TV - Movies
The Satanic Panic
Over Disney's
Hocus Pocus
Explained
By CHRIS PEREZ
Disney's "Hocus Pocus" franchise has been a Halloween staple for nearly three decades. But just like its predecessor, the Anne Fletcher-directed sequel has managed to spark outrage among members of certain religious groups, who reportedly believe it to be a vessel for satanic worship and "darkness," as one Texas mom puts it.
Texas mom, Jamie Gooch's Facebook page recently went viral after she posted a message urging "mommas" not to let their kids see "Hocus Pocus 2" on account of its dark subject matter. According to Gooch, Disney is attempting to "bewitch" and "hypnotize" children, while also aiding in "the desensitization of the coming evil in this world."
"Anything could be coming through that TV screen into your home," she later stated during a local TV news interview urging parents not to allow their children to watch. This isn't the first case of hysteria, in the early 1990s, when the original "Hocus Pocus" was released, conservative Christians across the country were reportedly paranoid over the alleged existence of satanic cults and Wiccan ritual killings.