Halloween and cult classics go together like peanut butter and jelly. There are so many great cult classics that are perfect for this time of year. Now, I've talked about two movies that I consider cult classics perfect for this time of year in the past.
Now my beloved Little Shop of Horrors is an outlier as cult classics are usually not that well-received upon first release but over time develop a following of people that love the movie and reflect upon it positively to the point of the film garnering a cult following. Consider for a moment, that The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when it was first released, didn't garner good reviews.
Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert noted that when first released, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was "ignored by pretty much everyone, including the future fanatics who would eventually count the hundreds of times they'd seen it".
Disney is no stranger to movies of theirs becoming cult classics as one of my favorite Disney movies was ravaged upon its release.
From the director of this movie no less. Why do I bring all this up? For two reasons to show that the cultural opinion of a film can shift over time. And moreover, that one's personal opinion of a movie can change over time. I used to say that Hocus Pocus was a movie that I could take or leave. That was until a certain caustic critic posted a clipless review of this movie to his site. And well, the badness of that video tainted Hocus Pocus to me. However, I recall seeing a clip from that video where someone told DW that they liked this film because they knew it was dumb and bad.
It may have been years since I sat down and watched this movie but despite the reception that this movie got back in 1993, I don't think this film is dumb or bad in the slightest. There's another word that I'd use to describe this movie.
Seriously, this movie is just a lot of fun. Not every movie needs to be some great piece of art. This is not meant to undermine the work that people put into this movie but rather a way of embracing the movie in all its glory and enjoying it for what it is. This is something I hinted at with Les during our crossover on The Sanderson Sisters but there's a new appreciation for this film with everything from a Halloween show at Disney World, merchandise up the wazoo, a special that aired last year aired on Freeform celebrating the movie, and a sequel. Well okay, it's a book sequel but still.
I know that I've tiptoed around getting to the plot but here's the thing with this movie. I'll be brief and give the basics but this is a movie where the plot is secondary to what this movie makes people feel. And what this movie make me feel?
That sums it up.
The Plot
Look, this movie is a classic and most people that love it know the plot of it by now. A virgin Max to impress his crush Allison after moving to Salem from California sneaks into the Sanderson House lights the Black Flame candle and there's the whole thing about him being a virgin. If you want a bit more, her's the synopsis from IMDB.
A curious youngster moves to Salem, where he struggles to fit in before awakening a trio of diabolical witches that were executed in the 17th century.
And the virgin thing as I explained makes sense. If you want a more analytical look at this movie, I did that with my Villains Profile on The Sanderson Sisters. (We will also be skipping the songs as I already looked at those there.) And really, the biggest thought I had after watching this movie again for this review is that this movie is a live-action cartoon. In both how funny it is and how the scenes almost feel like a series of little vignettes of the kids trying to stop the witches. There's the town hall scene, which is fun. There's when Max attempts to torch the Sisters.
Fans of this movie have a different favorite moment and line because this movie is filled to the brim with great moments and lines. It's a breezy movie that doesn't waste any time getting things done and it knows that people are here to have a good time and it delivers on that front.
However, while the film is really funny, it can also be really dark such as with the plan of The Sanderson Sisters and some of the jokes for a Disney movie can be risque but that is part of the charm of the movie. I apologize for not ding a traditional plot breakdown but this is one movie where most people that have seen it know what it's about and more importantly as I stated, this is a movie that's less about the plot and more about how it wants to give people a good time. With that outta the way, let's move onto the characters.
Characters
Main Characters
Max Dennison played by Omri Katz
Max is a typical teenager but I think that fits with the idea of what the movie is going for. As this is a fun kid's movie about everyday kids going up against the supernatural and knowing about it and believing it. It's a combination of the main characters being kids and well, a '90s movie where the kids are the only ones that are taking the threats seriously. Max isn't a bad kid, even if Dani does call him a jerk face and yeah, he may have left Jay and Ernie locked up in cages in the Sanderson household but the movie is on his side in that regard of Jay and Ernie are the Bulk and Skull of Salem (early MMPR Bulk and Skull before they were redeemed).
I look at these two and can't Not hear this in my head. Maybe, it's something about '90s bullies but the movie makes a good case for Max doing that, even if we as the audience do know that it's kinda a dick thing to do. But they try to take Dani's candy and that's not cool. Also, Max has such a cool moment (granted it is kinda dumb in hindsight) where he calls himself The Great and Powerful Max.
It's probably me but part of the reason I love that scene is because it's a lot like the Darth Vader scene from Back To The Future.
There's very little correlation between the two but I love this scene for the same reason that I love the Vader scene because we see our main character imposing himself above someone else to make them seem more powerful. Granted, it works out better for Marty than Max.
Dani Dennison played Thora Birch
When handled poorly, kid characters can be quite annoying and not feel like a real kid but instead what a writer thinks a kid acts like. In other words...
So, where does that place, Dani? She's a fun character that feels like a real kid and not a kid that was designed by committee. Sure, she's a little bratty but what eight-year-old doesn't have moments of brattiness. Take for example, when she screams at her big brother.
Not every sibling relationship can be Anna & Elsa (Yes, I know they have a rocky relationship but my point stands) nor should it be. And that helps to sell the relationship as even if she may call her big brother, a jerk face, she does love him. And Max loves his little sister as well and would do anything to protect her going so far as drinking Winifred's potion.
As a younger sibling, I always love it when movies take time to show that both the older and young siblings do care for one another, even if they do annoy each other. And Max's actions here shows what great lengths he is willing to go to for Dani.
Allison played by Vinessa Shaw
Allison isn't a bad character per se and she's not a forced romantic interest as she has her own interests and loves Halloween but compared to the Dennison siblings, she doesn't feel as fully realized a character. I enjoy her presence in the movie but she doesn't really stand out that much.
Supporting Characters
Thackery Binx voiced by Jason Marsden; played by Sean Murray (human)
This is something I find interesting as cats are often associated with witches but usually as their Familiar.
...supernatural entities that would assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic.
An example of this is Salem in the Netflix series, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina as he serves as Sabrina's Familiar in that show.
But that's not the case with Thackery Binx. If anything, he's more a guide for the kids to help stop The Sanderson Sisters. Out of all the characters, he has the most pathos to him as you can see that he's ridden with guilt over not being able to protect his little sister and being turned into a cat.
This ties back into the theme of sibling relationships. And this is felt when Thackery tells Max to care of Dani. I might be reading into this a bit much but Emily must've been the same age as Dani. And therefore, Thackery saw his little sister in Dani. And wanted to make sure that she was protected. Speaking of, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't get a little misty-eyed when Thackery and Emily were reunited at the end.
Now, this is a bit outside but last year, Freeform used Thackery Binx to promote their 31 Days of Halloween programming block but they didn't contact Jason Marsden to do the voice. And he found out this about via Twitter.
That is an intense reaction but I don't think it's unjustified there. First off, that cat sounded nothing like Thackery. And moreover, Marsden brought the character to life in a way that I don't think any other voice actor could. (And that's not just because I love him as Max Goof) It's always disheartening when companies don't even consider to reach out to the actor that originated the role. I mean Farevau brought James Earl Jones back to play Mufasa in The Lion King remake. So, it couldn't be that hard for a cable channel to reach out to Marsden for a short 30-second bumper.
This goes back to the idea of a remake of this movie bugging me. That is something that's been floating around for a while now and well, some actors such as Midler are supremely against the idea. And well, I normally wouldn't go this far but one of the biggest charms of the movie is how the actors brought these characters to life. And it's almost catching lightning in a bottle with the performances in the first movie.
Sorry about bringing the fun down but I felt the need to bring that up.
Billy Butcherson played by Doug Jones
Now, I already discussed Billy's character at great length during the Villains Profile and comparatively speaking, he doesn't have as much depth as the rest of our main characters but that's okay. He's fun and really funny starting as someone chasing the kids but in the end allies with them to take down Winnie and her sisters. Sure, she may be a little crass but eh, it's still quite a bit of fun.
Villains
Winifred, Mary, & Sarah played by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, & Sarah Jessica Parker
These characters are fun and scary at the same time. And they are the biggest reason that this movie is so well-remembered as they make the movie work. They have so many great moments such as Mary's
I smell children
Sarah dancing with the devil and while they make you laugh during the movie while also reminding you that they are a threat as they lure the children of Salem. There is a great sense of the power relationship here with Winifred being in charge and Mary & Sarah following her orders because she's the older sister. This ties back into the sibling relationships that we've discussed throughout this review so far, Max and Thackery do greatly for their younger sibling, while Winnie only tolerates her younger sibling and is more than willing to put them in harm's way to get what she wants. That is seen throughout the whole movie and it contrasts what we see of the siblings on the side of good as they both go out of their way to protect their younger siblings.
My Final Thoughts
This movie is fun and has a lot more heart than it's given credit for. I think back to that statement from that clipless video about this movie being dumb. I'm sorry but saying that this movie is dumb undermines the love that people have for this movie and how fun it can be. Furthermore, as I've attempted to highlight throughout this review, the heart in this movie is found within the sibling relationships. Or at least, that's where I found the heart within this movie. I'd say don't let what other people say influence or taint how you view the movie. Like I said, this movie is fun and that makes it a good time. Join me next time as we look at what happens when The Sanderson Sisters return to Salem twenty-five years later as we look at the All-New Sequel (Yeah, the book sequel doesn't have a good title)
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