Ask anyone to name the stars of Hocus Pocus, and you’ll get the big three immediately: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy. Maybe they’ll throw in Thora Birch or a mention of the talking cat. But for a certain generation of fans, the real MVP of the 1993 cult classic wasn’t a witch or a cursed feline. It was Jenny Dennison.
Stephanie Faracy played the Dennison matriarch with a blend of "cool mom" energy and total oblivious chaos. You know the one. She's the reason why, thirty years later, people are still trying to DIY a cone bra out of cardboard and spray paint every October.
The Iconic Look That Almost Didn't Happen
Let's talk about the outfit. Stephanie Faracy’s character, Jenny, spends the bulk of her screen time at the town's adult Halloween party. While her kids are literally fighting for their lives against soul-sucking hags, Jenny is living her best life. She's dressed as "Blonde Ambition" era Madonna.
It was a bold move for a Disney mom.
The costume designer, Mary Vogt, actually admitted years later that she felt a bit embarrassed by how "cheesy" the outfit looked. It was meant to look like something a suburban mom threw together at the last minute. Red bodysuit? Check. Golden cone bra? Check. Headset microphone that definitely wasn't plugged into anything? Absolutely.
Faracy, however, leaned into it. She didn't just wear the costume; she owned the ridiculousness of a woman in her 40s trying to channel a pop icon while her husband (played by the late Charles Rocket) wandered around in a vampire cape.
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Why Stephanie Faracy Was the Secret Sauce
Honestly, the movie needs the parents to be useless. That’s the "Amblin" style of storytelling—kids versus the world. But Faracy made Jenny more than just a plot device to keep the adults out of the way.
She brought a specific brand of frantic, relocated-from-LA energy to Salem. Her character was just trying so hard to fit in. When the Sanderson Sisters burst into the town hall to sing "I Put a Spell on You," Jenny isn't scared. She's thrilled. She’s the one leading the dance floor, completely unaware that she’s being magically compelled to dance until she dies.
It’s a hilarious performance because it’s so grounded in that "embarrassing parent" reality.
A Career Beyond the Cone Bra
While many people only know her from this one spooky night in Salem, Faracy has been a staple of character acting for decades. If you’ve watched TV in the last forty years, you’ve seen her.
- The Great Outdoors: She played Connie, the wife to John Candy’s character.
- Sideways: She had a memorable turn in the Oscar-winning wine road trip flick.
- Modern Family / Desperate Housewives: She’s been the "go-to" for guest spots that require a specific mix of warmth and neurosis.
Most recently, she’s been killing it on the Netflix series Nobody Wants This. In a stroke of genius meta-humor, her character in that show actually wears a modernized version of the Madonna outfit in the second season. It’s a wink to the fans that says, "Yeah, we know."
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The Hocus Pocus 2 Snub?
When the sequel finally dropped on Disney+ a couple of years ago, fans were looking for cameos. We got the witches, we got Billy Butcherson, but the Dennison parents were nowhere to be found.
Some people were bummed. Why wouldn't Jenny and Dave be back?
In reality, the story had moved on. The sequel focused on a new generation of Salem kids. Bringing back the original parents might have felt forced, though a quick shot of Jenny still rocking that headset at a senior center would have been gold. Faracy herself has stayed busy enough that she probably didn't need the nostalgia trip, though she’s always spoken fondly of the "cheesy" red bodysuit days.
What Most People Get Wrong
There’s a common misconception that the parents in Hocus Pocus were just "bad" parents. I’d argue the opposite. Jenny and Dave were just people who moved their kids across the country and were trying to make the best of a holiday they didn't really understand.
They weren't neglectful; they were enchanted!
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If a 300-year-old witch with a vacuum cleaner starts singing a Broadway-caliber showstopper, you’re going to dance. You can't blame Stephanie Faracy for that.
Actionable Nostalgia for Fans
If you're looking to celebrate the Faracy legacy, here's how to do it without just rewatching the movie for the 50th time:
- Check out "Nobody Wants This" on Netflix. Season 2, Episode 6 is the big payoff where she recreates the look. It’s a masterclass in how to age gracefully while still being able to poke fun at your most famous roles.
- Look for the "Easter Eggs" in Hocus Pocus 2. Even though she isn't in it, there are background characters in the festival scenes wearing variations of her iconic Madonna costume. It’s become the "unofficial" uniform of Salem.
- Appreciate the character work. Next time you watch the original, pay attention to her facial expressions during the "I Put a Spell on You" sequence. The woman is giving 110% to a role that could have been a cardboard cutout.
Stephanie Faracy remains a vital part of the Halloween canon because she represented the fun side of the holiday. While the witches were scary and the kids were stressed, Jenny Dennison was just there for the party. And honestly? Same.
Next Step: You should definitely look up the "Making Of" interviews for the 1993 film, where the cast discusses how they filmed the town hall party over several long, grueling nights—which explains why everyone looks so genuinely exhausted by the end of the song.