With the release of Hocus Pocus 2 on Disney+ on September 30, the Sanderson Sisters managed to wow fans once more. Nearly 30 years have passed since the release of the first movie, which gained cult status and is regarded as the pinnacle of actresses Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy’s filmographies. This much awaited sequel is the result of that success. However, see these films below before moving on to the eagerly expected sequel.
1. Bell Book and Candle (1958)
Director- Richard Quine
Gillian Holroyd, a contemporary witch, lives in Greenwich Village in the late 1950s in New York City. She makes the decision to use a love enchantment to bind the attractive publisher Shepherd Henderson to her. Henderson is engaged to a former classmate of Gillian’s, thus Gillian enjoys doing this even more. Gillian finds herself truly attracted to Shepherd, which is problematic because doing so would cause her to lose her superhuman abilities.
2. Bedknobs And Broomsticks (1971)
Director- Robert Stevenson
Charlie, Carrie, and Paul Rawlins are brought to live with Miss Eglantine Price in England during World War II, who turns out to be a young witch. She steals a brass bedknob from her late father’s bed and imprints the “renowned magic travelling spell” on it so that only Paul can activate it, as Charlie is blackmailing her into giving him something in exchange for his keeping her practises a secret. First they travel to London, where they meet Professor Emelius Browne, the former headmaster of Miss Price’s witchcraft training correspondence school. She describes a strategy for locating the secret words of the “Substitutuary Locomotion” spell, which breathes life into inanimate objects. Her work for the war effort will be this spell.
3. The Witches Of Eastwick (1987)
Director- George Miller
After losing the men in their lives, three friends from a tiny town, Alexandra, Jane, and Sukie, are feeling empty. That is, until a shady stranger named Daryl Van Horne shows up and starts courting them one by one. Daryl eventually admits that they are witches. But as the three friends stay longer in his estate, having fun and becoming more familiar with their talents, they start to wonder what Daryl’s true goals are.
5. The Witches (1990)
Director- Nicolas Roeg
Young Luke unintentionally observes a conference of witches while visiting at a hotel in England with his grandmother, Helga. The Grand High Witch outlines a plan to use magic to transform all kids into mice. The witches test the formula on Luke when they realise he overheard. Luke the mouse must now defend himself against the witches with the aid of Helga and the hotel manager, Mr. Stringer.
6. The Love Witch (2016)
Director- Anna Biller
Elaine, a statuesque young witch with raven hair, moves into an elegant Victorian house in a picturesque tiny town in northern California in the hopes of finding true love. The single-minded femme fatale will go to great lengths to locate the ideal replacement for her recently murdered spouse and to ultimately satiate her ravenous yearning, churning enigmatic magic potions and employing complex old rites. Unavoidably, a perceptive investigator will soon break Elaine’s hold as her borderline obsessive attachment begins to leave a growing trail of captivated men in her wake.
7. The Craft (1996)
Director- Andrew Fleming
Sarah discovers that a gang of three would-be witches, who just so happen to be looking for a fourth member for their rituals, are drawn to her telekinetic skill once she transfers to a Los Angeles high school. Bonnie, Rochelle, and Nancy all have traumatic pasts, similar to Sarah herself, which when paired with their developing skills has disastrous results. The girls become power-crazy after a small spell causes a fellow student to lose her hair.
8. Practical Magic (1998)
Director- Griffin Dune
Despite coming from a magical family, Sally and Gillian Owens have largely refrained from practising witchcraft. But once Jimmy Angelov, Gillian’s cruel boyfriend, passes away suddenly, the Owens sisters take a crash education in hard magic. As police officer Gary Hallet becomes suspicious, the girls struggle to bring Angelov back to life and unintentionally give his corpse a demonic spirit that could destroy their family.
9. The VVitch (2015)
Director- Robert Eggers
In the middle of the seventeenth century in New England, the tormented patriarch William and his Puritan family established a modest cottage on the fringes of a dense and dark forest. Soon after the struggling family moves into their new, remote farmhouse, tragedy strikes when their infant kid disappears without a trace. Shortly after, further unanticipated and severe misfortunes befall the devout farmers.
10. Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
Director- Hayao Miyazaki
In accordance with the custom of her village for aspiring witches, 13-year-old Kiki relocates to a seaside town with her talking cat, Jiji, to spend a year alone. After becoming proficient with her broomstick, Kiki establishes a flying delivery service and quickly establishes herself as a pillar of the neighbourhood. But when the shy young witch starts doubting herself and loses her magic, she has to fight her insecurities to regain her magic.
