HERE BE WITCHES 10 • Hocus Pocus (1993) with Tara Judah and Thea Berry

We're diving into a childhood favourite and campy classic Hocus Pocus, from 1993. The devious Sanderson Sisters (a trio of witches, played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimi) return from the grave to continue their quest for immortality. The Sandersons were burnt at the stake in the 17th century because of their penchant for, ahem, sucking the lifeforce of children to remain forever young, beautiful and powerful. They come back from the grave in the 1990s, where a scrappy gang of kids, including a magical, talking cat, take it upon themselves to stop the coven. There’s also a musical number because, you know, Bette Midler. In this episode, I welcome not one but two esteemed guests: film critic and broadcaster Tara Judah, and Thea Berry, Cinema Producer at the Watershed in Bristol and curator of the film season Reclaiming The Witch, which played at the Watershed last year. We talk about the terrifying make-up of the Sanderson sisters, the campiness versus the creepiness, how witches are hate children, *that* musical number, and the things that terrified us about witches as children. *** To coincide with our season of films and events, Here Be Witches, we will be focusing this first series on exploring all things witchcraft on film. Each episode, we will dive deep into films and TV shows that we can’t necessarily screen. Each episode, we’ll be joined with special guests to dissect and discuss a film or show, its legacy and the way witches are represented. Find out more about our projects here: thefinalgirls.co.uk Follow us on Twitter , Instagram and Facebook . Follow Anna on @annabdemented and Olivia is on @livihowe Our special guests this episode are Tara Judah, follow her on @midnightmovies , and Thea Berry, who is on @theaberry4