Spooky Facts About Hocus Pocus
“There are those who say that on Halloween Night, a black cat still guards the old Sanderson House, warding off any who might make the Witches come back to life.” –Miss Olin
“Don't get your knickers in a twist! We're just three kindly old spinster ladies.” –Winifred Sanderson
It’s been 25 years since the Sanderson sisters first came flying into our lives, hoping to put a spell on all of us. And every year, Winifred, Sarah, and Mary do just that. Hocus Pocus may not have been a big hit when it was originally released, but it has gone on to become a cult classic, a film that new generations of kids get to anticipate every Halloween. There are a lot of interesting things that we never really knew about the movie, and also things we simply overlooked because we loved it so much. Things like big-name celebs who turned down certain roles, or even time-period issues that make us say, “wait, what?” Nonetheless, it’s still a great film for families (and singles!) to watch year after year.
Hocus Pocus Facts
29. Abracadabra, Indeed!
Twice in the film we hear the line “it’s all just a bunch of Hocus Pocus!” The first when Max is lighting the black flame candle that ends up starting all the mayhem, and the second when Winifred says it later on, presumably quoting Max.
But wait—she was technically still dead when he said it. How could she have known? Maybe it all really is just a bunch of hocus pocus after all.
28. Don’t Believe Everything We Read
Critics were particularly harsh for this light-hearted movie, Entertainment Weekly specifically. They called Hocus Pocus “acceptable scary-silly kid fodder that adults will find only mildly insulting. Unless they’re Bette Midler fans. In which case it’s depressing as hell.” In part because of all the negative reviews, the film’s earnings dropped a good 6 million dollars just weeks after its release.
27. All in the Neighborhood
Spoiler alert! The witches die. And they kind of die in a kiln, but hey, they weren’t very nice. The reason I bring this up is actually because of Max. He’s celebrating in front of a house that may seem a little familiar: It’s the house from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. And just down the street? The same witch house from the TV show Bewitched. Oh, and the house Thora Birch’s character lives in during her later film, American Beauty, also makes an appearance.
