It’s kind of wild when you think about it. Back in 1993, Hocus Pocus and the Sanderson Sisters were basically a box office flop. Disney released a movie about executed witches coming back to life in the middle of July—right against Free Willy and Jurassic Park. Critics hated it. Gene Siskel called it "dreadful." It lost the studio millions of dollars.
Fast forward thirty years.
Now, you can’t walk into a Target in October without seeing Winifred’s buck teeth on a coffee mug. The movie isn't just a "cult classic" anymore; it’s a legitimate cultural pillar. It’s the seasonal equivalent of A Christmas Story. But why? Why did a movie that was once considered a failure become the definitive aesthetic of modern Halloween?
The answer isn't just nostalgia. It’s the specific, chaotic energy brought by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy. They didn't just play witches. They created a trio of drag-inspired, vaudevillian villains that somehow feel both terrifying and like people you’d want to have a drink with. Honestly, the industry didn't know what to do with them in the 90s because they didn't fit the "spooky" mold of the time.
The Weird History of Hocus Pocus and the Sanderson Sisters
Most people don't realize this movie started as a bedtime story. David Kirschner, the producer, made up the tale of the sisters to entertain his kids. He eventually pitched it to Disney by decorating a conference room with broomsticks and hanging a vacuum cleaner from the ceiling.
It worked.
The original script was way darker. In the early drafts, the kids were much younger, and the tone was straight-up horror. Disney, being Disney, leaned into the musical comedy aspect. This was a gamble. You have to remember that in 1993, the "teen horror-comedy" genre wasn't really a thing yet. Scream hadn't happened. Buffy was still just a movie most people ignored.
The casting was the secret sauce. Bette Midler has gone on record saying Winifred Sanderson is her favorite role of all time. You can see it in every frame. She’s chewing the scenery. She’s doing a Three Stooges routine while trying to suck the souls out of children. It’s a tonal tightrope walk that shouldn't work, but it does.
Winifred: The Mastermind in Velvet
Winifred is the engine. Without her, the other two are just lost in the woods. Midler based a lot of Winifred's movements on old-school musical theater. She’s loud. She’s demanding. She’s incredibly insecure about her looks.
She's also the only one who actually knows magic. Mary and Sarah are basically her henchmen, though "henchmen" is a strong word for two people who spend most of the movie being distracted by bus drivers and paved roads.
Mary and Sarah: The Chaotic Support
Kathy Najimy’s Mary is a masterclass in physical comedy. That weird, crooked-jaw thing she does? Najimy just came up with that in rehearsals. The writers didn't plan it. It became so iconic that she had to keep it up for the entire 2022 sequel, even though she later admitted it was a bit of a literal pain in the neck to maintain.
Then there's Sarah. Sarah Jessica Parker played Sarah Sanderson as a "siren" who is basically a golden retriever in a corset. She’s easily the most dangerous because of her voice—"Come Little Children" is still haunting—but she’s also the one most likely to get distracted by a shiny object.
The Salem Connection: Fact vs. Fiction
The movie is set in Salem, Massachusetts. If you go there today, it’s basically the headquarters of Hocus Pocus and the Sanderson Sisters fandom. You can visit the Ropes Mansion (Allison’s house) or Old Town Hall.
But the "history" in the movie? It's complete nonsense.
The real Salem Witch Trials happened in 1692, not 1693. None of the "witches" were actually burned at the stake; that’s an English thing. In New England, they were hanged. Also, the Sanderson house is a total fabrication. There were no grand Victorian-style houses with massive basements in 17th-century Salem. People lived in small, cramped, dark wooden structures.
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Does it matter? Not really. The movie isn't trying to be a documentary. It’s trying to be a vibe. It captures the feeling of a New England autumn perfectly. The orange leaves, the crisp air, the sense that something might be lurking in the woods—that’s what keeps people coming back.
Why the Sequel Took 29 Years
For decades, fans begged for a sequel. Disney was hesitant. "It’s a cult hit, but will people actually show up?" they wondered.
Then came Disney+.
The streaming era changed everything for Hocus Pocus and the Sanderson Sisters. When Hocus Pocus 2 finally dropped in 2022, it broke records. It became the most-watched movie premiere on Disney+ at the time.
The sequel did something interesting. It gave the sisters a backstory. We see them as young girls in Salem, being outcasted by a religious leader (played by Tony Hale). It tried to humanize them a bit, showing that their bond as sisters was more important than their quest for eternal youth.
Some fans hated the "softening" of the villains. Others loved the depth.
The reality is that you can't capture lightning in a bottle twice. The original movie was a product of a specific moment in the 90s where practical effects (like the animatronic Binx the cat) had a certain charm that CGI can’t quite replicate.
The Binx Factor: A Tale of Two Cats
Thackery Binx is the heart of the first movie. He’s the tragic figure. But did you know it took nine different cats to play him? And a very expensive animatronic head for the talking scenes.
The CGI for Binx was actually groundbreaking for 1993. Rhythm & Hues, the studio that did the effects, had to figure out how to make a cat’s mouth move realistically without looking like a cartoon. It was one of the first times digital skin was used to bridge the gap between a real animal and a puppet.
Interestingly, Sean Murray (who you might know from NCIS) played the human Binx, but he didn't voice the cat. Jason Marsden did the voice. The producers felt Murray’s voice sounded too modern for a kid from the 1600s. Marsden had that theatrical, slightly posh "old-timey" accent that fit the period.
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How to Celebrate Like a Sanderson
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of Hocus Pocus and the Sanderson Sisters, don't just watch the movie for the 50th time.
- Visit the Real Locations: Salem is a madhouse in October. If you want to actually see the filming locations without 100,000 other people, go in September or early November. The Ropes Mansion is a must-see, but the Pioneer Village (where the opening scene takes place) is where the real atmosphere is.
- Read the Sequel Novel: Most people don't know there's a book called Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel. It was released years before the second movie and tells a completely different story involving Max and Allison’s daughter. It’s actually pretty good and leans more into the lore of the Black Flame Candle.
- Analyze the Costumes: Look closely at Winifred’s dress next time you watch. It’s covered in occult symbols and runes. The costume designer, Mary Vogt, didn't want them to look like "fairytale" witches. She wanted them to look like they had been wearing the same clothes for 300 years.
The Legacy of the Black Flame Candle
What's the takeaway here?
Hocus Pocus and the Sanderson Sisters succeeded because it didn't take itself too seriously. It’s a movie about child-eating hags that is somehow wholesome. It’s a movie about death that feels like a party.
It taught a generation of kids that being "weird" or "different" (like Max, the Virgin from Los Angeles) was okay, as long as you had people who had your back. And it taught us that sometimes, the villains are way more interesting than the heroes.
The Sanderson sisters aren't going anywhere. With a third movie already in development at Disney, the legend of the Black Flame Candle is basically immortal at this point.
To get the most out of your next rewatch, pay attention to the background actors in the town hall scene. The "Satan" and his wife (played by director Garry Marshall and his sister Penny Marshall) are doing some of the funniest improv in the whole film. It’s those little layers of comedy that keep the movie fresh year after year. Stop looking for a "perfect" Halloween movie. This is it. It's messy, it's campy, and it's exactly what it needs to be.
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Go watch the original again, but this time, try to spot every time Sarah Sanderson is doing something completely unrelated to the plot in the background. It’s a masterclass in character acting. Then, head over to Disney+ to see how the lighting and color palettes changed between the 1993 film and the 2022 sequel—it's a fascinating look at how digital cinematography has shifted the "feel" of modern fantasy.