Save the Cat rankings

Hocus Pocus script analysis

Hocus Pocus script - Save the Cat beat sheet analysis

Hocus Pocus follows three modern-day kids who inadvertently resurrect three 17th-century witches and must outwit them before sunrise. Accompanied by the cursed cat Binx, they navigate magical traps across Salem to reclaim the witches' spellbook and save the town. The story balances comedic set pieces with escalating supernatural stakes, culminating in a clever trap to defeat the sisters.

70 Save the Cat fit score 45% analysis confidence / 13 parsed scenes

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1

Opening Image

Scene 1 / Page 1 / 1% target

42%

Introduces the eerie Salem setting and Binx’s vigil over the Sanderson house, establishing the nocturnal tone.

2

Theme Stated

Scene 3 / Page 2 / 5% target

50%

Classroom lecture hints at the persistence of evil and the need for courage against it.

The Sanderson sisters, before being hanged by a town full of most righteous and, if you ask me,...
3

Set-Up

Scenes 1-3 / Pages 1-3 / 10% target

44%

We meet Max, Allison, Dani, and learn the witches’ legend before they appear.

4

Catalyst

Scene 4 / Page 4 / 12% target

48%

Kids accidentally resurrect the Sanderson sisters, setting the adventure in motion.

Sisters, we have returned!
5

Debate

Scene 5 / Page 5 / 20% target

40%

Max’s bravado peaks as he tricks the witches, but Binx warns of real danger.

6

Break into Two

Scene 6 / Page 6 / 25% target

46%

Accepting the quest, the kids follow Binx into the woods to find the spellbook.

Shut up. I'm a cat. I'm talking to you. You understand what I'm saying. Some 300-year-old witches wanna...
7

B Story

Scene 6 / Page 6 / 30% target

43%

Binx’s relationship with the kids deepens as he explains the stakes of helping him.

8

Fun and Games

Scenes 7-11 / Pages 7-11 / 40% target

47%

A series of comedic misadventures as the witches explore nightmarish 'torture' chambers in the modern world.

9

Midpoint

Scene 9 / Page 9 / 50% target

49%

In the cemetery, Binx reveals Billy Butcherson’s backstory, raising emotional stakes.

A versatile guy, he was, Billy the Butcher.
10

Bad Guys Close In

Scenes 10-11 / Pages 10-11 / 65% target

45%

The witches, now joined by Billy, intensify their hunt, mistaking routines for torture chambers.

11

All Is Lost

Scene 12 / Page 12 / 75% target

44%

Binx confronts the sisters alone as the kids are separated, seeming to lose control.

12

Dark Night of the Soul

Scene 12 / Page 12 / 80% target

42%

Separated and frightened, the kids doubt they can trap the immortal witches by dawn.

13

Break into Three

Scene 13 / Page 13 / 85% target

46%

Max devises a final plan using the ceramic shop’s kiln to entrap the sisters.

14

Finale

Scene 13 / Page 13 / 95% target

47%

The kids execute the kiln trap, successfully defeating the witches before sunrise.

15

Final Image

Scene 13 / Page 13 / 99% target

43%

Dawn breaks safely, showing the Sanderson house dormant and the children victorious.