Hocus Pocus — I put a spell on your nervous system

On this special Halloween episode, I’m going to risk having my horror hall pass revoked by diving into a movie that is uhhh not TECHNICALLY a horror movie, but I believe still deserves a place somewhere in the genre for reasons we will explore in the episode — HOCUS POCUS (1993)!

It’s for the same reason that I believe so strongly that everybody should be able to connect with feelings of pure joy and excitement as they relate to Halloween, that I also believe that horror is for EVERYBODY no matter how much terror you can withstand. I have developed a theory to explore this —and it’s called the Spooky/Scary Spectrum.

Okay so let’s talk about Hocus Pocus and my PATENTED Spooky/Scary Spectrum of horror and how it relates to the nervous system!

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, owner of Many Moons Therapy.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst from Contempomint.
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Sources:

Order The Horror Concierge: A Mental Health and Horror Tarot Readings + Film Reco. Order yours HERE.

Be sure to check out my Instagram @manymoonstherapy for a  diagram of the Spooky/Scary spectrum, and to see what movies I placed on the spectrum for myself! Why don’t you give it a try too?

Hocus Pocus (1993) Trailer, Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers

Learning in the panic zone: strategies for managing learner anxiety by Rob Palethorpe, John P. Wilson in Journal of European Industrial Training

How ‘Hocus Pocus’ Went From Box Office Bomb to Disney’s Halloween Darling by And Ortiz

15 surprising things you probably never knew about 'Hocus Pocus’ by  Marilyn La Jeunesse

Scream Therapy: The Mental Health Benefits of Horror Movies

How Scary Movies Can Help You De-Stress, According to Science  by Kim Wong-Shing

Why Do We Keep Going Back? A Q Method Analysis of Our Attraction to Horror Movies. Operant Subjectivity by Robinson, T. ., Callahan, C., & Evans, K.

Pandemic practice: Horror fans and morbidly curious individuals are more psychologically resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic by Coltan Scriver, John A. Johnson, Jens Kjeldgaard-Christiansen, Mathias Clasen

Neuroanatomy, Parasympathetic Nervous System by Jacob Tindle and Prasanna Tadi

Transcript

Welcome ghouls to today’s episode of Mental Health is Horrifying. I’m your Horror Barbie host of darkness — Candis Green— Psychotherapist and all around spooky bitch podcasting from my bat-filled cave in Toronto, Canada. On today’s special Halloween episode, I’m going to risk having my horror hall pass revoked by diving into a movie is uhhh TECHNICALLY not a horror movie, but I believe still deserves a place somewhere in the genre for reasons I will get into later — HOCUS POCUS!

THIS IS MY PODCAST LET ME LIVE! I’m going to have to try to contain my excitement as I move through this episode, because this is literally my favourite movie of all time. Hocus Pocus is the embodiment of pure joy and the essence of Halloween, and it’s a feeling that I have honestly dedicated my life to spreading far and wide — starting when I began researching the origins of Halloween and satanic rituals at the local public library during elementary school summers. If you’re going to dedicate your life to something, you gotta start early kids.

And it’s for the same reason that I believe so strongly that everybody should be able to connect with feelings of pure joy as they relate to Halloween, that I also believe that horror is for EVERYBODY no matter how much terror you can withstand. I have developed a theory to explore this —and it’s called the spooky/scary spectrum. 

Okay so let’s get right into it. Let’s talk about Hocus Pocus (1993) and my PATENTED spooky/scary spectrum of horror and how it relates to the nervous system!


Movie synopsis:

It’s Halloween night, 1693, in Salem, Massachusetts, and young Thackery Binx witnesses his younger sister Emily being whisked away to the woods by the Sanderson sisters — Winifred, Sarah, and Mary. Binx confronts the witches, but he fails to save Emily and her delicious soul is drained, making the witches young again. After that, Binx is transformed into a black cat by the witches, cursed to live forever with his guilt for not saving Emily.

The puritanical townsfolk apprehend the Sanderson sisters to hang them in the town square, denying any knowledge of what happened to Binx — they’re like Binx who? I don’t know her. Before they are hanged, Winifred casts a curse that will resurrect the sisters during a full moon on All Hallows' Eve if a virgin lights the Black Flame Candle in their cottage. Binx keeps watch over the cottage over the years to ensure no one lights the candle.

Three centuries later, on October 31, 1993, Max Dennison, having freshly arrived from LA and not believing in all this Hocus Pocus, reluctantly takes his sister Dani out trick-or-treating where they meet up with Alison, a girl he has a crush on from school and also likes her yabos. The three visit the former Sanderson cottage, now an abandoned museum, where Max A VIRGIN lights the black flame candle. The witches return and attempt to eat Dani’s soul, but Max comes to her rescue.

Escaping, Max steals Winifred's spellbook on advice from the immortal cat Binx who’s also like YOU IDIOT WHY DID YOU LIGHT THE CANDLE UGGHH. He takes the group to an old cemetery where they are protected from the witches since it is hallowed ground. The witches eventually catch up to them at the cemetery where Winifred raises her former love interest Billy Butcherson from the grave and sends him after the children. But Billy’s cool and he becomes the children’s friend. Always good to have a zombie on your side. 

At one point the kids find their parents at a slammin Halloween party and ask them for help — they’re all like “mom, dad — witches are trying to eat our immortal souls” but the parents seem completely uninterested and just continue partying. I miss the 90s. 

The kids attempt to murder the witches inside a pottery kiln, but obviously this doesn’t work because of the CURSE duh, and the Sanderson sisters continue to pursue them throughout the streets of Salem. And they’re MAD because they want their spell book back! The witches eventually catch up with them, kidnapping Dani, and then Sarah uses her enchanting singing voice to lure even more Salem children to the witch’s cottage so they can eat them too.

Max and Allison manage to rescue Dani, and they escape back to the cemetery to hang out with Billy. Winifred is DETERMINED to suck the soul out of a child to stay young and beautiful forever — but not just ANY child — she wants Dani because that bitch called her ugly. Fulfilling Binx’s desire to save his own sister, Max decides to drink the potion himself, so the witches would be forced to eat his soul and not that of his sister. 

As Winifred begins sucking the soul out of his body, the sun begins to rise! The witches can only survive for Halloween night! And as the sun crests over the horizon, the witches turn to dust/explode. Goodbye!

The witches' deaths break Binx's curse, allowing him to finally die. His soul is free and he is reunited with his sister Emily, as I cry hysterically into my popcorn every! Single! Time! Winifred's spellbook opens its eye once more, revealing that it is still alive, indicating that the witches could possibly return again someday. And we had to wait nearly 30 years for a sequel! But it was well-worth the wait and actually… Hocus Pocus 3 is now in production. 

Movie background info:

Hocus Pocus was released in theatres on July 16, 1993 — so for anybody who questions spooky bitches like me who begin celebrating Halloween in the summer, here is your irrefutable proof that Halloween begins in July.

The movie actually flopped when it came out — which is so deeply shocking to me and just goes to show that there’s not accounting for taste. For many years, in fact, Hocus Pocus was considered a flop, until the late 90s until ABC and the Disney Channel started showing it on TV during Halloween. People who were in their teens or younger when it came out in 1993 were older now, some with children of their own, who they began sharing it with — and each year from then, the ratings went up and up, solidifying Hocus Pocus as a cult classic somewhere around 2007 and now — a total mainstream fave. Hocus Pocus is actually celebrating its 30 year anniversary this year and is more popular than ever.

To give you a small glimpse into what this movie means to me — when I got married, I ensured our wedding was mid-October so that we could spend our honeymoon in Salem, Massachusetts visiting Hocus Pocus filming locations as close to Halloween as possible. (My husband is a saint). I will never forget the feeling when my husband surprised me with a visit to the house where Max and his family lived — and as we rode up to this house on bike share bikes that were done up to look like they were broomsticks flying through their air and had cauldrons on the front as baskets — just BURST into tears, for I was seeing the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my whole life — the Dennison house. When Hocus Pocus 2 was released on September 30, 2022 — I of course hosted a screening party where everyone dressed up as their favourite Hocus Pocus character. I was Dani — my husband was the horny bus driver.

The movie of course stars and has legendary performances by Bette Middler as Winifred, Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah, and Kathy Najimy as Mary. Bette Midler was a huge reason why the project was greenlit, with Kenny Ortega signing on as the director only after. She was apparently an absolute delight on set — so committed to her role that she actually made sure to use historically accurate curse words as Winifred. And of course they had to feature Midler’s glorious musical abilities — immortalized in the magical song “I Put A Spell on You.”

The inspiration for "Hocus Pocus" came from the bedtime story producer and cowriter David Kirschner would tell his kids, sharing that his family is a bit like the Addams family and that Halloween was always a massive deal in his house. About Halloween, Kirschner said "It speaks to me in a way that becomes so emotional for me and always has."

I can wholeheartedly relate to that feeling — that Halloween is so important that it becomes emotional. People have always asked me why I love Halloween so much or how it all began — and I honestly don’t have an answer. I have always loved it more than anything in the whole world and cannot remember a time that I didn’t. The happiest moments of my life are memories where there is a pumpkin, orange lights glowing, with Hocus Pocus playing on TV while my mom hands out candy. It’s just — home. It’s family, it’s community, it’s excitement and doing something that maybe a little bit naughty and crunchy leaves and a feeling like the air is made out of magic. It’s ordering in pizza because there’s no time to make a proper dinner because we have to get ready for trick or treating. It’s watching scary movies with your best friends that make you laugh and scream at the same time, and there’s popcorn all over the floor and you're like — what is this feeling? How do I feel so alive? It’s watching the entire world transform for one season — one night — into a celebration of the things I love most, and in that time, I feel more loved and accepted than I do at any other time. 


The Spooky/Scary Spectrum of Horror:
 
Why do we watch horror movies? For the same reason Halloween has become a night of frolic, where children wear costumes and run amok, as Winifred says. Horror, like Halloween, is a safe place to explore our fears and the darker side of life, death and the macabre. 

Historically speaking, Halloween has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, a pagan celebration to welcome the harvest at the end of summer. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honour saints. Soon after, All Saints Day came to incorporate some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before All Saints Day was known as All Hallows Eve, and later, Halloween, where people carved turnips (later pumpkins) to ward off evil visiting ghosts, while leaving out offerings of food and drink to welcome friendly visiting spirits like ancestors or Elvis. Over time, people began donning costumes to disguise themselves as ghosts in exchange for food and drink — a tradition we now know as trick or treating.

It is said that the veil between worlds of the living and dead is at is thinnest during Halloween, which is why the presence of ghosts and our connection to death is felt so much more acutely at this time of year. And the fact that we leave treats out for our visiting dearly departed is an indication, in my opinion, that we don’t want to have some solemn, downer time with them — we want to party with our dead!

And doesn’t everyone deserve the opportunity to be in relationship with the underworld, to laugh in the face of death, and explore their fears in a safe way? I think so! 

So horror is for everybody. There’s no gatekeeping here, and I sincerely believe that in the world of horror, there’s truly something for everybody. You might be surprised to hear that there are actually numerous mental health benefits to watching horror movies, and I think everyone should be able to take advantage of them. 

Some of these benefits include practicing nervous system regulation through things like jump scares and tension release, being able to explore fears in a safe environment that you are in control of, bonding with co-viewers, and boosted mood and adrenaline.

And it is for this reason, my ghouls, why I have created the Spooky/Scary spectrum as it relates to horror and the nervous system.

The Spooky/Scary spectrum acknowledges that everyone has a different comfort and thus level of accessibility when it comes to horror. What I enjoy, feel comfortable with, find scary but still fun within my window of tolerance, will look totally different compared to someone else. 


Let’s do a little exercise together, shall we? Imagine a horizontal line. At the beginning of the line on the left-hand side is the word “spooky” and at the other end on the right is the word “scary”. Movies that you would place on the “spooky” end of the spectrum are ones that are cozy, cute, fun, and generally not scary. They have themes of the macabre, or they take place during Halloween, and when you watch them they sort of give you a warm and happy feeling. Your parasympathetic nervous system is online here — meaning that your body feels safe and knows that it’s okay to relax. I would place Hocus Pocus here, but maybe this is a bit different for you. Maybe you put The Texas Chainsaw Massacre here!

As we begin approaching the middle of the line or spectrum, things begin getting a little bit scarier. Movies you would place here challenge you a little bit. The themes and imagery in the movies are scarier, to the point where maybe you even want to look away at some points. You get that buzz — it’s a mixture of fear, excitement, and curiosity. You still want to watch — but maybe you want to watch with a friend under the protection of your favourite blanket. Your nervous system is more active here, and you are practicing nervous system regulation. This means that your nervous system is trying to find a baseline between parasympathetic (relaxed) and sympathetic (fight or flight). You may — consciously or unconsciously — be trying to regulate your nervous system at this time by snuggling up to your co-viewer, eating a snack, laughing, or releasing tension by screaming!

Moving further down the line juuuuuust before you get to the very end of the line — that’s the most you can tolerate. You really have to work up your courage to be able to watch movies here, and maybe you want to watch with the lights on and chase it with a few episodes of The Office. You might have trouble sleeping after watching one of these movies, but it’s still worth it to you — there’s something you want to explore here.

At the very end of the line, the far end of the spectrum we reach “scary”. These are movies that are outside of your window of tolerance, and would really dysregulate you were you to watch them. Watching movies you would place here would leave you feeling distraught, upset, panicked or even angry. This is an indication that you have moved past your own boundary and that your sympathetic nervous system is activated. This is your “fight or flight” response that is perceiving your environment as threatening. When you are in sympatheticthetic nervous system activitation, it can be more difficult and take for your nervous system longer to return to its baseline — so please be mindful of this and always treat yourself with some grace. Seek comfort in a friend (furry or otherwise), engage in activities that are comforting, eat something yummy, and essentially do things that will let your nervous system know that it’s safe and not that like… Jason Voorhees is skulking around outside your house. Mmk?


Co-Regulation:

There’s a really great scene in Hocus Pocus that showcases the concept of nervous system co-regulation. So, the Sanderson sisters have been running around Salem all night trying to find some children to eat so they can live forever and be hot. And they only have this one night before the return to the underworld, so it’s very stressful! At one point through all the commotion, Mary notices that Winifred in particular is very stressed out. She’s snappy, and grumpy and Mary gets it, she’s stressed too — (Sarah is probably off twirling idiotically somewhere).

Sister Mary recognizes the need for co-regulation, and offers an idea.


Initially, Winifred denies her feelings and lashes out at her sister's attempt at vulnerable connection, shouting I AM CALM! Knowing her sister so well, Mary gently offers that Winifred is "not being honest with thyself." Winifred relents, and the sisters begin the calming circle. The sisters engage in a process of co-regulatation; sharing in a warm and responsive experience together which serves to modulate thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. The sisters wrap their arms around each other in a circle, rotating slowly, and recall soothing thoughts including black death, rabid bats, and mummy's scorpion pie.

This makes them feel much better.

The sisters complete the process of co-regulation,  allowing them to continue on with their search for eternal life by sucking the lives out of children in a more regulated, supportive emotional state.

Isn’t that nice?

Co-regulation is an acknowledgment that humans are social, community-based creatures that find safety and comfort in one another. The idea that we can be entirely self-sufficient and solve all our problems on our own is hooey and not all all rooted in any sort of reality or science. It’s biological — imagine a baby crying. Is that baby supposed to just say its affirmations repeating “I am enough” and feel all better? No! That baby needs a parent or caregiver to hold them, rock them back and forth, say cute things and help them to feel that they are physically safe and loved. 


The Nervous System:

There is a really good reason why you might want to explore the middle of the spooky/scary spectrum when it comes to horror, and this is because of the Yerkes-Dodson law of human growth and performance as it relates to the nervous system.

This model is commonly known as the “comfort/stretch/panic” model. The model posits that experiencing no stress at all in the comfort zone (parasympathetic nervous system) is not optimal for human growth, whereas when we experience a modest, manageable amount of stress, we experience this as motivational and peak performance or human growth is said to occur here. This is called the stretch zone. Our nervous system is activated but still regulated — adrenaline is pumping, energy is flowing, and forward momentum is created. When stress levels are too high, however, and we are the panic zone and in a state of hyperarousal or sympathetic nervous system activation — no growth can happen here and performance is reduced. Our body perceives our environment as threatening and is in a fight or flight state and not much can really happen here other than trying to regulate back to baseline. 

Being able to practice nervous system regulation and the exploration of fears in a safe and controlled environment, such as watching a horror movie, is excellent practice for real life. 

During the Covid pandemic, horror's ability to soothe anxiety and stress was put to the ultimate test. In a December 2020 survey from the US Census Bureau, more than 42% of respondents reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, as compared to 11% the previous year. At the same time, 2020 was a boom year for horror even as other genres failed to perform as expected.

People were drawn to horror as a way to cope with their own fears and anxieties. The pandemic thriller Contagion became one of the most-watched movies on iTunes at the onset of the pandemic. There was an overall spike of interest in "escapist movies such as horror and thrillers," throughout the pandemic, and in May 2020, horror sales were up 194% from the previous year. 

Did all that horror really help people cope? It totally did! A January 2021 study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences found that horror fans were more psychologically resilient during the pandemic, with horror movies serving as a sort of practice simulation for the real thing. 

Ultimately, horror can be a way to process our worst fears. But as the spooky/scary spectrum demonstrates, in order for horror to be truly helpful to help process or fears or anxiety, the content has to hit that sweet spot: scary enough to keep your attention and stimulate your fear response, but not so scary that you feel overwhelmed or re-traumatized. 

And again — what is scary for one person, is completely different for another! Various factors can contribute to what we find scary from age, to lived experience. I remember watching Hocus Pocus when I was younger and one scene in particular actually really scared me. It’s the one where the Sanderson sisters are breaking into the Dennison house to try and retrieve the spellbook. And I think what alway scared me about this scene is the whole home invasion aspect, which always freaks me out. There’s this scene where we see one of the witch’s nails sliding down the screen of a window to split it open and it’s like — blahhh!! Look out they’re coming! Then, the kids are investigating the home and Max goes to pull back the covers on his bed thinking that it’s Dani hiding under there and then BWWRAANNAHHHGHR! It’s Sarah! And she jumps out of bed and it’s SO SCARY! Especially when you’re a kid.

They are absolutely frightening scenes in this movie! Oooh I got a little spooked just recounting that one. I literally just turned over my shoulder to make sure no one was behind me!

Conclusion: 

I think another big function of horror is the nostalgia factor, and Hocus Pocus has it in loads for me and so many millennial kids. That’s another reason why horror can feel so healing — inhabiting the spooky end of the spectrum in particular can help us to connect with our inner child or teen, and revisit those parts of ourselves that are looking for some acknowledgement. 

For me, the fact that Hocus Pocus takes places in the 90s too just makes my heart sing. The 90s was such an amazing time for me and sidebar — did you know that there are people out there in the horror community who consider the 90s a lost decade of horror? Like — if you could see how much my jaw is on the floor right now. I honestly want to find and talk to the person who came up with that idea because it is absolutely preposterous to me. I would GUESS that the person who came up with that idea came of age during the 80s horror boom and not during the 90s.

Because I think that the type of spooky or scary movies that people like and connect with on an emotional level has something to do with what they can remember loving as a kid or teen. It’s those movies you watched on sleepovers, the ones that Disney Channel played every October and made you feel so at home. So no — the 90s is not a lost decade in horror. For me and many others, the 90s is the BEST DECADE IN HORROR. And Hocus Pocus, totally embodying the 90s witch aesthetic and ultimate joy and spirit of Halloween, is such a big part of that. 

Outro:

And that my ghouls is the story of Hocus Pocus — the greatest movie of all time! Is my horror hall pass still intact? From the bottom of my Halloween heart, thank you for journeying into the depths with me today and I hope to find you in the darkness again soon. 

Be sure to check out my Instagram @manymoonstherapy for a  diagram of the Spooky/Scary spectrum, and to see what movies I placed on the spectrum for myself! Why don’t you give it a try too?

Visit my website manymoonstherapy.com to order The Horror Concierge — A Mental Health and Horror Tarot Reading and Film Reco. When you order, I’ll ask you to fill out the spooky scary spectrum so I know what level of spook to recommend for you! If you live in Ontario and are interested in psychotherapy with me, I offer tarot x talk therapy or just talk therapy sessions, and I also offer biz consulting services for therapists looking to conjure the private practice of their dreams. You can follow me on Instagram at @manymoonstherapy and you can also learn more about me and my services through my website manymoonstherapy.com. 

OR you can also howl at the moon and I will hear your call.

Bright blessings.