Hocus Pocus remake in the works at Disney Channel

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Halloween is right around the corner, ladies, and germs, and that means witches, cauldrons, skimpy costumes and buying all the candy in the world but giving none of it to local children. More importantly, it means horror flicks both haunting and comedic, and some of you may include HOCUS POCUS on your list. The one-off Disney movie starring Bette Midler remains a campy, nostalgia trip to this day, and like anything loved and admired the film is officially getting a remake.

The news comes from THR who confirmed that the Disney Channel will be developing a TV movie remake of the Halloween classic with writer Scarlett Lacey (THE ROYALS) and producer David Kirschner, who executive produced the first film and co-wrote the story which it was based on. Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy also starred in the film with Midler, but no one in the trio is currently linked to the project.

The 1993 movie centers around three quirky witches (Midler, Parker and Najimy) who were hanged in Salem, Mass. for killing a young girl, but via a spell are brought back 300 years later and begin hunting the young sister (Thora Birch) of teen, Max (Omri Katz), as part of their plan to suck out the souls of all of Salem’s children. The movie cost about $28 million to make but only made $39 million at the box office, resulting in a loss for Disney. Critics also disliked the film, but audiences have flocked to it in recent years, turning it into a cult classic.

I remember watching the movie a ton as a kid, though I haven’t seen it in years. It’s doubtful I would still like it in my adult years, but even taking that into account I feel this remake is nothing but a bad idea. Yeah, fans of the original may tune-in to check it out. There will be much fanfare leading up to the premiere, but it will be soon forgotten the day after. But the need to capitalize on nostalgia makes people do funny things, like making a TV movie in an age when no one watches TV…

The HOCUS POCUS remake will probably air Halloween of next year, if we're guessing.