It’s just a bunch of Hocus Pocus: 5 best moments from the film

Hocus Pocus is celebrating its anniversary. In honor of that milestone, we have picked the 5 best moments from the film because even in the dead of summer, our hearts are in Halloween.

Hocus Pocus! Time to be bewitched…

We are in the big boiling pot that is summertime and I can literally feel my makeup melting off of my face. But even the temperatures climbing over 100 can’t stop the feeling that Halloween is coming. I see the black and orange beginning to grace the shelves of the home and craft stores.

In my house, I have the pumpkin pie wax melts going and I am decorating for Halloween in a matter of weeks. When I want to capture that Fall Feeling, I will watch one of the best Halloween movies of all time: Hocus Pocus.

Even though it is considered a Halloween classic, this witchy film was released on July 16th, 1993. It hardly seems like a summer film but I know now that it caters to people like myself. I have seen this film so many times from my childhood to now that I can do a one woman show of Hocus Pocus.

I’m not exaggerating. I know every single line in this film and I WILL say them with the characters. It’s no mystery why no one wants to watch this movie with me. In celebration of Hocus Pocus and because I REALLY want it to be Halloween, let’s look at the 5 best moments from the movie.

5. I Put A Spell on You

This is an old song but Bette Milder’s Winifred Sanderson took it to a whole new level. There is something so damn creative about them hiding in plain sight and using the band and song to cast a spell on the entire party. Most of the adults in town were at the party, which meant this was their way to all of the kids. It was so catchy and smart and just looked great. You can’t hear this song and not think of Hocus Pocus.

4. When You Can’t Find Your Broom, Improvise

This moment is one of the funniest of Hocus Pocus. When the little girls dressed as the Sanderson Sisters steal their brooms, they have to improvise. While Winnie still looks fabulously witchy on her broom, Sarah is rocking the mop and Mary takes it to another level with the vacuum. Just seeing that power cord dragging along behind her is so funny, I am laughing to myself just thinking about it. It’s overwhelmingly realistic given the subject matter.

3. Come Little Children

This is iconic Hocus Pocus. The image of Sarah flying on her broom over a darkened Salem, singing and calling the children to die is eerie. As her crooning echoes throughout the streets, the young kids walk zombie-like down the streets in their pajamas and costumes, heading unknowingly toward their doom enveloped in a lovely song. It’s a fantastic moment in the film.

Image courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

2. You Bucktoothed, Mop-Riding Firefly from Hell!

Billy Butcherson was always one of my favorite characters and even more so after I found out he was played by the incomparable Doug Jones. Poor Billy was poisoned for infidelity and had his mouth sewn shut with a dull needle to keep the Sanderson Sisters’ secrets, even in death. But even death can’t stop Billy from feeling REALLY pissed off. That moment when you think he’s going to attack Max and he ends up just telling Winifred off is amazing. King of Insults right there.

1. We’re Young!

This was a hard one to narrow down, so I am going to say the ENTIRE opening sequence is the number 1 spot. From Emily and Thackery fighting for their lives, to becoming young to being hanged after cursing the town…the whole experience is amazing. It sets the tone for how evil yet how hilarious these sisters are. There is so much story and film set up in such a small amount of time that it is truly impressive.

Image courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

While I could only pick five, every moment in this film is a treat and there is a reason why this is considered a holiday classic. Hocus Pocus is a film that is as close to perfect as humanly (and inhumanly) possible and I hope to the Hollywood Heavens that it NEVER gets remade, rebooted or sequeled. Leave well enough alone with this gem. Happy birthday Hocus Pocus!

What is your favorite moment in the film? Let us know in the comments!