Diksha Sundriyal
Disney+’s ‘Hocus Pocus’ tells the tale of the Sanderson sisters, who are the most wicked witches to have existed in Salem. Their only purpose in life is to catch children, eat their souls, and sustain their youth. After being hanged for their crimes, the witches are resurrected three hundred years later. ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ picks up the events of the story twenty-nine years further into the future. Expanding on the mythology of the Sanderson sisters, it throws more curses and spells around Salem until someone finally stops the witches. The film makes for a delightful watch, and if you’d like more movies along the same line, then we have a few suggestions.
7. The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
‘Hocus Pocus 2’ gives the audience the backstory of the Sanderson sisters, revealing the event that led them to become witches and haunt Salem for the next few centuries. If you want a film that has the origin story of witches at its focus, then ‘The Witches of Eastwick’ should be your next watch. The film follows the story of three women who want a lot of things for themselves. They share their deepest desires with each other, and when a mysterious man arrives in town, all they wished starts to come true.
6. Double, Double Toil and Trouble (1993)
Starring the Olsen twins in the lead role, ‘Double, Double Toil and Trouble’ follows the story of two seven-year-old girls who discover a dark secret about their beloved aunt. Turns out that their real aunt has been imprisoned by her twin sister Agatha, who has more wicked plans in store. It falls on the young girls to not only rescue their aunt but also to stop her evil twin from wreaking more havoc, which is sure to destroy their family.
5. Halloweentown (1998)
In ‘Hocus Pocus 2’, it is revealed that the magical powers of a witch in a girl come out when she turns sixteen years old. The film takes place on Becca’s birthday, and she realizes that she really does have magical powers. In ‘Halloweentown’, the age bar lowers to thirteen. The film follows the story of a girl named Marnie. On her thirteenth birthday, she discovers that she is a witch and that there exists a secret portal to another world where all monsters live, away from the humans. As usual, her journey starts out as an adventure, but trouble is always just around the corner.
4. Nightbooks (2021)
Based on the children’s book of the same name, ‘Nightbooks’ follows the story of a boy, named Alex, who finds himself in a situation where telling scary stories is the only way to survive. A witch named Natacha traps him in her magical apartment. The place moves all over the world, collecting children. If they don’t prove useful to Natacha, they meet a horrible end. Alex always had a penchant for telling scary stories and Natacha orders him to tell her one story every night. The condition is that the stories should never have a happy ending. While trying not to get himself killed, Alex tries to find a way out of this impossible situation.
3. ParaNorman (2012)
In ‘Hocus Pocus’ when the Sanderson sisters are executed by the townsfolk, they cast a curse which ensures that the sisters will eventually be brought back. A similar situation opens the events of ‘ParaNorman’. Three hundred years ago, a witch cursed the town of Blithe Hollow. Every year, Norman’s uncle cast a spell that prevented the curse from destroying the town. This year, however, he dies and leaves the responsibility to finish the spell on Norman, who already has a lot on his plate. He is an outcast and has the ability to speak with the dead. The origins of the spell, however, reveal more to him about his secret power.
2. Coraline (2009)
Adapted from the book of the same name by Neil Gaiman, ‘Coraline’ follows the story of its titular heroine as she finds a parallel world, where the “others” live. At first, it is an exciting adventure for the young girl, but soon, more nefarious things about this new world come to light. ‘Coraline’ is similar to ‘Hocus Pocus’ in the sense that both of them have very dark undertones. Child-eating witches flying about town is sure to terrify a kid. While humor acts as the cushion for the horror in ‘Hocus Pocus’, ‘Coraline’ is much eerier and scarier, making it a perfect Halloween watch.
1. The Witches (1990)
The Sanderson sisters might have a beef with the whole town of Salem, but they seem to have a particular interest in children. For them, the young ones are nothing but food to satisfy their hunger for eternal youth. This aversion to children is explored with a much stronger emotion in ‘The Witches’. Based on Roald Dahl’s story of the same name, it focuses on three witches who have vowed to turn all kids in the world into mice. A young boy stumbles upon their conspiracy and decides to stop them with the help of his grandmother.
