Halloween Movies - Specifically Hocus Pocus

It’s October … which in my head means it’s finally officially FALL! I know fall has an official start date and I frankly don’t know when it is but for me it’s always first of October when I want to throw the windows up, turn off the AC, settle into the couch and watch some scary movies. Then I remember I live in the South and it’s still so fracking hot. So I shut the windows, crank the AC back up, pop some popcorn, settle into the couch and watch some scary movies.

Golden is trying to do 31 days of Halloween watching at least one Halloween themed show/movie a day for the entire month. Her recent eye surgery will make that a little more difficult but she will do her best to catch up I’m sure.

So far this month I’ve watched Thirteen Ghosts, Trick R Treat, Friday the 13^th, Halloween (the original), Hubie Halloween, Halloween 4 The Curse of Michael Myers, Beetlejuice, and Ghostbusters from 2018. I am also counting Hocus Pocus 2 in there cause well I watched that Sep 30^th, again on Oct 2^nd and will likely watch it one more time this week. It is that good people.

When the original Hocus Pocus came out I was in the 8^th grade. I watched it like everyone else, even enjoyed it but was kind of underwhelmed by it. There were pieces and parts that I was like wait isn’t this a kids movie ? Did they really just say that?! Little moments like that ripped me out of the fantasy world and I never really got to run a mock with it (ha! Get it?). I still watch it every year cause I mean you have to, I think it’s an amendment in Walt’s will or something, but it was always more I’d put on while I cleaned or wrote a blog, worked, or played on my phone. It was on, I was in the room, but I guess I wouldn’t say I’m always really watching it. There were pieces I didn’t want to miss and would look up from whatever I’m doing to watch. The first time the sisters take flight on their new “booms” always makes me chuckle, when they wake up Billy for the first time and the butterflies/moths fly out of his mouth. When Binx transforms at the end (Spoiler alert) and reunites with his sister.  I found the Dani character annoying, I found Max to be a pushover and Allison always reminded me of someone I couldn’t quite put my finger on which I found annoying.

A few months ago I was walking through a bookstore and came across a book that had both stories in it. The original and the new upcoming Hocus Pocus and I was like I’m in. I bought it and immediately took it home to start reading. I skipped right to the middle of the book for the 2^nd story and dove in. To say I was underwhelmed was a huge misstatement. I was down right pissed off. If that’s what I have to look forward to I’m not going to see it. Then the news articles started coming out and the anti Disney people started making their voices louder and I was like well damn now I have to go watch if only to support the darn thing. You guys know me …. Anything that’s original Halloween content I’ll happily sit in front of for hours, that’s how starved I am for that kind of thing. Then it got a Disney+ only release and I was like oh that’s not good. So, a friend of mine decided she was going to set up her big out door screen and we could all watch it as a group. I was like ok I’m in but didn’t have high hopes for the movie.

I was intrigued that most of the cast came back for the sequel. That hardly ever happens after such a long gap, I mean 29 years is a long time to step back into a role. For those of you that haven’t seen it yet I’ll not give too much away here cause I mean it really is a good stand alone movie that if you know the original you laugh a little harder at some of jokes. I really would suggest watching them both but if you only make time to watch one this year I’d borrow someone’s Disney+ account and make it the sequel.

Here's the plot for those that only read the news and think they know what this movie is about.

A young lady named Becca is turning 16, and her birthday happens to be on Halloween. She and 2 friends Izzy and usually Cassie, have a “birthday” ritual where they go to a place in the woods light a candle and “chant” but really they are just some teens that are laughing and having a good time before going back to one of the houses for a movie marathon and snacks. The entire town seems to know about this ritual. Turns out this year the candle they are given is well the famous “Black Flame Candle” and it wakes up the Sanderson Sisters once again. The rest of the movie is them trying to “save the town.” In the middle of all this drama Becca and Izzy have grown apart from Cassie and are starting to drift into two different friend groups and teenage drama takes center stage.

There are several side stories and mishaps that tied the story together for me but I’ll not bore you with those right now. I will just say sit back, snuggle on the couch get some popcorn and throw everything out of your head and just enjoy the movie for what it is. A really good Halloween movie. You will thank me for that!

Happy October … what have you been watching !?

Marcy

Thankfulness Challenge – Walt Disney

Today I am thankful for the creativity that was Walt Disney. 

As I type this I’m watching The Little Mermaid Live and I can’t help but wonder what Walt would have thought about it. I’m sure he would have thought, um…hello just show the movie … what’s the deal with all these humans. I also think he would have LOVED the creativity of seeing the way they have handled this.

The rumor is Walt is frozen and they are holding him somewhere waiting for a cure of the lung cancer that eventually took his life. Wikipedia says he was cremated, however of course Disney is going to say that cause if they confirm he’s frozen under Cinderella’s castle people would be trying to see him or get to him. I personally think if he were frozen they would never bring him back even if they knew there was a cure cause then they’d have to listen to him try to take over again and they can’t have that.

I’m pretty sure his first words would be something along the lines of “People pay how much to get into our parks now?” or “what in the world is that bear doing in the Magic Kingdom and why is he wielding a sword?!” (He’s seeing a Wookie for the first time after all). Walt was a visionary. He created this world and he believed in it even when others told him animation was a waste of his time and talents. He made the first full length animated film and it was successful.

He went down to Florida and bought up as much swamp land as he could to create the “happiest place on earth” and again people told him he was crazy for doing so. He had a successful park in California what in the world did he need with another?

He also gave us the first “live action” movie when he gave us Mary Poppins a perfect blend of live actors and animation and that was before computers!

Over the last few years I have gone to Disney twice, once with Golden and last year I got to go spend Halloween at Disney World with a friend and her family. The detail of everything down there amazed me. Nothing was over looked and nothing was too small from the “actors” playing the characters to the lamppost and even the “street” signs and the transportation to and from the park. It was a feast for the eyes as well as the ears and I loved every second of it.   

So today I’m thankful that Walter Elias Disney lived on this Earth and that we were lucky enough to enjoy the fruits of his labor, the genius of his brain. I’m going back to watching the movie. Queen Latifah will be on soon enough and I love her so much!

Marcy
@beaslma