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The Month of Horror Day 25: Hocus Pocus

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! This eve, Bellamy revisits Hocus Pocus . . . or, as he puts it, the last time Sarah Jessica Parker was hot.

A Disney movie? On the "Month of Horror"? Get outta here! Hey, this is a step up from 'World War Z', probably scarier, too! Once again on this list, a flick you can watch with the whole family, and when it comes to horror or Halloween themed family material, it's generally in short supply so enjoy it when you can. I actually hadn't seen 'Hocus Pocus' since it was released all the way back in 1993 (20 YEARS AGO!!) so not only did I immediately feel old jumping back into this but it also brought up a heck of a lot of nostalgia.

The story is pretty basic, not like it needs to be complicated or anything, as three witches from Salem in the 1600's are hung however a curse states that they will be back in the future to raise hell once again! They of course do come back in the 90's, on All Hallow's Eve, and are very confused by their surroundings. You get your standard "fish out of water" type of humour as the witches react and have to adapt to all of the various changes--why ride a broom when you can ride a vacuum! Cue a couple of wily kids who have to stop these witch sisters from destroying the town, and send them back into an eternal sleep, albeit in a mostly harmless, innocent, and very Disney-like manner. Come on, it's not like you're going to see any decapitations or disemboweling here, no blood or gore, just a bit of cheeky horror-comedy that your young one(s) may or may not entirely pick up on.

I like this movie for what it is and it never tries to be anything more, it's also unapologetically about Halloween which I've stated before that not enough horror movies focus on. It's great to see zombies, ghosts and witches on the screen, all imagined through the eyes of kids because that's when these monsters were seen as fun! No, it's not some sort of masterpiece or anything but it's one of those Halloween flicks that when it's on, you can't help but get a bit of a warm feeling inside, and what's wrong with that? Absolutely nothing!



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