Hocus Pocus

Hocus Pocus

Meant to be lighthearted, and indeed genuinely funny in parts, Hocus Pocus was a Halloween flick for youngsters which starred Bette Midler and the horse-faced Sarah Jessica Parker as two of a trio of witches who terrorize a town after being awoken from their eternal slumber. Yet, if this movie was meant to be watched with a smile, as events unfolded and cackles filled our ears, the corners of our young mouths soon crinkled and frowns furrowed our tender brows. And scenes involving such incidents as the resurrection of a 17th-century zombie (who was poisoned and had his lips sewn shut) and a cat being graphically run over by a bus meant that the laughs quickly turned to tears if one was of a nervous disposition.