Hocus Pocus 2 is a fantasy movie and the sequel to the 1993 Halloween classic, Hocus Pocus. The movie was released on Disney+ on September 30, 2022.
While the first film is a beloved classic, it wasn't received well when it was first released, however, this wasn't the case for the sequel, as the movie was received well on its initial release.
Plot[]
In the year 1653, it is the 16th birthday of Winifred Sanderson. Her younger sisters Mary and Sarah give her a pet spider for her birthday. Unfortunately, Reverend Traske threatens to take Mary and Sarah away if Winifred doesn't marry a boy named John Pritchette, but she declines the proposal due to favoring Billy Butcherson whom she kissed once. The three are then banished from Salem, and they hide in a forbidden forest. The three sisters than encounter the mother witch, who gifts Winifred with the spell book, but warns them never to use the Magicae Maxima spell.
Later in 2022, 29 years after the Sanderson sisters returned to Salem and were defeated by Max Dennison, two teenage girls named Becca and Izzy plan on celebrating Halloween and Becca's 16th birthday, while declining an invitation to a Halloween party from their friend Cassie Traske. The two girls go to a magic shop that was originally the Sanderson sister's home, where a man named Gilbert is telling children about the witches and the black flame candle. Gilbert later convinces Becca and Izzy into performing a ritual with a candle.
That night in a nearby forest, Becca and Izzy light the candle, which turns out to be another black flame candle, and The Sanderson sisters return once again. Becca fools Winifred into thinking that she and Izzy are in their 40's and that the sisters don't need to make a potion to suck the lives out of the children of Salem, instead, they can buy it at a store. Winifred then demands that Becca take them to this store.
Becca and Izzy take Winifred, Mary, and Sarah to a local Walgreens, where they tell the sisters that the beauty products are potions, and they begin eating the products. Realizing that it was a trick, Winifred tries to use a spell to harm the two young girls, but Becca makes a circle of salt which protects her and Izzy from Winifred's magic. The three witches then leave the store by flying out, Winifred uses a broomstick, Sarah uses a Swiffer, and Mary uses two Roombas.
The two girls return to the magic shop and ask Gilbert where he got the candle from. Gilbert reveals that as a child in 1993, he witnessed The Sanderson sisters' demise and has been obsessed with them ever since. The witches arrive after Gilbert opens the spell book. Winifred then traps Becca and Izzy in the basement, and decides she wants to use the Magicae Maxima spell to live forever. Winifred forces Gilbert to get her the ingredients by using an hourglass that will kill Gilbert when the top is empty, one of these ingredients is the head of a lover, in Winifred's case is Billy Butcherson. Before Gilbert leaves, Winifred learns that the current mayor of Salem is a Traske, and leaves to find him. Gilbert goes to Billy's grave, only to discover that Billy is a zombie. While he needs Billy's head, Gilbert convinces Billy that he's making a spell to kill the Sanderson sisters for good.
While trapped in the basement, Becca and Izzy then use a spell to escape, and they try to get the book, but it refuses to come to them. Later at a Halloween carnival, Winifred, Mary, and Sarah look for Mayor Traske, but then enter a Sanderson sisters themed costume contest. Winifred gets angry when they lose considering they are the real Sanderson sisters, and the three witches cast a spell on the audience while singing One Way or Another. Later, Becca calls mayor Traske and tells them that his daughter Cassie is having a party, and he returns home to ground her.
Later that night, Becca and Izzy go to Cassie's house to make sure her father is safe, but Cassie informs him that he returned to the carnival to get a candy apple. They then witness Winifred, Mary, and Sarah flying down the street, they try to attack the girls, but Becca traps the sisters in a circle of salt. While this plan works, it is short lived, as the two Roombas Mary was riding on come in and vacuum up the salt freeing the witches. Winifred then kidnaps Cassie and heads for the forest. Billy finds out Gilbert is helping the witches, and Gilbert steals Billy's head.
Now that Winifred has all the ingredients, she needs for the Magicae Maxima spell, she along with Mary and Sarah begin to perform it, Becca's hands start to glow, and both her and Izzy realize she is a witch. Becca then uses her powers to stop the three sisters from casting the spell, but Winifred decides she does not need the book to cast the spell. Mary and Sarah then discover that they have Winifred's powers as well, and the three cast the spell. After the spell is activated, the Sanderson sisters notice that the black flame candle is no longer lit, and they are still alive, but there was a reason why the mother witch warned the sisters never to use the Magicae Maxima spell, as it causes the person who casts the spell to lose something they love dearly. Mary and Sarah then vanish into dust, as they were the thing that Winifred loved most. Winifred is very upset that she lost her beloved sisters and begs Becca to help her bring them back. Becca then finds a spell that would help, but the spell makes Winifred join her sisters as well, Winifred then thanks Becca and is very happy to be reunited with her sisters Mary and Sarah again.
After Winifred vanishes, it makes Billy disappear too, and he's excited to hopefully rest in peace. Becca, Izzy, Cassie, and Gilbert then return home. Becca takes the book with her and uses it to practice her magic.
As the end credits start, Winifred, Mary, and Sarah are seen singing in a night club that resembles Hell. In a post credit scene, Gilbert's cat jumps on a shelf and starts rubbing against a box containing more black flame candles, suggesting that the Sanderson sisters could still come back.
Cast[]
- Bette Midler as Winifred Sanderson
- Kathy Najimy as Mary Sanderson
- Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson
- Doug Jones as Billy Butcherson
- Whitney Peak as Becca
- Belissa Escobedo as Izzy
- Lilia Buckingham as Cassie
- Sam Richardson as Gilbert
- Hannah Waddingham as Mother Witch