If you're a child of the '80s and '90s and are asked what your favorite campy Halloween movie is, your answer will likely be "Hocus Pocus." The film followed three witches from the Salem witch trial days who sold their souls to the devil in order to stay beautiful forever. Pretty light stuff, right? But the movie managed to combine silliness with comedy in the way only '90s movies could, and ended up being one of the most beloved cult classics of that time.
Based on the fact that the movie is replayed every year around Halloween on the Disney Channel, it's fair to assume that the studio is a fan of "Hocus Pocus's" continued popularity as well. That's why it shouldn't come as a surprise (even though it does) that a new report from the folks over at Moviehole says that a sequel called "Hocus Pocus 2: Rise of the Elderwitch" is on the way.
Since it's been almost two decades since "Hocus Pocus" first hit theaters, it seems safe to assume that none of the movie's original stars will return to this project. After all, three witches played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Majimy don't have quite as much impact as they used to. Moviehole hears that "Rise of the Elderwitch" will focus on "a new cackling evildoer whose been unfortunately let loose again on suburban America." Is it safe to assume that she's the titular Elderwitch?
Rumor has it that the sequel is still in its early development stages, and we're sort of hoping it stays there. "Hocus Pocus" works because of its frivolity, campiness and obviously fake sets, and nothing that could come out of our CGI-heavy movie culture could quite recreate that. There was a certain naivety present in movies from the '90s that isn't around anymore, and we aren't really interested in a gritty reboot of the classic storyline like every other remake is nowadays.
What do you think of this planned sequel? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!
