Oakland University has been bringing the Halloween spirit to campus for homecoming week, and Student Program Board hosted a drive-in movie at parking lot P37 on October 25. OU had to trade big costume parties for small socially distanced events.

The event required attendees to stay in their vehicles, and snack packs were provided. The evening was successful with a sold-out crowd. The movie shown was a Halloween movie favorite, “Hocus Pocus.” 

“Hocus Pocus” is a classic movie by Walt Disney Pictures, it is great for families to watch to get into the Halloween spirit, and it is one of my favorite movies to watch in October. 

This movie is undeniably charming, and it provides all generations with entertainment. It has a lighthearted plot and a lot of special effects. 

The movie starts out in Salem, Massachusetts 300 years ago. The focus is on three witches, the Sandereson sisters (Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker) who steal children’s lives to keep them young. The sisters end up being hanged for being witches, and then they have to wait around their house for someone to bring them back from the dead.

This brings us to the present time of the movie. After a new family moves to town, Max Dennison (Omri Katz) and his younger sister Dani (Thora Birch) end up trying to impress Max’s crush, Allison (Vinessa Shaw) by visiting the witch’s old house on Halloween. Max believes witches are fake, and they’re just rumors that spread around town.

After entering the house, Max fools around and ends up lighting the candle that is said to bring the witches back. Chaos emerges from lighting the candle. The sister witches appear and try to ruin the town.

The three teenagers have to work together, along with the help of a magical immortal cat. They must get the witches spell book in order to prevent them from stealing children’s lives before sunrise. 

Many people feel strongly about this movie because it’s a classic. I can’t disagree, it is a fun and enjoyable movie that gives me a couple laughs every time I watch it. This was the movie that made me want to be a witch when I was younger.

The film, overall, has that 90s vibe to it, and it was made in 1993. This film practically invented Halloween and has been a blueprint for many Halloween movies since. 

One part of the movie that will forever live rent free in my mind is Midler singing “I Put a Spell On You” to the crowd of parents at town hall after Max was trying to convince them that their children were in danger. The song, the dance, the crowd — nothing will ever be able to top this scene.

If you’ve never seen “Hocus Pocus,” firstly, where have you been all these years, and secondly, go watch it right now. I am just waiting for a “Hocus Pocus 2” after the second book was released in 2018. “Hocus Pocus 2” was rumored to come out this year but, the production has been pushed back.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars