Movies
Hocus Pocus 2: Teaser Trailer Breakdown and What We Know So Far
THE WITCHES ARE BACK!
It’s been almost thirty years since Hocus Pocus first premiered. The film starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker as the legendary Sanderson sister witches who are bent on stealing the lifeforce from children on All Hallow’s Eve is regarded as a Halloween classic.
Directed by Kenny Ortega, this movie still tops the charts for most-watched Halloween movies today. It has appeared on Eli Roth’s History of Horror, fourteen “Top 10” episodes of WatchMojo, and has dozens of lines that fans immediately recognize. After all, what Hocus Pocus fan doesn’t know the ending to the line, “Oh look, another glorious…”
While Max (Omri Katz), Dani (Thora Birch), and Allison (Vinessa Shaw) stole our hearts as the protagonists of the original film, we are ecstatic to see that Hocus Pocus 2 is finally on the horizon with new protagonists and a new story to tell, this time directed by Anne Fletcher.
While many details are still unknown, the recent release of a teaser trailer left us ecstatic and anxiously awaiting more. Let’s “form a calming circle” and break down the trailer moment by moment and see what it means for this highly anticipated sequel.
Will Hocus Pocus 2 Introduce a New Familiar?
The trailer opens with a scenic shot of a black bird with red and yellow plumage flying over the water. Immediately we are left to wonder if this peculiar bird will make more of an appearance in the sequel.
Remember, the first Hocus Pocus saw the assistance of Binx: the boy (Sean Murray), who was turned into an immortal, talking cat (Jason Marsden) by the witches. This cat served as the protagonists’ familiar. Given Thackery Binx’s transition into the spirit world at the end of Hocus Pocus, it begs the question of whether there will be a helpful animal friend for the adversaries of the Sanderson sisters once more.
Or could it be that Hocus Pocus would follow in the footsteps of other Disney counterparts such as Aladdin and Sleeping Beauty which see magical villains utilizing a bird as a companion? Will evil have a familiar of its own this time?
If that’s the case, the new protagonists undoubtedly have a difficult journey ahead.
Meeting New Characters
The next shot of the trailer sees the introduction of the sequel’s new protagonists. Pictured is Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) standing by a bike rack in a schoolyard. In the background of the next shot, a partial name can be observed: “…Skelton High School”. Given that the original Hocus Pocus took place at Jacob Bailey High School, it seems our newcomers attend a different school. However, according to the synopsis, the story still takes place in Salem.
In the foreground of the shot, we are introduced to the third protagonist, Cassie (Lilia Buckingham), who wishes Becca a happy birthday.
“What are you guys going to do tonight?” she asks the girls.
Becca replies that they plan to binge scary movies, although the following scenes indicate otherwise.
The Next Generation of Salem Witches
The ensuing frames of the trailer follow Becca striking a match, bringing the flame to a candle nestled in the ground. She and Izzy are huddled around it, in the forest with a full moon glowing brightly in the background.
The shot cuts away, and shows the two girls in the daytime, walking their bikes to a Salem Magic Shoppe. Gilbert (Sam Richardson), who is presumably the shopkeeper, is on the screen, explaining:
“You know legend has it, on her sixteenth birthday is when a witch gets her powers.” A black cat is shown. (Are you my familiar?)
The spoken line at the magic shop reveals a huge plot point of this sequel: the emergence of another witch. Lest we forget that the original Hocus Pocus did not initially feature protagonists that had mystical forms of magick.
Old Magick vs New Magic
In the beginning, the protagonists of the original used the magic of technology to outsmart and confound the evil witches. Most notable examples of this came from:
- The scene where Max seemingly conjured fire in his hand via a lighter, which he then used to set off a sprinkler system he introduced as “the burning rain of death”.
- Then, who could forget the headlights that shone brightly as sunlight as Max proclaimed the witches forgot about Daylight Savings Time.
- Finally, the moment where a recording led the Sanderson sisters into a furnace, and they eventually emerged smoke-filled, saying “Hello, I want my book” in French:
“Bonjour. Je veux mon livre.”
For what it’s worth, these technological tricks only deterred the witches from their goal, they did not defeat them. The protagonist trio was not successful in stopping the witches until they began adapting facets of real magick. Examples of this were Allison utilizing a salt circle, the final fight taking place on hallowed ground, and Max using the witches’ life-force absorbing potion on himself.
It will be interesting to see if the characters of Hocus Pocus 2 will follow this same trend. As sci-fi writer and scientist Arthur C. Clarke famously once said: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” It was a combination of this technological “new magic” and tenets of old magick that defeated the Sanderson Sisters in the past.
If this is to be the case again, the new characters may have a leg up on the competition as technology has boomed significantly since the witches arose last, and the trailer already shows the protagonists’ propensity to practice old magick.
Witch Worlds Collide
In a voiceover, Becca and Izzy can be heard starting to chant:
“Another year begins anew…”
Then the eerie chants of the Sanderson sisters can be heard:
“Itch-it-a-cop-ita mel-a-ka-mystica”
If you can’t quite put your finger on how that’s familiar, the first time it was heard was during Binx’s curse in the first Hocus Pocus:
“Twist the bones and bend the back.
Itch-it-a-cop-ita mel-a-ka-mystica.
Trim him of his baby fat
itch-it-a-cop-ita mel-a-ka-mystica
Give him fur black as black
Just like…this.”
The girls’ chant continues: “Maiden, mother, and crone too”.
“Itch-it-a-cop-ita mel-a-ka-mystica”
What better an object to make an appearance during all this spellcasting than the Sanderson’s book of magic. While shown only briefly, its stunning resolution and lifelike quality clearly reflect this digital era. The book’s bright blue eye is open once more.
In the next shot, a book is seen shaking on a shelf, with the black cat from before eyeing it closely. Could it be that the Sanderson’s magic book made its way into the Salem Magic Shoppe?
“We call on thee with one request…” the girls’ spell continues. This time, the dialogue is no longer a voice-over. We are taken back to the shot of Becca and Izzy in the woods under a full moon as before, and it’s revealed that this is where they are as they are chanting their spell.
A zoomed-out shot of a church within a cemetery is followed by the close-up of a grave that Hocus Pocus fans will recognize immediately.
“Itch-it-a-cap-ita mel-a-ka-mystika”
“Here lies the body of William Butcherson”
According to the cast list, Doug Jones will be reprising his role as the former love, and victim of Winifred Sanderson: Billy, in Hocus Pocus 2.
The camera flashes back to the girls in the woods as they conclude their spell:
“Help our intentions manifest.”
Just then, the iconic black flame candle bursts to life as Becca’s match ignites it. The girls seem startled by the black of the candle flame and immediately jump back.
This Halloween season, a title card begins.
A shot of the girls staring off into the woods, looking confused or concerned. Followed by another shot, this time of a strong wind blowing the candle flame, and billowing leaves around it. Red smoke begins to emit from the earth near the candle, as the girls are left looking stricken.
Some legends….
The Earth splits, revealing a red glow emanating from within. The girls begin running, as the crack in the Earth outstretches in the opposite direction. It continues to spread until it finally forks into three, forming a pitchfork shape on the ground.
(Given the incorporation of real magickal practice (chanting on a full moon, manifestation, etc.) the pitchfork shape could very well represent the Algiz rune. It aligns with the potential theme of discovering oneself and awakening powers.)
….never die, the title cards continue.
Then the screen goes to black, and the unmistakable, immediately recognizable voice of the great Bette Midler in her role as Winifred Sanderson can be heard.
The Return of the Sanderson Sisters
“Lock up your children!” Winifred Sanderson commands. It is then, through the flashes of strobing light that we are finally given a glimpse of the Sanderson sisters, just as glorious as ever.
“Yes Salem, we’re back!” exclaims Winifred, as the screen fades into green smoke.
As viewers may be aware, Disney tends to use green when representing a villain. How perfect that this callback to villain themes would be immediately succeeded by the title card reading “Disney’s Hocus Pocus 2”.
The same frame also informs us that the film will be available for streaming on September 30th.
Though the trailer is almost over, there is one more morsel of information it offers before it ends.
Another Hocus Pocus song?
A man who seems to be speaking to a security guard appears on the screen, proclaiming, “Hey, it’s the Sanderson sisters! I bet you’re looking for a stage.”
“Always,” replies Winifred Sanderson, absolutely smoldering.
This moment immediately brings to mind the Sanderson sisters’ Halloween performance in Hocus Pocuswhere they hypnotized all the town’s adults to dance until they were dead via the fantastic performance of “I Put a Spell on You.”
(Dancing until death has historical roots, most notably in The Dancing Plague of 1518 where people of the ancient city of Strasbourg began dancing inexplicably for months. Hundreds joined in this dance against their will and danced until they finally dropped from exhaustion. Although the potential causes range from hysteria to mold, no one can definitively explain why this phenomenon has occurred in the past.)
Since Max, Dani, and Allison were able to break the curse by defeating the witches, the adults survived and were left only with the memory of the epic song cover, coupled with a “marvelous introduction” by Max.
The moment in the trailer hopefully means that Hocus Pocus 2 will have its own music numbers, as Sarah Jessica Parker’s “Come Little Children” from the original Hocus Pocus is also a stand-out hit from the film.
It’s worth noting that the cast list shows drag performers Ginger Minj, Kahmora Hall, and Kornbread Jete are slotted to play drag versions of Winifred, Sarah, and Mary, respectively. Therefore, it is a possibility that the man in the trailer could have been mistaking the real Winifred Sanderson for the drag version, hence explaining his comment.
No matter the case, it seems that Bette Midler is poised to take the stage in Hocus Pocus 2, and historically that means greatness is sure to follow.
What’s more, is that Hannah Waddingham is slotted to play a role in the film. However, mysteriously, she is neither featured in the trailer nor is her character name listed on the IMDb cast list.
With three months to go until this film’s release, this teaser trailer gave us so much and so little simultaneously. September 30th can’t come soon enough.
If you have been following my journey with Horror Press, then you would know I’m a huge advocate for short films. (And if you listened to last week’s episode of the Horror Press Podcast, then you’d know how I really feel about filmmakers who look down on short films!) Oftentimes, short films force creatives into a corner, both creatively and fiscally. Some of the best art comes from limitation. Just look at Riccardo Suriano’s The Waking Call, a beautifully shot short film that looks 100 times its actual budget.
While I was excited to watch Catch a Killer and Killer Klowns from Outer Space, I was most excited to catch the three blocks of short films at Night Frights LA. When I met The Winchesters, I felt their true passion for bringing stellar horror to the forefront. When the credits rolled on the final short film from block three, I understood that they put their money where their mouths are. If my editor and I had unlimited time, I would review every single short film I had the opportunity to watch at Night Frights LA. Unfortunately, we don’t.
So, I took on the difficult task of whittling down every short film I watched to this list of my five favorites.
Our 5 Favorite Short Films From Night Frights LA 2025
5. Keep Coming Back // Short Film Block 2: Mental Carnage
Written by Dylan Garrett Smith, Travis Bacon (yes, that Bacon), and Kyle Kouri // Directed by Kyle Kouri
Paul (Kyle Kouri) attends an AA meeting to try to turn over a new leaf. But things quickly turn dark when Paul’s past comes back to haunt him. As it turns out, alcohol may be the least of the troubles for this AA group.
Keep Coming Back is a bloody blast that goes from 0 to 60 in a split second. This film was the shot of caffeine I desperately needed. It’s loud, brash, and mean. It takes you to the true depths that can come from a violent drunk and amps it up to an 11.
4. Knife // Short Film Block 1: Best In Blood
Written & Directed by Michael Kuciak
Have you ever wondered what a horror film looked like…from the perspective of the killer’s weapon? If you have, Knife aims to answer that question for you. This three and a half minute film is as quick and deadly as its title. In a Violent Nature may put the audience in the point of view of the killer, but Knife puts them in the point of view of the weapon. It’s a short, sweet, and effective piece that requires little elaboration.
3. The Last Thing She Saw // Short Film Block 2: Mental Carnage
Written by Brady Richards // Directed by Anthony Cousins and Rebecca Daugherty
(Yes, Frogman’s Anthony Cousins!)
Emma (Bailey Bolton) is housesitting for the owners of a gigantic mansion. Her day gets flipped upside down when two intruders (Agatha Rae Pokrzywinski and Nathan Tymoshuk) break in to try and get into a safe. Even though she doesn’t have any information on how to get into the safe, Emma finds herself at a crossroads. I don’t see a way out of this for Emma.
I remember catching this short film at either Final Girls Berlin Film Festival or Popcorn Frights some time ago, and I was stunned. My first thought was, “I bet this film would kill in an audience.” Boy, was I right. Hearing my fellow festivalgoers groan and squirm made me feel right at home. The Last Thing She Saw is grotesque and unique. It’s extremely hardcore and doesn’t pull a single punch with its content. And the practicals? My god. Extraordinary.
2. The Carvening // Short Film Block 1: Best In Blood
Written & Directed by Matthew R. Incontri
Two kids sit down and put on a VHS tape of a slasher film called The Carvening that follows a Jack O’ Lantern killer. But for these kids, the film hits a little too close to home.
Like Knife, The Carvening is basically a microshort. And still incredibly effective. At just two minutes and 53 seconds, it knocked my socks off. The film itself is animated, while the slasher film they’re watching is live action. It’s a unique blend that is as fun as it is wholesome. Incontri’s film is a brilliant aperitif that should be played before any horror film in the theaters.
1. Where the Shadows Feast // Short Film Block 1: Best In Blood
Written by Aaron M. Cabrera and Jerod Nawrocki // Directed by Aaron M. Cabrera
Children are vanishing at astounding numbers. Now, it’s up to a detective (Corey Allen) and a grieving mother (Alicia Blasingame) to get to the bottom of it. But they might not like what they find.
Where the Shadows Feast is a visual treat. It’s a black and white noir that has danger lurking behind every shadow. Cabrera and Naworcki’s script is beyond scary, but it’s horror icon Troy James that truly brings the fright to this fest. While I love the story, visual style, and worldbuilding here, I can’t help but say Troy James absolutely steals the show. The way he brings this horror to life is as astounding as always.
Actors like James and Javier Botet show that physical movement can do more than words ever could. Say what you will, but I think there is very little difference between the actors who play Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers. Seeing an icon like Troy James truly melt into the role of whatever this creature is like watching the Mona Lisa being painted. That’s not to say the only reason I picked Shadows as my number one is because of Troy James. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was a damn good reason to.
I don’t know about you, but it feels like I stepped out of the theater after seeing Wolf Man, blinked, and suddenly it was September. It’s been a very busy year in general, but as always, especially so for the horror genre. We’ve had some misses and some hits, but overall, I’d say it’s been a strong year (though maybe not quite as strong as 2024 and its deluge of incredible movies).
Though your mind might still be primarily occupied with a more recent release, there have been a lot of incredible movies to hit both theaters and especially streaming services like Shudder in 2025. So, we here at Horror Press have decided to put together a shortlist of the best horror the year has had to offer so far.
The Best Horror of 2025 So Far
Feel free to wave this list in the face of your friends who say that all the horror they’ve watched this year is bad. Or just to celebrate because your favorite made the cut! Without further ado, let’s start with…
Dangerous Animals
Fun and insane animal horror movies are so hard to come across these days, but Dangerous Animals chums the waters with some fresh meat for the subgenre. Sean Byrne, best known for his work on the Australian sleeper hit The Loved Ones, tells a story reminiscent of Wolf Creek on the high seas.
A surfer and her boyfriend fall prey to a boat captain who promises a thrilling cage diving experience, but with a catch: he secretly enjoys torturing people before feeding them to sharks. Jai Courtney shines as the antagonist Tucker, whose mealy-mouthed grins and demented demeanor sell the danger our leads are in.
Clown in a Cornfield
The pick for the best slasher offering this year (until Black Phone 2 releases, #JoeHillHypeTrain) is a no-brainer. Shudder has finally delivered the long-awaited adaptation of Adam Cesare’s Clown In A Cornfield. And helmed by Eli Craig of Tucker & Dale vs. Evil fame no less! In the now dead hamlet of Kettle Springs, Missouri, a group of teens run afoul of its former mascot Frendo. While it initially presents itself as a basic corn-fed killer clown movie, if you stick with it, you’ll find it’s actually much more clever and thrilling than it lets on.
Predator: Killer of Killers
When I say Dan Trachtenberg does not miss, he does not miss in the slightest. The current creative director of the Predator franchise, fans of the series have been eating good ever since his work on 2022’s Prey, and have Predator: Badlands to look forward to early next month.
While Predator: Killer of Killers could have easily been a cheap animated film to tide over fans while they wait for Badlands, it proved to be one of the best films in the franchise yet. An anthology film featuring Yautja hunting throughout human history and across cultures, the animation here is slicker than slick. Killer of Killers delivers the action horror that everyone has been asking for from the franchise for years.
The Ugly Stepsister
When I heard The Ugly Stepsister was a collaboration between a bevy of film institutes and production companies across four different Nordic countries, I wondered what made it so special. What I saw explained it. While it is technically Cinderella, it’s specifically a retelling of Aschenputtel, one of the original and much darker iterations of Cinderella collected by the Brothers Grimm. And dark this is.
Told from the perspective of Cinderella’s stepsister Elvira, we watch her spiral as she tries to beautify herself in the ugliest of ways, all in an effort to secure a wealthy male suitor. Truly inspired costuming, grotesque body horror played for both shock and laughs, and a dead-on sense of comedic timing make this one a very memorable watch.
Weapons
Director Zach Cregger’s sophomore outing in the horror genre following his smash hit Barbarian is well-loved, and for good reason. This time, Weapons shines a spotlight on lives in a small town, and how they intersect, trying to make sense of a horrifying incident: the disappearance of 17 children who run out the front doors of their homes in the dead of night.
Cregger dances deftly on the line between horror and comedy in a way I can only describe as masterful, creating a film that is both viciously funny and aggressively disturbing. Where the film goes is a curveball, even for those who have seen the trailers, and a delightful one at that, since Weapons brings a new horror icon to the stage.
Companion
And speaking of Zach Cregger, this sci-fi horror is another one of his productions. If you’ve somehow avoided seeing anything about Companion until now and don’t know what it’s about, keep it that way and go watch it immediately. The ad campaign spoiled it, but the story is undeniably enthralling even if you know where it’s going. This movie features what is, by far, Sophie Thatcher’s most dynamic performance yet, supported by a stellar cast and the film’s pitch-black humor.
Fréwaka
The first Irish-language horror film is also one of the nation’s best cinematic offerings yet. A gripping and immersive folk horror film, it follows a home nurse named Shoo assigned to a superstitious older woman named Peig who lives on the edge of a remote village. Shoo soon begins to see dark ongoings in her dreams and waking life, plagued by the same mysterious group that Peig has been dealing with her entire life.
Fréwaka is a precision-made film, chock full of high impact editing and cinematography. It evokes a kind of existential monster, both man-made horrors of human cruelty and the mythological ones that lie deep in belief and the dark corners of Irish folklore. In short, unsettlingly effective.
Ash
Flying Lotus’ directorial career has been a point of interest for me ever since the genre shapeshifter that was Kuso and the demented parody that was his segment “Ozzy’s Dungeon” in V/H/S/99. And even with the high hopes those ventures gave me, Ash is so much more than I could have expected.
After astronaut Riya wakes up to nightmares of bodies being melted and screams of agony, she finds herself as one of only two survivors in a mission to colonize a planet gone horribly wrong. Ash is a lovely middle point between Event Horizon and The Void, a mixture that is sure to please those of us who like our science fiction dripping with an evil atmosphere and dark visuals. It also boasts some of the best color grading and lighting in any film this year.
Sinners
If you haven’t seen Sinners already, what have you been up to? Brain science? Rocket surgery? Here, visionary director Ryan Coogler tells the tale of a repressed young black man in 1930s Mississippi, trying to break away from his preacher father’s restrictive ways. His journey to do so lands him a performance at a juke joint out in the woods, one he plays so well that it lures in an ageless and relentless vampire.
Michael B. Jordan, Jack O’Connell, and Wunmi Mosaku lead an all-star cast through a mystical horror story with purpose. It explores the meaning of culture, religion, music, and the Black American experience—all while delivering one of the best vampire films of all time. The showstopping original soundtrack by Ludwig and Serena Göransson that it boasts isn’t half bad either.
Bring Her Back
I won’t mark this with the caveat of “so far”—this will be the most disturbing film you see this year. Bring Her Back blew any expectations you might have had from the Phillipou Brothers’ Talk To Me out of the water. While the premise of an orphaned brother and sister who are sent to live with an off-kilter foster mother and another mute child she’s fostering might seem predictable, this film is anything but.
It’s truly an emotionally draining watch, blow after blow with both the physical and emotional trauma it puts its characters through, and forces you to watch. It refuses to let you breathe for even a minute in its final act. It’s definitively Sally Hawkin’s finest hour as an actress, and beyond this short list, it’s firmly some of the best horror of all time.
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