Hocus Pocus！5 部會讓你嘴角上揚的萬聖節電影
Halloween is in the town! What does Halloween remind you of? Witches, black cat, ghosts, trick or treat, cosplay, pumpkins, anything else? Let’s try some Halloween movies today.
I don’t usually watch ghost movies, not because I’m afraid of them, but because I’m not too fond of the spooky parts. In this article, I’m going to share 5 classic family-friendly Halloween movies!
1. Hocus Pocus (1993)
Hocus Pocus is on almost every Halloween movies list. It talked about 3 witch sisters who woke up from their curse and were eager to bring evil to a small town on Halloween day.
It has all the classic Halloween elements: witches, black cats, zombies, a curse, and then some!
You can tell from the witch sisters’ exaggerated costumes and silly expressions that this movie is hardly a scary one. And you may be surprised when you see the cast.
Bette Midler is no stranger to all, who played the eldest bossy sister. The famous Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker played the youngest naive witch who never did anything right. You may not recognize the zombie actor Doug Jones, but he has played some impressive roles during the past few years, such as the smart amphibious Abe Sapien in Hellboy and the responsible Kelpien Commander Saru in Star Trek: Discovery.
Rumor has it that Disney will release a sequel in Oct 2022. Let’s wait and see how the Sanderson Sisters will come back from their sleep again.
2. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is my all-time favorite. The movie was a masterpiece by the famous director Steven Spielberg. It’s about a little boy Elliott who met a lost alien and helped him find his way home. One then 7-year-old Drew Barrymore became a well-known name ever since.
I know, it’s not a common choice for Halloween movies. That’s because little do people know that the famous escape scene in the woods happened on Halloween day!
Let me share another trivia. The day E.T. was dressed as a ghost on Halloween, from the holes of the white sheet that covered him, E.T. was suddenly thrilled and rushed to a kid, who was in a costume of…wait for it, Master Yoda from Star Wars!
Director George Lucas returned the tribute 17 years later in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. You can check out Lucas’s trick here.
3. Practical Magic (1998)
Practical Magic was about how two very different witch sisters find the real source of their powers and happiness. Despite starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, Practical Magic was not a hit when released in 1998, two weeks before Halloween. Its worldwide box office only reported US$68.3 million while the production budget was US$75 million.
However, many considered the movie a cult classic. It celebrated sisterhood and woman kinship that intertwine with magic and curse. How can any girl resist a mixture of sisterhood, magic, heterochromia eyes, a family curse, and forbidden love?
And you can see the then-11-year-old Evan Rachel Wood, who becomes famous for her role as Dolores in HBO’s sci-fi series Westworld.
Below is the iconic “Midnight Margaritas” scene in the film. You can witness what a witch gathering is like and meet a very different Nicole Kidman, who recently released a few nostalgia photos of this film on her Instagram account. You may be interested in the recipe for this midnight Margarita if you ever feel witchy at midnight.
4. Casper (1995)
Remember the friendly ghost Casper in the movie of the same title? You can’t possibly dislike ghosts if you have watched Casper. Casper died when he was just a little boy. He is warm-hearted, lonely, and eager to do anything to make a new friend.
Casper is older than you may think. His first appearance was in a children’s book in 1939. Following the success of his theatre debut in 1995, there were 5 movies in total that featured Casper with unrelated storylines.
Personally speaking, I love the first Casper movie the most, as it involved a ghostbuster, a haunted house, 3+1 lingering ghosts, a Cinderella promise, and a short young love.
5. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
I don’t think there’s any living soul in the world that doesn’t know about The Wizard of Oz. Based on a children’s novel in 1900, the story is so popular that it has been adapted into numerous productions ever since.
Apart from the famous song “Over the Rainbow,” the movie has left many legacies to the show business. The well-known line “Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” was later used in many movies like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), The Matrix (1999), and Avatar (2009).
You may not know this. There’s a 1985 sequel movie called Return to Oz, which I think should be banned from all children below 12. The witch’s head-changing scene scared the hell out of me, and I didn’t dare to pass those mannequin heads in the barbershop for many years.
One brilliant backstory production I highly recommend is the musical Wicked. It tells a different story of “Wicked Witch of the West.” We witness two witches on their journey to find magic, romance, friendship, and growth from all those green. It’s by far my favorite musical.
What’s More
Hope you enjoy these 5 Halloween specials. Suppose you long for more wicked power on Halloween night. In that case, you may want to check out other classic films like Beetlejuice (1988), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), The Addams Family (1991), and Matilda (1996). More recent choices may be Hotel Transylvania (2012), Dark Shadows (2012), What We Do in the Shadows (2014), and Mary and The Witch’s Flower (2017).
Happy Halloween. May all of you have a Hocus Pocus weekend!
Please give me a shout-out below and let me know your other favorite Halloween movies!
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