Real witches respond to Hocus Pocus 2

As soon as the leaves start to turn red and orange, a certain subset of the population immediately dons colorful capes, dusts off cauldrons and spellbooks, and begins preparing for rewatching. “Deception.”

Since the Sanderson sisters first came onto the scene in 1993, they have remained some of the most famous witches and have shaped many children’s early encounters with the occult. On September 30th, the sisters reappeared to terrorize Salem. “Hocus Pocus 2” Create a new whirlwinddeception” Heat.

But some people pull out their witch hats only when fall starts to roll. Halloween Costumes, others spend the whole year practicing various forms of witchcraft and magic.

Cynthia, 66, from downtown New York, calls herself an eclectic or kitchen witchshe told POPSUGAR that she “far liked the depiction and understanding of witches.”deceptionThanks to that, the sequel is better than the first movie recollection openingIn the first few minutes, viewers learn that Winifred Sanderson (Bette Midler) has actually turned to witchcraft to escape an unwanted marriage.

“First, you can see that these three basically orphaned children are being attacked quite a bit by the church,” says Cynthia. “The idea that a 16-year-old girl is too old to be unmarried, forced to marry someone she has no interest in marrying, and still essentially a child herself, certainly has many consequences. Bitterness and anger. Such anger tends to unfold in negative ways.”

Throughout the first film, witchcraft is associated with eating children and evil. Soon, however, the sequel reveals that witchcraft initially represents the freedom of the Sanderson sisters, who were isolated and cast out of society. Mother Witch (Hannah Waddingham)“They came to this forbidden part of the woods and were greeted by this beautiful and powerful woman who said, ‘Oh, do you look like me? I’m giving this to you for your 16th birthday.’ “Suddenly they have the means to avenge a terrible injustice.”

Melissa, 33, an Oregon-based park ranger, echoes her thoughts on flashbacks.Melissa herself goblin core witch — “To use modern terminology,” she says. Her practice, quite simply, involves working with nature, found objects and elements.

“By giving the Sanderson sisters the tiniest snippet of their flashback origin story, they can now be fully actualized people,” she says. Their actions make sense given the life they lived in. It’s important.They’re still child-eating witches…but they’re a product of Salem’s patriarchy.”

Even with their new backstories, the sisters are still movie villains. I saw it as a fun, fluffy piece of entertainment. “In retrospect, that depiction of the witch is very much like a mythical fairytale creature or a monster in the woods,” Melissa says of the first film. ,” she says.

Luckily, this sequel works to rectify the ties between witchcraft and evil by giving teenage protagonist Becca (Whitney Peake) her own magical powers and using them to save a town. . “What I love about Hocus Pocus 2 is that the protagonist is also a witch,” she says Melissa. “Magic is not evil.”

According to Joe, a 35-year-old traveling occultist who specializes in tarot, the fact that magic is portrayed in both positive and negative light in the sequel is a surprisingly subtle point about the nature of magic itself. is actually shown. “Magic is neither bad nor good,” he says. “It really depends on what your intentions are. That’s it. [the movie] It does a good job of presenting as such. “

The question of whether witchcraft is good or bad is beside the point, says Joe. “It’s not magic,” he says. “Magic and creativity and storytelling go very hand in hand. They’re all just metaphors and symbols.”

He felt that the film’s ending contained the most profound metaphor of all. At the end of the film, Winifred finds herself unable to benefit from the power spells she’s been working on because she has to give up what matters most to her: her sisters. so that they can all be together again.

“I always felt like witchcraft and magic [are] For real [about] It’s about focusing and emphasizing community and connection with people,” says Joe. Her sisters. She’s happily ditched everything else she’s been fighting for the entire movie to maintain that connection. I thought that was the essence of magic. ”

Cynthia notes at the end of the film that witches are not “destined to be turned to stone or go to hell.” Instead, they quietly disappear, and Winifred joins them after learning that the power spells will force her to give up her sisters. “I thought it humanized them—if it did, it made them less ridiculous. It was very sad.” It was a positive ending to an unfair existence.”

Melissa appreciates how the ending emphasizes the communal aspect of witchcraft. “We realized that three girls could wield their powers and influence the universe by sharing their powers,” she said, noting that Becca wanted to make her own magic possible. Melissa knows that she needs the help of her best friends to be as powerful as possible. “You shouldn’t try to harm others because you’ll harm yourself in the long run.”

‘Hocus Pocus 2’ goes surprisingly deep by showing that seeking absolute power means having to make impossible sacrifices that ultimately render that power worthless. , and perhaps a truly magical message clearly communicated. Of course, from wild musical sequences Many hidden references to the first film(“I think spider webs are descended from Binx,” claims Melissa.)

When Is there a third “Hocus Pocus”? The Sanderson sisters seem to have vanished into shimmering oblivion forever, but you can see it in the world of “Hocus Pocus,” just by glancing at the black-flaming candles of the first film. Proprietary, nothing modified. “We completely destroyed the Black Flame Candle in the previous movie, but the Black Flame Candle is just a symbol,” says Melissa. “If you can create a symbol that you believe in, there’s no reason why that symbol shouldn’t exist. It’s all about the power of belief.”

Hocus Pocus 2 is available now on Disney+. The original “Hocus Pocus” is currently on air. 31 Nights of Halloween by Freeform.