There is no other place that evokes the thrilling intrigue of witches like Salem, Massachusetts. With its integral ties to witchcraft and heartfelt obsession with Halloween, the city of Salem provides the perfect backdrop for Disney’s 1993 cult classic, Hocus Pocus. For many millennials, watching Hocus Pocus every October is a ritual; as inherent in the season as pumpkin spice lattes and stepping on crunchy leaves. Best of all, the Sanderson sisters are back all over Salem in Disney’s recently released sequel, Hocus pocus 2.
Hocus Pocus and the sequel both open with flashbacks to 17th-century Salem, a place where you clearly need to stay out of the woods and in favor of the local villagers. Puritan bonnets and Old English aside, does it Salem of? Hocus Pocus bear any resemblance to history? Is Halloween in Salem as important as Max’s teacher makes out? although Hocus Pocus is a fantasy, the film has ties to the real Salem, including a lead actress related to an accused witch! So leave your laid-back Californian tie-dyed stance at the door as we dive into the world of Hocus Pocus and how it compares to Salem, then and now.
Were the Sanderson Sisters based on real witches?
In the 17th century, Salem was a really scary place to be. Threats of disease, attacks from neighboring tribes, fear of the devil and family feuds are all said to have been part of Thackery Binx’s daily life. In 1692, a village doctor claimed that two girls had fallen under witchcraft, causing a period of mass hysteria known as the Salem Witch Trials. When accusations of witchcraft began to fly through town, single women, like the Sanderson sisters, were the easiest targets of social prejudice. Add a mole (considered the sign of the devil) and any association with a cat or small animal, and it was probably to the gallows. Over the course of a year, more than 200 people in Salem were accused of witchcraft, on everything from forced confessions to dreams and visions. Although Sarah, Mary and Winifred in Hocus Pocus are not directly based on real numbers, 19 accused witches were hanged in Salem, mostly in public executions like that of the Sanderson sisters.
What began as a dark and complex chapter in American history, fraught with fear, became charming and downright campy in Hocus Pocus. The film draws interestingly on Salem’s history; where towns and villages were considered blessed by God and the forests were where witches danced freely. From black cats to broomsticks, Hocus Pocus also contains many of the well-known imagery associated with witches, so much so that Kathy Nijimy was initially afraid to perpetuate stereotypes by accepting the role of Mary Sanderson. And yet, with a touch of Disney magic, the sucking of little kids’ lives somehow comes together with Garry Marshall in a devil suit to create a much-loved family movie.
Sarah Jessica Parker’s ancestor was accused of witchcraft in Salem
When Sarah Jessica Parker first donned her corset and serenaded Salem, she was oblivious to the ghostly connection she shared with her Hocus Pocus character. During a 2010 appearance on the NBC’s Who do you think You Are?, the actress learned she is a tenth-generation descendant of Esther Elwell, a woman accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. Esther was not found eating spiders or slowly dancing with Satan, but was accused of “various acts of witchcraft” by 17-year-old Elizabeth Hubbard. In November 1692, Elwell was taken to prison in Ipswich, Massachusetts, where she was to await her trial.
Fortunately, the mass hysteria of the witch trials began to lose its grip on Salem by the end of 1692. Courts were no longer allowed to convict people on the basis of “spectral evidence” from dreams or visions. Elwell was released from prison and escaped as one of the innocents executed on witchcraft charges. As she searched her family’s roots, Parker was relieved to find that her relative had survived the incident. Not to cast doubt on Elwell’s innocence, but Parker was quite a convincing witch. The Sex and the city star even told Stephen Colbert (via ET) she was perfectly comfortable on a broomstick. Besides, she ate that spider anyway.
You can visit Allison’s house in Salem
At the beginning of hocus pocus, Max Dennison is clearly the newbie in Salem. Talking about Halloween invented by the candy companies certainly won’t make him any friends. In the movie, Salem takes Halloween seriously – who wouldn’t want to go to that amazing party at City Hall? Turns out Salem’s depiction as a historic center of witchcraft whose modern residents are decidedly obsessed with Halloween is entirely accurate. Salem in real life has embraced its infamous place in history, with countless witch-themed rides and epic Halloween events through October. The tourist website of the city even dedicates a page to Hocus Pocus movie locations you can visit.
Always wanted to follow in the footsteps of Thackery Binx? Or take in the grandeur of Allison’s house? Many of the most memorable scenes in Hocus Pocus were filmed in Salem. Before meeting his fate as a cat, Thackery steps out into the cold morning in search of his sister in a scene shot at Pioneer Village, Salem’s living history museum. Max and Dani share a sibling bond in front of Allison’s house, contained within the Ropes Mansion, a prominent Salem home. You can even take a photo in front of Max and Dani’s house. Salem enjoys the connection to the movie and only asks one thing from Hocus Pocus fans visiting the city: don’t run amok!