I feel like when I first learned they were doing a sequel to the Millennial cult favorite Hocus Pocus, my whole body cringed. Objectively, it’s a miracle that the original has stood the test of time in the hearts of everyone born between 1981 to 1996. Plot-wise, introducing subjects like hangings, virginity, and killing kids for their youth might’ve hit a little heavy if it weren’t for the full dedication of the cast to their campy characters. And if that’s the saving grace of the first movie, it’s the saving grace of the second movie as well.

Plot: After we go back in time to establish the Sanderson Sisters’ origin story, we are brought into present-day Salem, where two girls are planning out how they want to spend their Halloween. One of them, Becca, is celebrating her birthday, and is ready to spend the evening performing birthday rituals that she and her friend Izzy have done since they were small. (There’s also a subplot about their third friend, with whom they’ve had a falling out since she got a new boyfriend.) After heading to the local magic shop (which die-hards might notice is the old Sanderson house-turned-museum in the first movie), she is gifted a special candle. And after lighting said candle during her birthday rituals in the woods that night (you can see where this is going…), she inadvertently brings back the witchy trio for another night of mayhem—and may just discover some of her own witchy magic on the way.

Alright, so OG fans will love the amount of Easter eggs in this sequel. Disney execs, as usual, clearly knew how to factor in references to the movie’s predecessor without getting too heavy-handed. And they were smart enough to realize that they needed to make a sequel and not a remake for this one, since the whole thing is propelled by the dedication of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy to be completely over the top. That being said, I was super impressed with how seamless this latest rendition is when it comes to their character. And I give them credit for pouring that amount of energy into a performance based off of source material they made when they were 30 years younger. If you’re looking for the original Sanderson Sisters, don’t worry: you got em.

In terms of making this story for modern kids, too, I was impressed at how it delivers. The laughs it goes for don’t try to mimic the tone of the original, but still targets a young audience and pulls off new angles for kids who aren’t as familiar (please see: emotionally attached) to the original. It’s also not afraid to make fun of itself, and I really enjoyed a part in the beginning where a kid asks what virginity means.

If you’re looking for something new but not TOO new, give it a go. I thought it was pretty decent.

Three outa five.