How to watch Hocus Pocus online: stream the classic Disney Halloween movie today
Disney's 1993 cult classic is a must-watch all year round
Hocus Pocus is a 1993 film starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters, a trio of 17th century witches who find themselves resurrected in the 20th century by a curious young boy to hilarious effect. Follow our guide as we explain how to watch Hocus Pocus online this Halloween.
Hocus Pocus is available to watch online courtesy of Disney Plus, which is available in a number of countries around the world. A subscription is dirt cheap too - Disney Plus costs from just $6.99/£7.99/AU$11.99 a month, so not a lot more than the price of one movie rental online from other services.
While not a critical or commercial success at the time of its release, Hocus Pocus has since become one of Disney’s many cult classics and is firm favorite at this time of year. Rated PG, it’s a generally family-friendly film that Common Sense Media rates as suitable for ages 10 and up.
Set in spooky Salem, Massachusetts, Hocus Pocus starts with Max Dennison (Omri Katz), a newly around kid in town, trying to impress his crush Dani (Thora Birch) by taking her to explore the house formerly occupied by the notorious Sanderson. What Max doesn’t know is that before being hung by the townsfolk back in 1693, one of the witches - Midler’s Winifred - cast a spell allowing them to be resurrected on Halloween.
And whilst showing off to his would-be girlfriend, that’s exactly what Max does, kicking off a Halloween none of them will ever forget! Read on as we explain how to watch Hocus Pocus online this Halloween and offer more details about the Disney Plus service.
How to watch Hocus Pocus online with Disney Plus
As Disney Plus has now rolled out in North America, Europe and parts of Asia - with a Latin American launch scheduled for November - watching Hocus Pocus using the service is easier than ever. If you’re located in a country that does have access to Disney Plus, you just need to head to the Disney Plus website and sign up for the service to watch Hocus Pocus online.
In addition to being the exclusive home of Hocus Pocus, the service also gives you access to Disney’s huge back catalogue - and Fox’s as well. This means you can watch more classic Disney films like Cinderella, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King, every episode of The Simpsons ever made and much more. Pixar movies, Marvel flicks, the entire Star Wars catalogue...it's all on Disney Plus for just $6.99/£7.99/AU$11.99 a month.
Plus, the addition of Star on Disney Plus more than doubles the amount of grown-up content on the service for just a marginal price increase. Some of the best Star on Disney Plus shows at launch include Big Sky, Solar Opposites, and Love, Victor. Parents can sleep easy, too, as the rollout of the channel includes a slew of new parental control features to ensure the service stays as family-friendly as ever.
How to save money on Disney+
Disney Plus is already cheaper than competing streaming services like Netflix but you can save even more when you sign up for an annual subscription which gives you 15% off the monthly price. Obviously you have to splash the cash at the start, but with so much content to get stuck in to we very much doubt you'll run out of things to watch before the 12 months are up. You're looking at $69.99/£79.90/AU$119.99 for the year.
Or if your interests are farther reaching (and you're in the US), then we'd seriously suggest looking at the fantastic value bundle package. It adds Hulu and ESPN+ to your subscription price. The Hulu element opens up a world of Hulu Originals such as The Great, Upload, Helstrom and Normal People. While ESPN+ brings tonnes of exclusive live sport, highlights and documentaries. The combined bundle costs just $12.99 a month.
What else should I know about Disney+?
Disney Plus is showing no signs of slowing down since the service first launched last November and in addition to being the exclusive release platform of new Pixar movies like Soul, subscribers can look forward to Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian, Mulan, Hamilton, WandaVision and much more.
The streaming service has apps for iOS and Android (of course), and is available to watch online via the likes of Amazon Fire TV Stick, PS4, Xbox One and Roku streaming devices.
Now that Disney has set the precedent of releasing its live-action Mulan remake on the service instead of in theaters through its Premier Access program, expect the company to keep bring more blockbuster films that were originally intended to be shown on the big screen to Disney Plus in 2021.
And finally, there's the new Star on Disney Plus payload that most global markets get to enjoy and sees the amount of content available through Disney Plus more than double, with a particular eye to shows grown-ups are going to enjoy. It costs a tiny bit more, but is worth it based on our initial impressions - and you can still save big by going with an annual subscription.
Read more:
- Head to our Disney Plus guide for all the information you need
- Make sure you get the best value with our Disney Plus price guide
- How to watch WandaVision online
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James is a technology journalist with nearly 10 years experience and currently Sports and TV Streaming Editor at Future, where he works across TechRadar, T3 and Tom's Guide. He is here to help you find the best ways to watch sports, TV shows and movies online. Previously, he was News and Features Editor at Trusted Reviews, Editor of Lifehacker UK, and Senior Staff Writer at ITProPortal.