While Sarah Jessica Parker plays the fictional Sarah Sanderson in Disney’sHocus Pocusfranchise, the actress has a real-life connection to the Salem witch trials. Premiering in July 1993,Hocus Pocuswas a notorious bomb upon release — likely due to the dubious decision to release a Halloween movie in the summer. However, thanks to home video and repeat viewings on TV, young millennials fell in love withHocus Pocus, and the movie became a cult classic. In 2022, a sequel, titledHocus Pocus2was released for streaming on Disney+.
Hocus Pocus 2saw the return ofthe notorious Sanderson sistersfrom the first film. In that movie, Winifred (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy), and Sarah (Parker) Sanderson are three witches who are hung during the Salem witch trials. However, they are resurrected 300 years later when teenager Max Dennison (Omri Katz) lights the Black Flame Candle. Though they were the villains of the film,the Sanderson sisters became the most celebratedHocus Pocuscharacters, particularly the enchanting Sarah. And the fact that Parker is actually connected to the Salem witch trials adds even more magic to the film’s legacy.
Hocus Pocus' Sarah Jessica Parker Is Actually The Descendant Of An Accused Witch
Parker’s Ancestor, Esther Elwell, Was Found Guilty Of “Sundry Acts Of Witchcraft”
In the premiere episode of the documentary seriesWho Do You Think You Are? USA,Sarah Jessica Parker learns that one of her ancestors, Esther Elwell, was found guilty of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials of 1692. The trials saw the deaths of at least 25 people, mostly women, who were targeted for a variety of reasons, mostly personal or political, until a widespread witch hunt ensued.
Upon learning that her ancestors were involved in the Salem witch trials, Sarah Jessica Parker expressed dismay that she might be related to the accusers, and was visibly relieved this wasn’t the case.
Esther Elwell, who married into the English Elwell family that had emigrated to the United States, and two other women were accused of bewitching and killing Mary Fitch, the sister of a church deacon (viaHistory of Massachusetts). However, unlike theHocus Pocus' Sanderson sisters,Elwell was not executed. This is because she was arrested in November 1962, a month after the court trying accused witches had been dissolved. Elwell lived to the age of 82, passing away in her hometown of Gloucester, Massachusetts.
SJP Is In Complete Shock Over Hocus Pocus' Popularity
Bette Midler Was The One Who Realized The Demand For Hocus Pocus 2
Just as she was surprised to learn she had an ancestor involved in the Salem witch trials, Sarah Jessica Parker was shocked that fans were clamoring for aHocus Pocussequel almost 30 yearsafter the original came out. Though the 1993 film bombed, Parker’s career continued to soar, and she became much more famous for her culture-defining role as Carrie Bradshaw, the protagonist ofSex and the City.Parker entirely credits her co-star Bette Midler for getting the ball rolling onHocus Pocus 2, tellingVanity Fair,
To be completely honest, for the past 28 years, I didn’t think much about a sequel… I wasn’t involved in the conversations. When I found out it was going to happen, I was in shock. Bette was the person who imagined the idea for years and thought that this would all happen. She could not be deterred from the idea, and I admire her so much for believing and fighting for a sequel. The lesson is, listen to the Divine Miss M. She knows what works and how to get it done.
Midler saw the potential forHocus Pocus 2when she began noticing a heavy presence ofHocus Pocusmerchandise a decade after the movie’s 1993 release — she even bought herself a Winifred Sanderson costume online. And, like Parker said, Midler was right. In 2019, a sequel was greenlit, leading to the return of the Sanderson sisters. Midler said of the three actresses' reunion,
It was a completely bizarre experience… The dynamic between the three of us was exactly the same as it was nearly 30 years ago. It was like time had never passed. We immediately fell into our old characters. It’s as if these characters have lived with us the entire time. It’s so strange.
Will SJP Return For A Hocus Pocus 3?
The Third Hocus Pocus Was Announced In 2023
Fans ofHocus Pocushave much to be happy about because in June 2023, Sean Bailey, then-president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production,confirmed thatHocus Pocus 3is happening. This is indeed exciting, considering the humble beginnings of the original film, but the whole thing really hinges on the beating heart of the franchise, the Sanderson sisters. Luckily,all three actresses have expressed a desire to come back. Again, Sarah Jessica Parker cited Bette Midler, aka “the Divine Miss M” as her reason for returning (viaExtra):
I hitch my wagon to her star. If she wants to do a third one… No one says no to the Divine Miss M.
Like in the firstHocus Pocusfilm, the Sanderson sisters were defeated in the sequel. However, theHocus Pocus 2post-credit scenerevealed that another Black Flame Candle exists. So, withSarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy on board — or broom — the Sanderson sisters will fly again inHocus Pocus 3.
Hocus Pocus
Cast
Hocus Pocus tells the story of the Sanderson Sisters, a trio of witches who are inadvertently resurrected by a teenage boy on Halloween. When the witches threaten to take over the town of Salem, Massachusetts, it’s up to Max, sister Dani, and friend Alison to stop them with the help of Thackery Binx, one of the Sandersons' victims trapped in the immortal body of black cat.
Hocus Pocus 2
In 2022, fans of the cult-classic Hocus Pocus finally received a proper sequel. Directed by Anne Fletcher, the sequel reunited stars Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker as they once again reprised their roles as the Sanderson Sisters, a trio of dastardly witches.
