Spoilers ahead…you have been warned.

We start in the year 1653 on Winifred’s 16th birthday, a glimpse into the Sanderson sisters’ past before the acclimation of their powers and the root cause of their hatred for the town of Salem. Their backstory was a crucial addition to the sequel, for it answered many questions from the original movie while simultaneously adding to the sequel’s plot. 

Flash forward to the present, 29 years to the day since Max Dennison lit the black flame candle releasing the Sanderson sisters. Here we meet Becca, one of the main protagonists, on her 16th birthday, dealing with her sisterhood problems. With an immediate introduction to her friend Cassie, who seems disconnected and distant as of late with Becca and their other friend Izzy. Here we also hear about their annual birthday ritual that falls on All Hallows Eve (Halloween, to you mortals).

Then we’re taken to the Olde Salem Magic Shoppe, formerly the Sanderson sisters museum, where Becca and Izzy talk to the shop owner Gilbert who gives his favorite customers a little gift for their annual birthday ritual. Mentioning that it’s on a witch’s 16th birthday, she receives her powers. They unknowingly accept the candle for their ritual, but they don’t know that Gilbert had an ulterior motive for giving them that candle which they won’t discover until it is too late. After lighting the candle during their birthday ritual, the girls realize their mistake when the Sanderson Sisters awake from their previous demise hell-bent on getting revenge and destroying the town of Salem.

The story leads us through the spellbinding tale of hurt and growth as we see the Sanderson Sisters evolve from their old ways of hatred to discover what’s truly important, especially Winifred, who learns the importance of family instead of power.

As far as sequels go, this is a pretty impressive standard. With around 29 years between the original and the sequel, it gave a lot of time for creators to think of what the fans wanted and how the writers wanted to bring the Sanderson Sisters back to life, both literally and figuratively. The use of the Sanderson sisters and Becca and her friends show both a blood tie for sisterhood and the chosen aspect of sisterhood. Showing us The different ways sisterhood may look and its importance.

The visual effects create an inviting atmosphere as the Sanderson sisters cast spells, multicolored lightning shoots out of their fingertips, and we see them flying through the sky. These beautiful additions just made the movie feel so natural and genuinely magical. 

Overall the experience was incredible; it was everything we hoped for in a sequel and gave the original a worthy successor in terms of plot, characters, and visuals. We’d give it a 10/10 and suggest everyone watch both Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2 this Halloween to experience the witchy feels of the Sanderson Sisters’ return.