Hocus Pocus (1993 film) the movie, in an attempt to prove there's nothing to the story. Hocus Pocus (1993 film) Hocus Pocus is a 1993 American comedy horror fantasy film directed by Kenny Ortega, starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker; written by Neil Cuthbert and Mick Garris, and based on a story by Garris and David Kirschner. It follows a villainous trio of witches, who are inadvertently resurrected by a teenage boy in Salem, Massachusetts. Although it was not a critical or commercial success when it was first released, "Hocus Pocus" has become a cult film, largely from annual airings on
Bette Midler on the set." While the original book and film had tremendous cultural impact, the remake was marked by poor reviews by many critics, and a financial loss of approximately $40 million at the box office. Midler joined forces again with Manilow for another tribute album, "Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook". Released in October 2005, the album sold 55,000 copies the first week of release, returned Midler to the top ten of US "Billboard" 200, and was nominated for a Grammy Award. Midler released a new Christmas album titled "Cool Yule" in 2006, which featured a duet of Christmastime