve sniggers on this subject are permitted in 2022. Said innocents are Whitney Peak’s Becca and Melissa Escobedo’s Izzy, two teenage friends with a longstanding interest in the occult. After a moonlit rite goes awry – blame Gilbert (Sam Richardson), owner of the town’s magic shop and a secret Sanderson fanboy – the girls are frantically burning angelica and pouring salt circles, while the wicked trio they’ve accidentally summoned search for a spell to make their one-night-only resurrection stick.

In addition to milder virginity jokes, other adjustments have been made to render this Hocus Pocus a touch more Wokus Pocus, in keeping with the times. For instance, while Parker remains the femme fatale of the bunch – note the flash of garter as she straddles a vacuum mop in lieu of a broomstick – she’s rather less keen on teenage boys these days. As for technological progress, and the potential plot holes this can create, the odd cry of “Okay, I guess the curse covers phones too!” deals with that.

Even so, director Anne Fletcher successfully revives the original’s spirit of chaotic fun – never more so than in a rousing cover of Blondie’s One Way or Another, with Midler wellying out the lyrics while hypnotised Halloween revellers stomp in formation through the streets. We’ve seen sharper nostalgic revivals, but this is honourable twaddle: a diverting mishmash of high-fructose tricks and treats.


Cert 12+, 106 min. On Disney+ from September Friday 30