1993’s “Hocus Pocus” may not have garnered the warmest critical reviews when originally released, nor was it a darling at the box-office. However, thanks to years of reruns on television and DVD sales, the film has grown beyond a cult following and become an essential part of the Halloween season. Despite this rise in popularity over the years, a sequel always seemed to be mere whisperings and rumors amongst fans. Even with the three leads — Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy — showing plenty of interest in returning to their roles, the film never seemed to get off the ground. That was until 2022, nearly 30 years after the original. The Sanderson Sisters are back to run amok in Salem in “Hocus Pocus 2.”

If you have seen the original, then chances are the plot of this new film will seem familiar. The witchcraft obsessed Becca (Whitney Peak) is celebrating her 16th birthday. However, instead of your normal birthday candle she’s instead given the black flame candle; once it is lit, the Sanderson Sisters return. Now the witches are on the loose again, trying to retrieve their magic spell book before sunrise.

To start this review on a positive note, the returning Midler, Parker and Najimy are still great and fall right back into their iconic roles. The chemistry between the three is just as strong as it was back in 1993, and it’s great to see them together again. The film is centered around sisterhood, which in turn leads the film to make the Sanderson Sisters more sympathetic. You could argue this is a weird choice since they are technically child murderers, but the film decides to tone down their desire to suck the souls out of the children of Salem. Another returning cast member who gets to shine is Doug Jones as Billy Butcherson. In the original he had his mouth sewn shut until the final 15 minutes, but here he is able to get much more speaking time and gets to show off some strong physical comedy chops.

Unfortunately, I have such complicated feelings toward this new sequel that these positives are all I could muster from my viewing. Going into the film, I was hesitant since the original is one of my all-time favorites, and Disney legacy sequels can truly be hit or miss. The first 15 minutes did not ease my hesitancy as we are given a very awkward origin story for the Sanderson Sisters. Awkward child acting aside, it immediately signaled the film’s biggest weakness. The performances are unusually bad. I do not mean the three witches, obviously, or our leads — Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo and Lilia Buckingham — but rather every other character surrounding them. Everyone is overreacting and exaggerated, and it is just not funny. Tony Hale in particular, who plays the dual role of the Reverend in the opening origin story and his descendant in the present day, easily had the worst lines and jokes in the movie. 

Another major issue with the film is that it tries to recapture the magic of the original. For the most part, the nostalgia is not too blatant and obnoxious. However, the film is essentially taking jokes and scenes from the original and trying to make them “bigger” and “better,” and they just come off as lame. A perfect example is the big song and dance sequence. In the original, the “I Put A Spell on You” scene is simple and it makes sense why they are singing that song. In this new film, without any kind of context or reasoning behind it, they suddenly have this big number set to Blondie’s “One Way or Another.” 

Overall, I do not want to be too harsh on the film as it is clear that everyone involved was passionate in making it, and admittedly there are some fun highlights sprinkled throughout. I do not know if I can say there is enough to make it worth a watch. All and all, it is a harmless little romp that comes right in time for Halloween, but you are better off sticking with the original.

“Hocus Pocus 2” is streaming exclusively on Disney+.

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