Hocus Pocus 2

Not diverting too much from the formula of the original, Hocus Pocus 2 returns the Sanderson sisters (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy) back to Salem when someone lights a candle on Halloween. The movie plays fast and loose with the events of the previous film in what characters remember, playing up the same shock of the witches to the modern world as in the first film. The film focuses on the three actresses hamming it up again on-screen while a small population of the town becomes aware of them (despite their mass cursing and flying around all night).

This time our teenagers are Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) and their estranged childhood friend Cassie (Lilia Buckingham) who traded up for a relationship with a football player (Froy Gutierrez) and hasn't been spending time with them recently.

We also get Tony Hale in dual roles as the witches' tormentor (in and opening flashback offering a look at the sisters as children) and his descendant in the present, Sam Richardson as the owner of the magic shop, Doug Jones as the returning undead Billy who isn't given much to do this time around except bumble around headless, and even a black cat the proves helpful (despite not being a cursed person). 

The Disney sequel is about what you'd expect with wacky antics, Hocus Pocus 2 shoehorning in some more music numbers, and the teens struggling to outwit the witches. Adding a Charmed vibe to the proceedings is the reveal of Becca's powers as a witch and the three friends standing together against the Sanderson sisters. As with the original, the film has received mixed reactions from both fans and critics while also earning the ire of a Texas mother who urged others to avoid the film which she though could actually cast a spell through the television on to their children. While that's funnier than anything in the film itself, sadly the cookie-cutter sequel has no real magic to offer.

Watch the trailer

• Title: Hocus Pocus 2
• IMDb: link