Hocus Pocus managed to cement itself as a Halloween staple and cult classic despite initially under-performing. 25 years later, a new generation of kids are all caught up in the spirit along with the original fans, which is great. And of course there were discussions of a sequel that now seems to have been reduced to a book.
Book or graphic novel sequels seem to be big now they're a safer, cheaper way of playing with an idea that wouldn't work as a movie or be as popular. Disney decided to release a book that was one part retelling of the movie with added pieces of info, and two parts new story that could've been a Goosebumps story with no relation to the movie whatsoever.
The reviews were all unanimous in regards to their relative dislike of the new story, it affected some ratings. The biggest complaint was making the main character (Max and Alison's daughter - I think they were playing to the audience's hope this high school romance actually survived) a lesbian. Which is fine, but according to sources, they oversold this aspect and probably wasted character development for another classic Disney "LOOK AT HOW INCLUSIVE WE ARE!" moment.
On one hand, I appreciate them doing this to a point, but they could've been subtle about it. Their sexuality shouldn't be such an all encompassing thing, LGBTQ audiences are already hip to pandering. But the book was aimed at a younger audience, so of course you had parents bitching about not having a warning about it. The book doesn't owe you a warning. Rating systems do not have "contains homosexual content" because if they did, people's heads would fucking explode. If you don't want your kids reading it fine, but they're going to find this shit out and just because you're uncomfortable about explaining that to your kids, doesn't mean life owes you a "gay warning" on every piece of media content. If these authors can't write well-rounded characters who just happen to be gay, you'll forever be criticised for overselling a gay character. If your dialogue ends up coming off as "Oh, and by the way did we mention...?" you have to shut up at some point. Gay people like other shit. They have other facets. Write a character who's into heavy metal, comics, role playing and reading who just happens to be gay. Their sexuality shouldn't really be the peak of their personality.
Meanwhile, the hilarious part were people were so bent about this being sexually driven when the original story obsesses over the aspect of virginity (largely male virginity, because we're not even discussing Alison's status, so are we meant to assume she's a megawhore and ineligible for resurrecting witches? They gloss over Dani being an obvious virgin due to age, perhaps the writers thought people would question this if they didn't bring it up. Way to not trust your audience, brah) No, the girls are painted as "practical" and too suspicious and the silly boy lights the candle. I think they were starved for the criteria on who could or could not light the candle, or were playing into some pagan attitude to virginity - it's a clause to spells and curses, I guess. I don't know. But these readers were acting like the movie was 100% wholesome and didn't bring sex into anything. You had boy-thirsty Sarah, Billy the cheating bastard, who we all end up adoring because he switches sides and looks after Dani, and someone in a Madonna outfit. Did Disney forget she almost got arrested because they didn't want her performing simulated masturbation onstage? It's got sex in it, people. It's pretty damn racy for a Disney movie. And other people mentioned the smashed cat and child eating as well. So... yeah. But then, most animations were selling love and marrying off sixteen year olds to the first man they saw.
I don't adore this movie, I have another sad, personal reason for loving it but I see why other people hold it dear as a Halloween tradition. Of all the holidays, Halloween makes the least amount of sense to me. I don't appreciate it's becoming a thing over here when it used to be glossed over. We didn't have enough houses on our street to validate trick or treating until I was in high school. We didn't do anything at school for it. I think I went to one haunted house thing. I don't like zombies or skeletons, I especially hate skeleton unitards. I liked witches and vampires but I had a huge problem with silly costumes and depictions of them. I refused to dress as a long nosed witch for someone's dress up party but managed to hire a fuckin awesome Morticia dress that some idiot spilled cordial on, which everyone else found fucking hilarious. (Apparently my anger was a source of huge amusement when I was fifteen). But I won't rob anyone of their fun I leave people to it. The 25th Anniversary special was cliched and hokey as fuck, I skipped through most of it, but the audience was largely millennials, who were (should've been) mostly virgins. Hopefully it made virginity cool for a while.
But this book is a pointless cash-in, it looks like a tome and I have no interest in reading it. It also got compared to my most hated book series. Apparently writing in present tense is no longer fashionable or acceptable. This book didn't have to try hard to be good, though. It simply had to exist.
Turns out, it wasn't worth the wait.
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