Hocus Pocus is an eerie classic to enjoy during Halloween time, but the sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, released September 30th on Disney+, has compelled fans to judge with dissatisfaction. Because the first movie is so loved, and considered a classic, there was lots of hope for the new release and many were eager. The movie was not what fans and newspapers had expected, and the aversion to the film has commenced.

In 1993, the first movie of the two came out, and since, Hocus Pocus has been one of the main go-to’s for the spooky season. The film, set in the late 1690s in Salem, Massachusetts, involves three witch sisters who yearn to stay young and beautiful for as long as they live. When put to death for the murder of a young girl, Emily, the sisters set a spell on the Black Flame Candle – which will bring the witches back if lit by a virgin on a full moon Halloween night. The candle was then lit 300 years later by Max, a nonbeliever of the sisters and new to Salem. Along with his little sister, Dani, his girlfriend, Allison, and the eternal living cat, Binx, Max fought to protect those he loved and ended the sisters for what appeared to be good.

But, as Winnie announces in Hocus Pocus 2, “Lock up your children. Yes, Salem, we’re back!” . . . sadly. The original held a mature and amusing factor that lessened into sappy and emotional in the sequel; it defeated the whole atmosphere around the first. The witches are entirely distinct from what numerous children grew up with and are not the same as they used to be. Hocus Pocus 2 recreated people’s childhoods into a new reality that is much more deficient. 

Critics reviewing the movie are scrambling and challenging to understand to a full extent; half seem to dislike it, and the other half are fond of it. Those who aren’t fans say the film has a childish aspect that doesn’t perform pleasingly with the darker themes in the original. Emily Perez from The GW Hatchet, speaks in a youthful tone by sharing that it is, “depicted in more lighthearted and innocent ways, as if catering to a younger audience, possibly due to the new kid-friendly regulations of Disney+.” Others will argue that the film is perfectly done for the sequel and suits Hocus Pocus adequately. Multiple reviews mention how the film brings them back to 30 years ago when they watched the first movie, obtaining that same sense of freedom again. Nell Minow of “Roger Ebert” stated, “The challenge for the sequel to a beloved film is maintaining enough of the original to make the fans happy without being too repetitive or confusing newcomers, and Hocus Pocus 2 gets that just right.” Although, I’d personally disagree.

Since I was young, I’d sprint to my living room to flip to the Freeform Network to play their 31 Days of Halloween special. Most of the movies were classics: Casper, Beetlejuice, and, of course, Hocus Pocus. Hearing the news of the new film drove me ecstatic, almost as if a piece of myself had returned. But seeing the movie the day it appeared on Disney+ disappointed me. The film was straining too hard to fit a concept that it cannot match: the 21st century. The 30 years difference between the two has an odd effect that doesn’t function as it should. The sisters coming back to life is clever, but they knew too little for being alive only 30 years back. Then, to add a more bizarre touch, Sara –the ‘dumb’ sister of the three– was much more intelligent than shown in the original. If they’d stick to the original plot and bring back the characters who developed the original Hocus Pocus, I believe it would be another great, classic Halloween.