Hocus Pocus (1993)

A curious youngster moves to Salem, where he struggles to fit in before awakening a trio of diabolical witches that were executed in the 17th century.

Director:

Kenny Ortega

Writers:

David Kirschner (story), Mick Garris (story)

Stars:

Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy

2 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bette Midler	...	Winifred
Sarah Jessica Parker	...	Sarah
Kathy Najimy	...	Mary
Omri Katz	...	Max
Thora Birch	...	Dani
Vinessa Shaw	...	Allison
Amanda Shepherd	...	Emily
Larry Bagby	...	Ernie 'Ice' (as Larry Bagby III)
Tobias Jelinek	...	Jay
Stephanie Faracy	...	Jenny
Charles Rocket	...	Dave
Doug Jones	...	Billy Butcherson
Karyn Malchus	...	Headless Billy Butcherson
Sean Murray	...	Thackery
Steve Voboril	...	Elijah

Storyline

300 years have passed since the Sanderson sisters were executed for practicing dark witchcraft. Returning to life thanks to a combination of a spell spoken before their demise and the accidental actions of Max, the new-kid-in-town, the sisters have but one night to secure their continuing existence...

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Plot Keywords:

halloween | spell | black cat | witch | magic | 

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Taglines:

It's just a bunch of Hocus Pocus!

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some scary sequences, and for language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

16 July 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hocus Pocus

Filming Locations:

Plimouth Plantation - 137 Warren Avenue, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$39,514,713

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rhythm & Hues Studios, Touchwood Pacific Partners 1, Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sean Murray played the human Thackery Binx. He was dubbed over by Jason Marsden, voice of the cat Binx, for consistency.

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Goofs

Sarah Sanderson's hair changes from curly to wavy to straight throughout the movie.

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Quotes

Allison: Officer, this is not a prank!
Dani: Really!
Cop: Hey! I put my life on the line to protect this community, and you punks pull this? Get out of here.
Allison: [runs off in fear with Max, Dani, and Binx] Come on, Dani.
Cop: And take that cat with you.
[the cop laughs]
Cop's Girlfriend: [comes out wearing a Halloween costume] What's so funny, Eddie?
Cop: Ah, just a bunch of kids pulling my chain. They thought I was a real cop.
[his girlfriend laughs]

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Crazy Credits

The Walt Disney logo at the start is tinted blue (the one at the end has the usual coloring).

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Alternate Versions

When aired on the ITV network in the UK, the scene where the witches were hanged and cast the spell that would bring them back were cut. Viewers therefore didn't know exactly how they would come back.

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Connections

Referenced in Movie Magic: Cinematic Flight: Up, Up and Away (1994)

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Soundtracks

Sabre Dance
Arranged by George Wilson
Written by Aram Khachaturyan (uncredited)
(Incorrectly credited as written by George Wilson)
Courtesy of Associated Production Music

User Reviews

Bewitching Bette

This movie is funny, scary, but warm and human all at once. It emphasizes the value of families working together to help each other and does not create confusing messages about good and evil. It's a fast-paced comedy that does not trivialize the characters. Bette Midler's rendition of "I've Put a Spell on You" shows the depth of her talent as a singer/stage performer. The divine Ms. Bette has great chemistry with both Kathy Naijimy (how does she get her mouth to do that?), and Sarah Jessica Parker (amok, amok, amok). While the scary factor with corpses and death may not be appropriate for very small children, the movie is lots of fun for the whole family.