Hocus Pocus

In a small town stands an abandoned house. Legend has it that it was once home to three witch sisters who were burned at the stake three hundred years ago for witchcraft. Also, according to legend, if you light a candle with black smoke in this house, the sisters will come back to life and start eating children. Except that the sisters will find themselves a little discouraged by the modern world...

As I thought, the movie is a rather childish Halloween-themed fantasy. I'm usually cool with this kind of movie, but oddly enough, I liked Hocus Pocus. I love the Halloween theme in general. Whether it's horror, comedy, fantasy, or cartoons. This movie, on the other hand, is a combination of those genres.

The plot, to put it mildly, is not the most recent. Returning from the dead after several hundred years - this theme was once popular in both literature and cinematography, particularly in horror films. Getting into the modern world from its own time/reality was also often used. But only in a format like "Hocus Pocus" have I not yet seen anything. The film moves seamlessly from light fantasy to comedy, then seamlessly to horror as well (though I would argue here), and so on for an hour and a half.

The cast impressed me. Of course I do not know everyone in the cast, but the acting is quite high. Especially the three actresses who played the roles of witches. They turned out so different from each other, but constantly complementing each other. It was a little strange to see Sarah Jessica Parker in a similar image, completely opposite to her usual roles, but surprisingly she fit in perfectly. Kathy Nagimi, who is remembered by many from "Sister, Act!" also looks very organically in the image of the witch. Of the three sisters, she was responsible for the comedy part. Well, the last of the witches, Bette Miller, best played her role. She was the one who dragged all the scenes that might scare little viewers.

The visuals impressed me, too. Disney has never been stingy with creating beautiful and quality visuals, this movie was no exception. There were many great movies released in 1993, many with great special effects. Take that same "Jurassic Park." "Hocus Pocus" certainly didn't come close to Steven Spielberg's creation, but it was better than many other films of the same ilk visually. Everything was done to a grade of excellent, from the makeup and broom flying to the computer effects.

I also liked that there was humor in the film, albeit a little bit. And the humor is fairly light, which is understandable, since "Hocus Pocus" is designed primarily for a teenage (if not childlike) audience. But sometimes quite black humor slips in, mostly from witches. Of course, the jokes and gags are rather primitive, but sometimes they make you smile.

Overall, a great movie to watch on Halloween. I always thought that there would be nothing better than a good horror film for this holiday. Turns out there is such an alternative. Great cast, good special effects, and, most importantly, a light and entertaining story. And all this is packed into a fairly modest timeframe.