Sister Act: The 30th Anniversary of "Hocus Pocus"

 by Michael Lyons    

 

Like so many 90s movies, VHS saved Hocus Pocus.

 

When the film was released in the middle of the summer of 1993, it pretty much didn't stand a chance and was trampled by so many other summer behemoths (like Jurassic Park) and pummeled by poor reviews.

 

It seemed as if Hocus Pocus would fade away with so many other forgotten family films. But, an entire generation of kids was being weaned on VHS, latching on to specific movies and watching them on repeat.

 

A number of underperforming 90s films, from The Sandlot to Disney's own A Goofy Movie, benefitted from this. With Hocus Pocus, there was the added revelation through the years that the movie is ideal for the Halloween season.

 

Soon, multiple showings on a number of cable channels throughout the season led to a wave of a resurgence that begot merchandise and appearances by the Sanderson Sisters at Disney theme parks (both of which were non-existent in 1993, when the film was first released), as well as a legacy sequel that debuted last fall on Disney+.

 

As the film celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this year, audiences have embraced Hocus Pocus for what it truly is - wicked fun!

 

Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy are the Sanderson Sisters - Winifred, Sarah, and Mary, respectively. 

 

They are part of a rich, fictional legend in Salem, Massachusetts, where they were hanged in 1693 until a teenage boy named Max (Omri Katz) accidentally brings them back in 1993 by lighting a mystical candle on Halloween.

 

The Sanderson sisters want to steal children's energy to return to life and become younger. They do this by spending all Halloween night running  "Amuck! Amuck! Amuck!" (to quote Sarah) through the town.

 

This is where Hocus Pocus excels and is most likely why it has found its audience through the years. Director Kenny Ortega does nice work of providing the Halloween backdrop and crafting an entertaining adventure, and with young actors in the lead, the film takes on a Goonies-like feel.  

 

The three leads, Midler, Parker, and Najimy, all look like they're having the time of their lives, and that infectious, fun spirit buoys the entire film. There are also solid performances by Katz and the young stars, Thora Birch as his sister Dani, and Vanessa Shaw as love interest Allison.

 

Stephanie Faracy and Charles Rocket are a hoot as Max and Dani's clueless parents, and Doug Jones is amazing, contorting his body as the zombie Billy Butcherson.

 

In cameos, real-life brother and sister Garry and Penny Marshall steal their scene as a bickering couple handing out candy to trick-or-treaters. 

 

Gliding through all of Hocus Pocus is a darker tone (the movie begins with a hanging and includes an eerie song about stealing children's souls) that adds a unique element of black comedy to the proceedings.

 

It's no wonder that the film has found its audience three decades later and become a Halloween staple.

 

Thank you, VHS. You're no longer with us, but we appreciate you saving Hocus Pocus!

 

Happy Halloween, everyone!

For more of my articles, podcasts and to learn more about my boo, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance, head over to my website: Words From Lyons !

To Hell With It: The 50th Anniversary of "The Exorcist"

 

by Michael Lyons

The Exorcist is the scariest movie ever made.

Sure, that's my opinion, but that is how I have felt since I first saw it when I was 14, and it aired on network TV (CBS) for the first time.

Even in its edited-for-TV form and its "parental guidance" warning, The Exorcist shook me, as it did many audiences when it debuted almost fifty years ago.

Before The Exorcist, most horror movies I saw were black-and-white "monster movies," where Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolf Man terrorized villagers in what looked like a far-off place. Or, it was one of Alfred Hitchcock's classics, like Psycho or The Birds, taking place in another decade and another time.

These were movies where horror seemed otherworldly. The Exorcist felt real, taking place in our world, where horror had invaded, in a story that seemed as if it could happen.

Based on a novel by William Peter Blatty, the film centers on a single mother, Chris McNeil (Ellen Burstyn), who notices that her 12-year-old daughter, Regan (Linda Blair), is exhibiting strange behavior and soon discovers that a demon from hell possesses the young girl.

A local priest, Father Karras (Jason Miller), and a police Lieutenant named Kinderman (Lee J. Cobb) begin investigating the disturbing incidents. Eventually, Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow), well-versed in demonic possession, is brought in to perform an exorcism.

One of the reasons The Excorcist rises above standard Hollywood horror fare is director William Freidkin (who recently passed away). As he did with The French Connection, Friedkin brings a gritty style that seems to combine standard narrative with an almost-documentary feeling, making scary sequences even more startling.

Among these are the disturbing "crucifix scene" and "head spinning scene," the now iconic "pea soup projectile vomit" sequence, Father Karras's dream sequence (with an almost subliminal glimpse of one of the most horrifying faces ever to appear on screen), Regan's speaking in a demonic voice, and the exorcism scene itself, which keeps the audience trapped in Regan's room with Fathers Karras and Merrin.

Through all of this are outstanding performances that range from Burstyn's captivating helplessness, Blair's waves of an innocent young girl and repellent creature, Miller's conflicted and wounded priest, and Von Sydow as the weary and wary Father Merrin.

The Exorcist was (and still is) a gut punch for audiences when it arrived in theaters on December 26, 1973, becoming a box-office hit and the first horror film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.  It contains scenes that have become part of our film and pop culture lexicon and has inspired five sequels, including the legacy sequel, The Exorcist: Believer, which debuts in theaters this month, just in time for Halloween. 

Upon its release, film critic Stanley Kauffmann wrote in The New Republic: "This is the scariest movie I've seen in years - the only scary movie I've seen in years."

Fifty years later, I echo Mr. Kauffmann's thoughts and simply say: The Exorcist is the scariest movie ever made.

For more of my articles, podcasts and to learn more about my book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance, head over to my website: Words From Lyons !