• Is it age appropriate?

  About our ratings

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  Not age appropriate for kids under 8, age appropriate for kids over 11; suggested age 11.

• Is it any good?

  3.0

• Common Sense says

  Rollicking Halloween fun for tweens and up.

Why We Rated This for Ages 11 and Up

The good stuff

• Messages:

  The teenage newbie in town (Max), his love interest (Allison) and his kid sister (Dani) outwit three naughty witches on Halloween. Along the way they learn about friendship and teamwork.
• Role models:

  Max, Dani and Allison support each other and tackle the witches with intelligence. There are bullies and bad witches but these characters are very clearly in the wrong.

What to watch out for

• Violence:

  The violence is all magical, but there are a couple of gross-out scenes, such as a cat getting run over by a bus and a zombie cutting his mouth open. Some bullying; a child dies onscreen but not violently -- the witches take her life-force while she's in a trance-like state and she quietly slumps over in a chair.
• Sex:

  References to virginity and an unfaithful lover; some flirting. Boy hugs a pillow and says "Oh, Allison, you're so soft."
• Language:

  Mild; the only offenders are "damn," "wench," "moron," and "go to hell."
• Consumerism:

  Not an issue.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

  References to "hash" and "smokes," but none are smoked by the kids or adults.

What Parents Need to Know

About Hocus Pocus

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