Time to dust off the black flame candle – Hocus pocus is 30!
The classic family Halloween movie celebrated three decades last summer. In honor of the milestone, the Sanderson sisters are returning to the theater for a limited time, starting October 6th.
Starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as Winfred, Sarah and Mary Sanderson, the 1993 film follows Salem, Massachusetts teenager Max (Omri Katz), his younger sister Dani (Thora Birch) and school crush Allison (Vinessa Shaw) as Max unwittingly resurrects three witches, 300 years to the day after they were hanged on Halloween night, 1693.
For those who prefer to watch from the comfort of their own home, Hocus pocus also airs on Disney+ — as will its 2022 sequel Hocus pocus 2 and a feature-length special from 2018. Hocus Pocus 25th Anniversary Halloween Bash.
To coincide with the 30th anniversary, D23, Disney’s official fan club, is hosting the Black Flame Ball on October 7th. The sold-out event will be held in Salem and will include a walking tour of historical and filming locations, before culminating in a themed evening of entertainment, according to D23’s official website.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
How ‘Hokus Pokus 2’ connects to the original film
Hocus pocus 2 begins 29 years after Max lit the black flame candle in the first film. In the sequel, Winifred, Sarah and Mary now seek revenge when they wake up in present-day Salem. Three teenage girls – Becca (Whitney Peak), Cassie (Lilia Buckingham) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) – must find a way to stop the witches from retaliating.
Midler, 77, Parker, 58 and Najimy, 66, all returned for Hocus pocus 2as well as Doug Jones, who played Billy Butcherson in the original film.
Speaking to PEOPLE in July 2022, executive producer Adam Shankman revealed that the three actresses “just hit it off” with each other on the set of the highly anticipated sequel.
“[It was] like a blast into the past, as if there was no time [passed]” Shankman, 58, said of the three actresses. “They were just laughing, laughing, laughing. … It was easy.”
He also noted that it was an original Hocus pocus “wasn’t a hit when it came out,” but ended up becoming a “major Halloween movie” as it “ran endlessly on cable” and streaming platforms.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(899x199:901x201)/Hocus-Pocus-087dbd0a49534a2cadae73cf0306e1af.jpg)
Vinessa Shaw, Thora Birch and Omri Katz inside Hocus pocus (1993). Mary Evans/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection Bette Midler says they cast ‘All Wanted’ ‘Hocus Pocus’ sequel: ’30 years later, they came to their senses’
After Hocus pocus 2 became the biggest movie debut ever for Disney+ in the US upon release, it was announced last summer that a third film in the series was in development.
No other information has been given about the potential third film, including a release date or cast. But Midler, Parker and Najimy have all said they would be open to making another film.
And while Katz, 47, Shaw, 47, and Birch, 41, didn’t return for the second film, they’ve all spoken in some way about wanting to reprise their characters.
“I think the fan base really wanted to see something with us,” Katz said during a panel at ’90s Con in March. “It’s hard to actually understand the decisions that are made about what [the studio and filmmakers] I want to do.”
Tickets for Hocus pocus‘ 30th anniversary screenings are available wherever you buy cinema tickets.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education