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Malobbee was a discerning 8 year old
Feb. 23rd, 2019 09:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
froodleI think there is a lot to be said about who I am as a person by the fact that I was obsessed with Wednesday Adams, Edward Scissor Hands, Eerie Indiana, Gorey, Labyrinth, Coraline, & A Wrinkle in Time at 8 years old.
— malopropism (@malobbee) February 23, 2019
froodle( Read more... )
Hocus Pocus centres on its villains: the sisters Winifred, Mary and Sarah Sanderson, who maintain their youth by luring children into their house on the edge of the forest and draining them of their life's energy. The opening act takes place in 1693 Salem, in which the sisters are caught and sentenced to death by the villagers, though not before they kill a little girl, turn her older brother into a cat, and cast a spell so that they might return to life for a single night if a virgin lights the black flame candle on Halloween.
Why the spell is quite that specific is anyone's guess, but three hundred years later this is precisely what happens. Max Dennison is a newcomer to Salem, and in trying to impress his little sister Dani and classmate Allison, comes up with the idea to break into the old Sanderson place on Halloween.
One lit candle later, and the witches are back, hopelessly out of touch with the modern world, but still determined to prey on the children of Salem, leaving it up to Max, Allison and Dani to stop them.
Hocus Pocus wasn't a box office success at the time of its release, but has since become a cult classic and holiday favourite. This is not surprising: it looks like a television movie as opposed to a blockbuster (many of the sets are obviously sets) but the plot is sound, the characters engaging, and the balance between horror and humour nicely struck. Well, most of the time.
The child/teenage actors play things extremely straight, acting with the fear and urgency that any life-or-death situation would require, while Bette Midler (who incidentally calls this her favourite role), Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker are busy chomping down on the scenery. It can be a bit jarring at times, but the whole thing captures a particularly appealing atmosphere: autumn leaves, gabled houses, oversized pumpkins... it's straight out of Sleepy Hollow or an Old World fairy tale.
Back in the day I had a crush on Omri Katz (I was a fan of Eerie Indiana too) but was also very taken with Allison (Vinessa Shaw) given how poised and self-assured she was. Dani (Thora Birch) was an epic brat of nightmarish proportions, but the three of them made an effective team in fighting and eventually defeating the witches. Doug Jones had one of his signature prosthetic-covered roles, and it's only the presence of the two inevitable neighbourhood bullies, as stupid as they are thuggish, that strikes a sour note.
But one detail I've always loved is the portrayal of Salem itself, from the enthusiastic schoolteacher, to the guy dressed as a police officer, to the restaurant worker who picks out an unlucky lobster: "alright, who's for the Jacuzzi?" None of them play any hugely important role in the story, but they add a real sense of character to the township.
( Read more... )
Hocus Pocus centres on its villains: the sisters Winifred, Mary and Sarah Sanderson, who maintain their youth by luring children into their house on the edge of the forest and draining them of their life's energy. The opening act takes place in 1693 Salem, in which the sisters are caught and sentenced to death by the villagers, though not before they kill a little girl, turn her older brother into a cat, and cast a spell so that they might return to life for a single night if a virgin lights the black flame candle on Halloween.
Why the spell is quite that specific is anyone's guess, but three hundred years later this is precisely what happens. Max Dennison is a newcomer to Salem, and in trying to impress his little sister Dani and classmate Allison, comes up with the idea to break into the old Sanderson place on Halloween.
One lit candle later, and the witches are back, hopelessly out of touch with the modern world, but still determined to prey on the children of Salem, leaving it up to Max, Allison and Dani to stop them.
Hocus Pocus wasn't a box office success at the time of its release, but has since become a cult classic and holiday favourite. This is not surprising: it looks like a television movie as opposed to a blockbuster (many of the sets are obviously sets) but the plot is sound, the characters engaging, and the balance between horror and humour nicely struck. Well, most of the time.
The child/teenage actors play things extremely straight, acting with the fear and urgency that any life-or-death situation would require, while Bette Midler (who incidentally calls this her favourite role), Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker are busy chomping down on the scenery. It can be a bit jarring at times, but the whole thing captures a particularly appealing atmosphere: autumn leaves, gabled houses, oversized pumpkins... it's straight out of Sleepy Hollow or an Old World fairy tale.
Back in the day I had a crush on Omri Katz (I was a fan of Eerie Indiana too) but was also very taken with Allison (Vinessa Shaw) given how poised and self-assured she was. Dani (Thora Birch) was an epic brat of nightmarish proportions, but the three of them made an effective team in fighting and eventually defeating the witches. Doug Jones had one of his signature prosthetic-covered roles, and it's only the presence of the two inevitable neighbourhood bullies, as stupid as they are thuggish, that strikes a sour note.
But one detail I've always loved is the portrayal of Salem itself, from the enthusiastic schoolteacher, to the guy dressed as a police officer, to the restaurant worker who picks out an unlucky lobster: "alright, who's for the Jacuzzi?" None of them play any hugely important role in the story, but they add a real sense of character to the township.
( Read more... )
