The concept of a religious parent being concerned about unleashing hell on their children through media is certainly nothing new. But it is always fun when a new story like this rears its head.
We probably should have figured it would pop up as Hocus Pocus 2 was released on Disney+, and sure enough, a Texas woman named Jamie Gooch came through in the clutch.
In a Facebook post that went viral and quickly went private for obvious reasons, Gooch explained that exposing our children to Hocus Pocus 2 had the potential unintended consequence of making families “fall victim to the schemes hell.”
Gooch said that witches and warlocks perform satanic rituals that require the sacrifice of children so that they may gain more power in the underworld. The plot of both Hocus Pocus movies is not too dissimilar to that, as the Sanderson sisters must feed on the souls of children in order to stay young themselves. And by exposing our kids to that kind of entertainment, Gooch wants all of us to know that that could be opening a direct portal to the whims of Satan and his demonic lackeys straight through your television.
You can understand how a Facebook post like this might go viral. But as far as the movie itself is concerned, you couldn’t ask for better free publicity. Buoyed by both nostalgic parents and people potentially interested in opening portals to hell in their living room, the sequel to the 1993 cult classic set a new record for a Disney+ original during the first three days of its release.
Still, we deserved to get this one in theaters. After all, if I’m opening a gate to hell for my kids, I want it on the biggest screen possible.
