Hocus Pocus 2: I’m Ready to Be Put Under a Spell All Over Again

Hocus Pocus 2: I’m Ready to Be Put Under a Spell All Over Again
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Hide your kids, folks. The Sanderson sisters are back from the dead (once again), and they’re ready to cause all kinds of drama with the long-awaited sequel to my personal favourite Halloween film, Hocus Pocus 2.

If you’ve waited almost 30 years for the resurrection of the three youth-obsessed witches who tend to terrorise the teens of Salem, here’s everything you need to know about Hocus Pocus 2.

It’s all just a little bit of Hocus Pocus…

Hocus Pocus starring Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, 1993. Credit: Disney

For those poor souls who are yet to enjoy the magic of the original Hocus Pocus film (which was released during that peak era of ’90s witchy films), allow me to offer a brief summary of the story.

In a nutshell, the first Hocus Pocus film follows the legend of the three Sanderson sisters -Winifred, Mary and Sarah – who were hanged in Salem on October 31, 1693. These witches were found guilty of sucking the souls out of young children to preserve their youth and beauty. Nasty stuff.

Cut forward 300 years and the sisters are accidentally brought back to life by an angsty teen, Max, who lights the cursed Black Flame Candle because he wants to look cool on Halloween.

The synopsis for the original Hocus Pocus film reads as follows:

Three witches resurrect after 300 years to exact revenge and begin a reign of terror after Max, a young boy who moves to Salem with his family, lights a cursed Candle of Black Flame.

The story is loosely linked to the actual Salem witch trials (a supremely fucked time in history), except in the case of this movie, the Sanderson sisters were actual witches causing genuine harm.

Hocus Pocus disappointingly only has a rating of 39 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes – having been looked down on by loads of critics at the time. But in recent years this initial reaction has been questioned with RT even featuring it on Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrong About, and in its book Rotten Movies We Love.

What’s Hocus Pocus 2 about?

Hocus Pocus 2 cast, trailer, release date
Hocus Pocus 2 cast, trailer, release date. Credit: Disney

If you watched the original film, you may be wondering how the sisters are returning in Hocus Pocus 2 and where the story can go. From what we’ve seen, we’ll spend a little time travelling back in time to learn about the origins of these fabulous witches. And then we’ll eventually land back in modern-day Salem, where chaos will once again take over.

Check out the synopsis below.

It’s been 29 years since someone lit the Black Flame Candle and resurrected the 17th-century sisters, and they are looking for revenge. Now it is up to three high-school students to stop the ravenous witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on Salem before dawn on All Hallow’s Eve.

These Salem teens. Can they stop with the spooky magic? I wonder if Thackery Binx (i.e. McGee from NCIS) will make a ghostly appearance here, too?

See the Sanderson sisters take the stage in the trailer

On June 28, Disney dropped its first teaser trailer for Hocus Pocus 2. In it, we see two high-school kids messing around with magic and the eventual return of Winifred, Mary and Sarah – who all look fabulous, by the way.

Check it out below:

We’ve since been treated to a full trailer for Hocus Pocus 2, showing a little backstory for our trio of awful witches… as well as some insight into Hannah Waddingham of Ted Lasso is playing in the film.

Who will be putting a spell on you? Cast lineup for Hocus Pocus 2

The most exciting part of the production of Hocus Pocus 2 is the knowledge that Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker are reprising their roles of Winifred, Mary and Sarah.

Hocus Pocus 2 also stars Sam Richardson (The Tomorrow War), Doug Jones (The Shape of Water), Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso), Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl), Belissa Escobedo (American Horror Stories), Lilia Buckingham (Dirt), Froyan Gutierrez (Teen Wolf), and Tony Hale (Veep).

The film is directed by Anne Fletcher (Dumplin, The Proposal) and produced by Lynn Harris (King Richard, The Shallows), with Ralph Winter (Hocus Pocus, X-Men franchise), David Kirschner (Hocus Pocus, Chucky) and Adam Shankman (Disenchanted, Hairspray) serving as executive producers.

Where to watch the magic in Australia

Hocus Pocus 2 will head straight to Disney+, ready for all you witch-lovers to consume, on September 30, 2022.

If you haven’t yet signed up for a Disney+ subscription, you can kick that process off here. And if you want to see what else you’ll find on the platform, here’s a write-up on the best movies to watch there. Before you ask, yes, Hocus Pocus 1993 is streaming there.

In the interim, may we suggest you enjoy this video of the Sanderson sisters performing ‘I Put a Spell on You’ from the original film?

This article has been updated since its original publish date. 


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At Lifehacker, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

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