By Hailey Forsyth

With the uprising reviews about the new film Hocus Pocus Two, I had to review the film and then hear the opinions of my fellow classmates. This film was released on September 30, 2022 and can be viewed on the Disney Plus app. The overall film was given a 2.8 out of 5 rating by the audience. So many were caught off guard when the film was given a 4 out of 5 on rotten tomato review. The original Hocus Pocus movie was released July 16, 1993 and is a fan favorite to many. For the outstanding performances throughout the movie it was rewarded a 4.4 out of 5 review. This children’s movie has many strong counter arguments and today we are officially going to settle which movie is better.

Personally, I feel the second film was not nearly as entertaining or generally could even compare to the first film. The original Hocus Pocus is hands down one of the best Halloween movies of all time. In my opinion, if they were going to try and make a film that could compare to the original they needed to bring in every resource possible. To create another timeless classic they would need way more than just a cheesy continuation of the film. They needed to bring back the entire original cast and base the plot line off of Max Denison and Allison’s life together. Then they could have brought back the original Sanderson sisters and maybe even Dani Denison could have been brought back as well. I do appreciate that they brought back the original Sanderson witches and Billy Butcherson but they just didn’t have the same pizzaz. All things considered, I believe that the film was cheesy and the directors of the second film should have brought way more in order to compare to the inventive and humorous original.

Despite my views on the movie,  I took the time to get the different perspectives and thoughts of my fellow classmates. I started off my interviews with student Alesia Collaku and here is what she had to say: “The original Hocus Pocus is better than the second movie. The original had such a better plot line and was definitely scarier than the second. Sure the sequel had the original witches which was awesome, but it still can’t top the OG”. I then followed up with an interview from Gabriella Currier and Reese Brodin, they basically had the mutual understanding that nothing could compare to the original. Currier stated “ The second movie was bad because they tried too hard to make it similar to the other one but the changes they added made it cringey. Although, bringing back the original witches was a good addition”. In addition to Curriers statement, Brodin added “I think it was mediocre. It could have been better, but in the end they shouldn’t have made a remake because nothing can truly live up to the OG”. Finally for my last interview I wanted to take a different approach and get the view from someone who has loved Halloween (especially the movies) since 1976. I asked my dad, Bill Forsyth, his thoughts on if Hocus Pocus two was better than the original. Forsyth explains “I do not think the second movie was better than the first. I found the second movie to be boring and not really funny. It simply did not capture the same magic as the first movie. The scenes in the first movie made you want to route for Max and Thackery the cat. You could also enjoy the humorous scenes such as the musical part “I put a spell on you” and when they went into the devil’s house. None of those characteristics really carried over into the second movie and it simply can not compare to the original”.

In conclusion, the 2022 film is incomparable to the 1992 film. It did not bring the same magic, life, and energy as the first movie did. Considering all of the perspectives stated here, the original Hocus Pocus is the better movie.