National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

Hocus Pocus was released by Walt Disney Pictures in July 1993, directed by Kenny Ortega. Though it received a modest theatrical reception, the film found its true audience through home video and cable television, becoming a seasonal staple that has only grown in cultural significance over the decades. Set in Salem, Massachusetts, it blends comedy and light horror in a way that captured a generation of young viewers and continues to draw new ones each Halloween season.

This cell presents the Hocus Pocus title card, a frame of pure graphic identity from the film's opening moments. The purple gothic lettering of the logo sits against a stark black background, a simple but immediately recognizable image that signals everything the film promises. Three frames of the same title card are preserved here, offering a clean and direct piece of the movie's visual introduction.