MovieChat Forums > Hocus Pocus (1993) Discussion > Hocus Pocus vs. A Christmas Story

Hocus Pocus vs. A Christmas Story


This video right here argues that Hocus Pocus is at this point, to Halloween what A Christmas Story is to well...you know:
https://youtu.be/8_MBnwgdCbQ

Both are seasonal kids movies that didn't make a lot of waves during their original theatrical releases (less than ten years apart no less) but have since become synonymous with the respected holidays that they are set in because they're on television all of the time. And as with A Christmas Story, Hocus Pocus has become one of those movies where people know every single line.

*Better lead protagonist: Max vs. Ralphie

*Better younger sibling: Dani vs. Randy

*Better bully duo: Jay and Ice vs. Scut Farkus and Grover Dil

*Better parents: Dave and Jenny Dennison vs. The Old Man and Mrs. Parker

*Better teacher: Ms. Olin vs. Ms. Shields

*Better running gag: "A virgin lit the black flame candle!" vs. "You'll shoot your eye out!"

*Better "what do you mean this is for kids?" moment: Dani talking about how much Max loves Allison's "yabbos" vs. the leg lamp that Ralphie's father wins

*More embarrassing moment for a kid: Max gets his white shoes stolen by Jay and Ice vs. Flick gets his tongue stuck to the flagpole

*Worse thing to be caught by someone else saying: Dani catches Max in his bed fantasying about Allison vs. Ralphie saying "Oh fudge!" in clear earshot of his father.

*Better sequel: Hocus Pocus 2 vs. A Christmas Story Christmas

A Christmas Story as far as I can remember, doesn't have a clear Allison counterpart. Also, the closest equivalent that I can think of to the Sanderson sisters in A Christmas Story (i.e. a trio of adult antagonists) is the mean department store Santa and his two equally mean (if not meaner) elves.

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Picking nits but My Summer Story was really the sequel to A Christmas Story. We had a VHS tape and my two boys wore it out. Very underrated IMO.


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I consider A Christmas Story Christmas to be the "official" sequel since it brings Peter Billingsley back as Ralphie Parker.

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Yeah, and it's a decent movie, too, unlike many sequels. Not up to the original, but still well worth seeing for fans.

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You could say A Christmas Story Christmas is probably a better sequel if you consider the Christmas aspect, but Summer Story took directly from Jean Shepperd's writings and was narrated by him, plus was the first film to follow A Christmas Story. It's too bad that it wasn't filmed sooner with the original cast.


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My Summer Story technically, is not the first film to follow A Christmas Story. There was a made for TV movie from 1988 called Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ollie_Hopnoodle%27s_Haven_of_Bliss

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