Hocus Pocus

It's a veritable bagful of box office treats.

Its collection of one-liners and amusing situations could put you in a diverting spell. A studio-generated romp about three 17th-century witches who create havoc in present-day Salem, Mass., it's full of big-crowd laughs (thanks mostly to Midler) and suspense.

Just about every line of dialogue written for a child or teenager is painful (the movie must have been dated a week after release), though I suppose that helps Hocus Pocus work as a time capsule. Far more charm can be found in the largely practical effects and sets.

So even at 96 minutes (and padded out with pointless, uncredited cameos by Garry and Penny Marshall) “Hocus” feels thin and undernourished from an adult point of view.

It’s acceptable scary-silly kid fodder that adults will find only mildly insulting. Unless they’re Bette Midler fans. In which case it’s depressing as hell.

A dreadful witches' comedy with the only tolerable moment coming when Bette Midler presents a single song.

Apparently too much eye of newt got into the formula for Hocus Pocus, transforming a potentially wicked Bette Midler vehicle into an unholy mess. That's too bad, since Ms. Midler's appearance in a role like the one she has here could have been pure witchcraft.

My favorite Halloween flick of all time. Few movies bring out the childhood nostalgia for millennials quite like Hocus Pocus. The 90s really were the last golden age of cinema. We had Jurassic Park, Titanic, & Disney Anime classics. Movies in those days had heart, they had vision, and they were actual works of art rather than the soulless film-factory products of the modern era. Decades of nepotism and corporate consolidation have destroyed creativity in Hollywood. I feel sad for kids who have to grow up watching such garbage. If you’re a kid reading this, don’t skip on Hocus Pocus. May it bring you the same joy it brought to our generation.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

The three leading ladies have boatloads of fun chewing up every inch of scenery they are afforded, and their antics carry a lot of the film. Yet, the movie can never commit to them either being silly old time-displaced witches or evil **** child murderers. The contrast is jarring at times. The jokes are hit or miss, but the kid characters are game and worth rooting for. The ending offers enough catharsis to balance out some of the silliness.

So gay! So stupid! So much fun!Don't know what else to say about this. Bette Midler chews every single piece of scenery she can get her hands on. I had a great time with this!

This movie was good back then. It's now considered a classic. 3 witches who have to steal the soles of virgin kids to stay forever young.