As someone who is not necessarily obsessed with Halloween, this was the first time I had seen Hocus Pocus. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The creators did a great job portraying the parallels between Thackeray and Emily Binx with Max and Dani Dennison. The viewer would be pleased to find the adult and childish humor evenly distributed throughout the film. The Halloween theme of horror is hard to take seriously when the majority of the movie is expressed through a medium of humor. This theatrical technique is what I believe has given this movie a charm compared to typical Halloween movies.
As someone who is not necessarily obsessed with Halloween, this was the first time I had seen Hocus Pocus. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The creators did a great job portraying the parallels between Thackeray and Emily Binx with Max and Dani Dennison. The viewer would be pleased to find the adult and childish humor evenly distributed throughout the film. The Halloween theme of horror is hard to take seriously when the majority of the movie is expressed through a medium of humor. This theatrical technique is what I believe has given this movie a charm compared to typical Halloween movies.
Another factor I believe added to the movie’s humor was the computer generated imagery (CGI). To be fair, since it came out in 1993 the concept of CGI was only twenty years old. But looking back at it from the twenty-first century was actually very interesting. To see the techniques that were used in this movie compared to the technology we have available to us today was a stark contrast. Another thing that stood out was the throwback of some now very famous actors and artists. More specifically, Sarah Jessica Parker who has now starred in a variety of romantic comedies. Bette Miller has also gone on to create quite a name for herself in the music industry. Kaathy Najimy is a known activist and feminist who has used her career television as a platform for these issues. Recognising the growth that all of these actors have accomplished kicks off a feeling of nostalgia. The typical events of Halloween that we knew as a kid, such as trick-or-treating are brought to life by actresses that we know very well. The producer of Hocus Pocus, David Krichner, really focused on drawing out the importance of family when portraying both brother and sister relationships as well as the relationship between the three sister witches. In a movie that is intentionally focused on the horrors of halloween season, the theme of sibling endearment is a sweet touch.
If you are not a big Halloween fan you may not really focus on the newest horror that just came to theaters or the best 3D scary movie. However, you have probably heard of the Addams Family at some point or another. Whether it be from the original comics, the classic 60s TV series, or any of the TV remakes, almost everyone is familiar with America’s most macabre family. The whole story line is a Paradox of good and evil. Although the Addams family is quite odd and has the most horrifying way of life, they are in fact the protagonist. The real antagonists are Dr, Greta and Tully Alford. They take advantage of Gomez’s guilt for his missing brother in an attempt to take over the family fortune. The producer shows this constant theme of good vs evil in everything from the main story line to the smallest details. A common issue compared between the two groups of individuals is if you are doing the wrong thing for the right reasons then you are better off than someone who acts right and looks right but has the worst intentions. Another main theme is the comparison of life and death. Through the movie the Addams seem to come alive when the conversation topic is anything related to death. The side characters who are exposed to this mentality are obviously shocked or scared by anything related to death. This appeal to death is what gives the movie its Addams Family charm. The character Wednesday Addams is the embodiment of living life for the pursuit of death. Although the family is quite odd, the moral is still true and actually adds to the personality of the Addams Family as a whole.
By Jean Mahon
jmmahone@vwu.edu
