Trivia - Hocus Pocus

For more than three decades, audiences of all ages have been enchanted by Disney’s beloved Halloween classic “Hocus Pocus!” Who could forget the delightfully wicked Sanderson Sisters — Winifred, Sarah, and Mary — as they return from the dead to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting town of Salem? Armed with Winifred’s infamous Book of Spells, the three mischievous witches set their sights on children Dani and Max Dennison and their new friend Allison, turning one Halloween night into a spellbinding adventure filled with magic, mayhem, and plenty of laughs!

When “Hocus Pocus” first arrived in theaters in 1993, the film received mixed reviews from critics and failed to become the box-office sensation Disney might have hoped for. But, as any good witch knows, some spells take time to work their magic! Thanks to annual Halloween-season airings on the Disney Channel and Freeform (formerly ABC Family), the film gradually found a devoted following, transforming into a full-fledged cult classic and an essential part of the Halloween viewing tradition. Today, for countless fans, October just wouldn’t be complete without revisiting the hilarious antics of Bette Midler’s gloriously wicked Winifred, Sarah Jessica Parker’s enchanting Sarah, and Kathy Najimy’s hilariously dimwitted Mary.

In honor of my recent conversation with “Hocus Pocus” star Doug Jones on Hollywood Obsessed Podcast (Episodes 193 & 194 ), who brought the delightfully creepy William “Billy” Butcherson to life, I thought it was the perfect time to revisit this Halloween favorite! Billy, you may recall, was Winifred’s former lover, whom she poisoned back in 1693 after discovering his infidelity — only to have him resurrected as a wonderfully gruesome, stitched-up zombie nearly 300 years later. With Doug’s unforgettable performance fresh in my mind, what better way to celebrate this spooky Disney gem than by digging up some fascinating trivia, surprising production secrets, and wickedly entertaining behind-the-scenes stories?

So, grab your broomstick, dim the lights, light a few candles, and prepare to travel back to 1993! It’s time to unlock the secrets of the original “Hocus Pocus” film and discover what really went on behind the scenes of this Halloween classic. Just be careful what you do — because it’s all just a bunch of hocus pocus!

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Although we now think of Hocus Pocus as a Halloween classic, the film was actually released in July 1993! One possible reason for the summer release was to avoid competition with Disney’s upcoming animated feature, The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Hocus Pocus was filmed over the course of five months in Salem, Massachusetts, and several other locations, bringing the spooky world of the Sanderson Sisters to life!

The role of Max Dennison was originally offered to Leonardo DiCaprio. However, he turned it down to star alongside Johnny Depp in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993).

Believe it or not, the role of Winifred Sanderson was originally written with Cloris Leachman in mind! While developing the film, story originator David Kirschner envisioned Leachman in the role, inspired by her memorable performance in Mel Brooks’ comedy classic Young Frankenstein.

For her deliciously wicked portrayal of Winifred Sanderson, Bette Midler drew inspiration from two legendary screen witches: Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Anjelica Huston as the Grand High Witch in The Witches (1990).

Hollywood siblings Garry Marshall and Penny Marshall play a married couple in Hocus Pocus! Garry is the man dressed as Satan who the Sanderson Sisters mistakenly believe he is a fellow witch and their "Master".

Take a closer look at the stitches keeping Billy Butcherson’s (played by Doug Jones) mouth sewn shut, and you’ll discover a hidden detail! They’re arranged in the pattern of XIII, the Roman numerals for 13.

Kathy Najimy was initially hesitant to play Mary Sanderson because she worried that the character’s stereotypical portrayal of a witch might offend real-life witches.

Doug Jones’ performance as Billy Butcherson in Hocus Pocus earned him a pre-nomination for a comedy award.

Contrary to a popular rumor, the song Sarah Sanderson sings while flying through the sky was neither written by Edgar Allan Poe nor composed in his poetic style. The song was written specifically for Hocus Pocus by Brock Walsh, with music composed by James Horner. It is the only musical number in the film not composed by John Debney.

When Bette Midler takes the stage at the town’s Halloween party, she greets the crowd with, “Hello, Salem, my name is Winifred. What’s yours?” The line is a playful nod to the famous introduction, “Hello, everybody, my name is Rose, what’s yours?” from the musical Gypsy. Midler herself played the legendary Mama Rose in the television adaptation, Gypsy (1993), released the same year as Hocus Pocus.

Sarah Jessica Parker has revealed that the harness she wore during the flying scenes was so comfortable that she would sometimes sit and read The New York Times whenever the director called cut or the crew took a lunch break. Now that’s a witch who knows how to make herself comfortable!

The cemetery set was constructed on the largest soundstage at Walt Disney Studios. To make the setting look as authentic as possible, real birch and elm trees were uprooted on the East Coast and transported to the soundstage!

Disney purchased the Hocus Pocus script in 1984, but the project remained on the shelf for eight years. Originally titled Disney’s Halloween House, the film was envisioned as a much darker and scarier story than the beloved Halloween comedy audiences know today.

For his role as Billy Butcherson, Doug Jones had real, live moths emerge from a specially designed latex pocket inside his mouth! Rather than relying on computer-generated imagery (CGI), the filmmakers used a practical effect to create Billy’s wonderfully gruesome moment.

The costumes worn by the partygoers in the Halloween party scene came from Disney’s extensive collection of wardrobe pieces from earlier productions! In an interview with Glamour, costume designer Mary Vogt explained that her department was running out of money toward the end of production. Fortunately, she had access to Disney’s costume archives and found plenty of possibilities. Among her discoveries were three red sequin dresses that inspired her to dress three women as a version of The Supremes. 

Thackery Binx’s feline form was brought to life using a combination of a real cat and computer-generated animation. The filmmakers filmed the cat’s movements and then replaced its head with a CGI model to create the immortal black cat we see on screen.

Keep your eyes peeled for a Disney Easter egg! When the Sanderson Sisters get off the bus, one of the children out trick-or-treating is dressed as Mrs. Potts from Disney’s animated classic Beauty and the Beast.

In October 2020, the cast of Hocus Pocus reunited for a virtual special hosted by Bette Midler to benefit the New York Restoration Project. The one-night-only event was available to fans who purchased tickets to watch the special. Alongside Midler, Kathy Najimy, Sarah Jessica Parker, Doug Jones, and other cast members, the reunion featured an impressive lineup of special guests, including Cassandra Peterson, better known as Elvira; Jamie Lee Curtis; Meryl Streep; John Stamos; Glenn Close; Billy Crystal; and Adam Lambert.

The inspiration for Hocus Pocus came from a bedtime story that producer and co-writer David Kirschner used to tell his children. Who knew that a story created for bedtime would eventually become one of Disney’s most beloved Halloween movies?

One of the film’s most iconic musical moments comes when the Sanderson Sisters cast a spell over Salem’s adult population with their unforgettable rendition of “I Put a Spell on You.” The song was made famous by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and later became closely associated with Nina Simone, but Hocus Pocus gave it a whole new life. As Bette Midler explained in an interview with Yahoo!, “Screamin’ Jay Hawkins made the song immortal; I just cribbed it.” She also revealed that the lyric “Of all the witches working, I’m the worst” was her own contribution. Clearly, Winifred knew how to put her personal stamp on a classic!

Sean Murray played the human version of Thackery Binx, while Jason Marsden provided the voice for both Binx’s human and feline forms. In 2017, Marsden told The Daily Beast that the filmmakers replaced Murray’s voice with his own because Murray sounded too contemporary. They wanted Binx to have an “affected accent” that better reflected the time period in which the witches originally lived.

Early in the film, Mary delivers a memorable compliment to her eldest sister, declaring, “Winifred, thou art divine!” It’s a particularly fitting line for Bette Midler, who is famously known as “The Divine Miss M.”

Here’s a fun location detail for fans who visit Salem! Allison’s house is just two doors away from the historic Witch House, the former home of Salem witch-trial judge Jonathan Corwin. The proximity makes the neighborhood an especially fitting backdrop for the film’s spooky story.

To bring Mary Sanderson to life, Kathy Najimy approached the character as though she were a hound dog on the hunt for her prey. That distinctive physicality helped give Mary her hilarious, twitchy mannerisms and made her one of the Sanderson Sisters’ most entertaining members.

Early in the film, after Max’s teacher finishes telling the class the story of the Sanderson Sisters, Max doodles on a piece of paper. Look closely, and you’ll spot the words “The Grateful Dead,” accompanied by a cannabis leaf. It’s a cheeky little detail that’s easy to miss if you’re too busy worrying about the witches’ return!

Rosie O’Donnell was reportedly offered the role of Mary Sanderson before Kathy Najimy was cast. According to O’Donnell’s own blog, she turned down the opportunity to work alongside Bette Midler because she didn’t want to play a “scary witch.” In hindsight, Najimy’s wonderfully goofy take on Mary proved to be a perfect fit!

Actor Doug Jones played the goofy zombie Billy Butcherson in Hocus Pocus (1993) and returned for the 2022 sequel Hocus Pocus 2.

That immortal black cat in Hocus Pocus may look familiar to fans of another magical television series! The same animatronic feline was reportedly used for Sabrina the Teenage Witch. As reported by Screen Rant, the animatronic cat used for Salem Saberhagen in the 1996 fantasy series and Thackery Binx in Hocus Pocus was one and the same. Apparently, this feline had a pretty impressive Hollywood résumé!

During the scene at Satan’s house, pay attention to the television commercial playing in the background while the baby appears on screen. It’s actually a real commercial for stain-resistant carpeting! Even a visit to the Devil’s home couldn’t escape the world of household advertising.

Here’s a sweet bit of trivia about the Sanderson Sisters’ names: Mary and Sarah share their first names with the actresses who portray them, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker. In Najimy’s case, Mary is her middle name, making the connection especially fitting!

In a remarkable twist of family history, Sarah Jessica Parker discovered through genealogical research that her 10th great-grandmother, Esther Elwell, was arrested on suspicion of witchcraft in Salem during the late 1600s. Talk about a spooky connection to Hocus Pocus! Parker’s real-life family history reaches back to the very era that inspired the film’s infamous witch trials.

The film spawned a franchise, consisting of a sequel novelization, a theme park attraction, a TV special, and even a short film. A sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, written by Jen D'Angelo and directed by Anne Fletcher, was released on September 30, 2022, on Disney+, with a third film currently in the works.

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Some of the facts featured in this article were sourced from IMDb and Wikipedia.

If this “Hocus Pocus” trivia has you craving even more behind-the-scenes secrets from Disney’s beloved Halloween classic, then you won’t want to miss my fascinating two-part conversation with Billy Butcherson himself, actor Doug Jones, featured on Hollywood Obsessed Podcast in Episodes 193 and 194!

During our conversation, Doug takes me behind the scenes of “Hocus Pocus”, sharing how he landed the unforgettable role of the lovable, stitched-up zombie, Billy Butcherson. He also reflects on working alongside Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, Sarah Jessica Parker, and the rest of the cast, while sharing wonderful memories of making a film that has become a cherished Halloween tradition for generations of fans.

But there’s so much more to Doug Jones’ remarkable story than “Hocus Pocus”! We explore his extraordinary Hollywood journey, from his memorable portrayal of Mac Tonight in McDonald’s iconic 1980s television commercials to the unforgettable non-human characters he has portrayed in several Guillermo Del Toro films, and with his celebrated three decades of work in film and television. Along the way, Doug reveals fascinating insights into a career that has made him one of Hollywood’s most sought-after and beloved creature and character actors.

Our conversation is candid, entertaining, nostalgic, and packed with terrific stories about Doug’s incredible career, Hollywood history, and the passion, perseverance, and talent it takes to build a lasting career in show business.

Whether you’re a longtime “Hocus Pocus” fan, a devoted Doug Jones admirer, or simply someone who loves fascinating behind-the-scenes Hollywood stories, this is a conversation you absolutely won’t want to miss!

LISTEN TO MY FULL CONVERSATION WITH DOUG JONES ON HOLLYWOOD OBSESSED PODCAST!

Episode 193: HERE

Episode 194: HERE