It’s almost time for Halloween which can only mean that it’s the perfect time for your annual Hocus Pocus screening. It truly is the perfect film for the occasion, especially if you’ve got younger ones at home.
As everyone knows, the Disney film tells the tale of new kid on the block Max Dennison (Omri Katz), who inadvertently unleashes three dangerous Salem witches, the Sanderson Sisters, upon his new town. Together with his younger sister Dani (Thora Birch), high-school crush Allison (Vinessa Shaw), and immortal talking cat Binx (Jason Marsden), he must find a way to stop the sisters once and for all.
This year is a very special year for Hocus Pocus as it turns twenty-five. That’s right, the 1990’s are now a good twenty years ago, well and truly in the past. In a bid to soften that blow, and celebrate this landmark birthday for a gem of a film, we’ve compiled a list of facts that you probably never knew about the Halloween classic.
1. It’s not just us that loves Hocus Pocus, in several interviews over the years, Bette Midler, who plays lead sister Winifred, has stated that this is one of her favourite films of hers.
2. The part of Max Dennison is played by Omri Katz, whom nineties children will know from the brilliant television series Eerie, Indiana. He almost didn’t get the part due to being rather ill during his first audition. He also had very strong competition from a young Leonardo DiCaprio. Leo however, passed on the project in favour of starring in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?
3. Another role that could have been very different is that of youngest Sanderson sister Sarah. In the final film, the character is of course played by Sarah Jessica Parker, but another young, and then unknown actress called Jennifer Lopez also auditioned for the part.
4. Hocus Pocus has some great music and was meant to feature one more track. Roxette’s Almost Unreal was originally part of the soundtrack, but was removed. It later appeared as the title song from everyone’s favourite computer game movie – Super Mario Bros.
5. Despite being about Halloween, Hocus Pocus was released in the summer. This was so that it didn’t clash with Disney’s other Halloween film that year – The Nightmare Before Christmas. That film is definitely more of a Christmas film, so it seems Disney like to operate a season ahead. Hocus Pocus made it to number four on the box office charts, but was hindered by its out of season release, as well as having competition in the form of fellow family film, Free Willy.
6. Everyone’s favourite man in a monster suit, Doug Jones, plays Hocus Pocus’ resident zombie Billy. He spends most of the film seemingly chasing our heroes, but once he finally speaks, it’s clear that he’s on their side. Once he finally manages to unpick his sewn together mouth there are a handful of moths that fly out. The super-gross thing is that they were real moths, not CGI ones. Doug Jones is certainly an actor committed to his craft.
7. The part of Thackery Binx is played by two different actors. The human version we see at the beginning and end is Sean Murray, whilst the cat incarnation is voiced by Jason Marsden (who also appeared in Eerie, Indiana). To ensure consistency across the character, Marsden dubbed over Murray’s lines.
8. The married couple of Satan and ‘Medusa’ are real-life brother and sister, Garry and Penny Marshall.
9. After believing they have burned the Sanderson Sisters to death, Dani and Allison begin happily dancing in front of a fountain. That fountain would go on to become one of the most famous fountains on television. It’s none other than the fountain from the Friends opening credits.
10. The initial script for the film was titled ‘Disney’s Halloween House’ and was completed in 1984. All the protagonists were aged twelve and it was very akin to an Amblin film; it was apparently much darker and scarier. Over the next eight years it was molded into the softer and more light-hearted affair that we all know and love.
Hocus Pocus is currently available to buy on a snazzy 25th Anniversary Blu-Ray.
Kat Hughes is a UK born film critic and interviewer who has a passion for horror films. An editor for THN, Kat is also a Rotten Tomatoes Approved Critic. She has bylines with Ghouls Magazine, Arrow Video, Film Stories, Certified Forgotten and FILMHOUNDS and has had essays published in home entertainment releases by Vinegar Syndrome and Second Sight. When not writing about horror, Kat hosts micro podcast Movies with Mummy along with her five-year-old daughter.
