If you read my review of the first Hocus Pocus (1993) then you can imagine how ‘excited’ I was to be watching the sequel. And look, I understand how popular that first film is, but was anyone really crying out for Hocus Pocus 2 (2022) almost three decades later? To be fair, I don’t know why I am surprised. These legacy sequels are becoming more and more frequent these days as film studios feed off people's nostalgia, and for the most part, I don’t care and in the case of this film I really don’t care as I had no connection with that first one. What I do care about is the fact I had to watch it though, using a portion of my finite time on earth to watch a follow-up to a film I have active disdain for. I could only hope I would enjoy it more than that. The film follows a group of teenage girls in Salem who inadvertently bring back the Sanderson sisters who continue to wreak havoc on the town. You know, a lot like the first film.
The first big question that needs to be answered is if this film is better than the first one. Unequivocally yes, and I won’t hear any other word on the matter. And the reason it is better is that it is toned down a little bit. The Sanderson sisters are still silly and not fun, but they are at least not aggressively annoying. There are a couple of obnoxious moments in the film, especially one where the sisters enter a Sanderson sisters look-a-like contest and then have the town perform a cover of ‘One Way or Another’. But for the most part, the film is far more chilled out which I appreciate. It also has a better narrative than the original film, in that it is more interesting. That isn’t to say the narrative is good, but we will get on to that later, but there is more going on and there are several character arcs throughout that help you buy into the film more. I also prefer the lead characters in this film. They aren’t anything special, and there was nothing about the original film's leads that was dislikeable, but again they have more interesting characterisations and arcs which make them more memorable.
So, the film isn’t ball-achingly aggravating to sit through, but it also happens to be super boring. The production design that I enjoyed from the first film is gone, with the film looking far slicker and more realistic in comparison to the first which felt like a stage production. It doesn’t look bad, but whereas the first film’s sets were fun and fit the silly tone of the films, these sets feel a bit lifeless and dull. And while I said that the narrative was more interesting than the first film, which it is, it also doesn’t deliver satisfying conclusions to the arcs it sets up. An example of this is in the relationship between two of the lead characters, Becca (Whitney Peak) and Cassie (Lilia Buckingham), who have fallen out with each other at the start of the film and a lot of focus is put on this. But then the film concludes this arc by just having them be a bit. like ‘yeah, sorry mate’. It isn’t terrible in terms of its execution, but it feels a little rushed, and it isn’t the only time. But what I disliked most about the narrative is that it tries to make the Sanderson sisters sympathetic and have them have a conclusion where they come off well. Look, I know people think they are funny as characters but are we just forgetting that they murder children and enjoy doing it? Oh, we are? Okay cool.
Hocus Pocus 2 is not a very good film. It isn’t all that interesting visually and narratively and is mostly very dull. The best thing I can say about it is that it isn’t nearly as irritating as the first film, and overall, it is better. But I also feel like I can flip that opinion on its head in a way, as although this film is better the first one is going to stick in my mind more and be the one, I remember. In terms of recommendations, if you really like the first film then give it a watch but otherwise, I wouldn’t bother.
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