Hocus Pocus
"This is all just a bunch of Hocus Pocus!"
Max doesn't believe in Halloween and the local legend of the Sanderson Sisters. He's quickly changed into a believer when he accidentally brings the sinister sisters back from the dead. While they try to save Salem's children, you and your family can have lots of fun with these Family Movie Night Activities.
Movies Snacks:
*Every good witch has a cauldron bubbling with brew. Make soup, stew or a bubbly soda drink with dry ice and serve it out of a black cauldron. Anything is more spooky when you serve it out of a scary black pot!
*At Allison's house, Max and Dani enjoy cider, Halloween cookies and chocolate Suckers. While watching this movie, be sure to enjoy plenty of Halloween treats and cider.
*When the Sanderson sisters visit 'Satan' they munch on Cheetos and Clark bars. Serve some up to your movie fans as well.
*This movie is all about witches so nibble on cookies with candy kisses on top or bowls of green ice cream with cones on top like witch hats.
Must-Pause-Moments:
*Max and Dani run into some bullies from school making people pay a candy toll. Switch from dinner to dessert or break out the candy bars and treats by announcing "Time to pay the Candy Troll!"
*When Max lights the black flame candle, stop the movie, turn off the lights and light a few candles of your own.
*When the Sanderson Sisters' broomsticks are taken by some passing kids they use some other household items instead. Grab your brooms, mops, and vacuums and have a family flying race. Do a couple laps around the living room and see who gets the best time. Award everyone accordingly. (Remember, the Sanderson Sisters don't like candy but they do like spiders!)
Other Activities:
*Thackery is turned into a cat. Wear your best cat accessories in honor of the brave brother. Think cat ears, make-up and whiskers or even cat-eye sunglasses.
*Dress like a witch with crazy socks, long nails, rings and especially a hat.
*Make a Family Witch Spell Recipe Book. Be sure to let your kids come up with their own made up magic recipes. Remember to use 'Dead Man's Toe' and a 'Bit of Thine Own Tongue' as ingredients.
*Recreate the Sanderson Sisters home by using lots and lots of fake spider webs to decorate.
*Keep your family safe by creating a HUGE salt circle to sit in while you enjoy the show. Real salt thrown out hastily is perfect, but if you want a cleaner way to protect your family consider gluing salt (or glitter) to paper then cutting it out to make an area large enough to sit in. You could make small 'salt' circles for each individual as well.
*LyndiLou* - Won't Turn To Dust At Dawn
Hocus Pocus
"Another glooorious morning...makes me sick!"
In the town of Salem, legend has it that three old Sanderson witches promised to be back from the dead on an All Hallows Eve when someone would light the Black Flame Candle. 300 years later Max Dennison finds himself that someone as he lights the candle as a Halloween cry for attention from the girl of his dreams. Now Winifred (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy) and Sarah Sanderson(Sarah Jessica Parker) are back and have only one night to suck the lives out of little children in order to secure their immortality.
Oooooo, what fun! Talk about true entertainers in the movie industry and you're bound to hit on the topic of Bette Midler. She's the real deal in entertainment. I love watching her in this fun movie where her talents as an actress, comedian and musician really shine. True, the youth talent in the movie is terrible, cheesy and classic '90's but Midler easily carries the show on her capable shoulders. She's well supported though by Najimy and Parker who are perfect side kicks for her. Since the filter came out it has become a family Halloween Favorite!
Motherly Advice: I set and kept my filters on High for sexual content and Medium for disturbing content. My biggest thanks to ClearPlay here is editing out the use of the word Virgin over and over in this movie. My daughter is simply not ready to have that discussion of vocabulary and it's sexual reference. It is used over and over because it is supposed to be a virgin who lights the candle. The scenes where Billy the Zombie looses his head were chopped off (pun intended) and close ups of the sister's feet as they are hanged were cut. This movie can still be a little intense as the Zombie chases the kids around a cemetery. In the end though the Zombie turns nice and ends up helping the kids defeat the witches. While the witches are comical and not scary looking they are still menacing by nature and may frighten really little ones, especially during scenes when they suck the life out of a little girl, try to suck the life out of Max and turn Thackery Binx into a cat. A couple of other scenes that you may want to be wary of are scenes involving Sarah Sanderson (the 'pretty sister'). She wears a bodice the whole movie that doesn't overly advertise her chest line but in the one scene where she is flying on her broom singing to the children of Salem to follow her, there is a lot more cleavage than is necessary or comfortable. However the scene is sort of necessary, so if I were you I'd zip forward about halfway through her song as the cleavage is at it's chestiest at the beginning of her song. Lastly, just a quick little scene with her slow dancing with a married 'devil'. Nothing graphic or terrible, just there. I'd give this movie a go ahead for kids ages 5 or 6 and up.
Danielle'- ClearPlay Spell Caster