On October 31, 1693, in Salem, Massachusetts, Thackery Binx discovers that his younger sister Emily has been whisked away to the woods by the three witches Winifred, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson.
The witches will be back! In an interview with the New York Times in June, Walt Disney Pictures President Sean Bailey confirmed that there will be a Hocus Pocus 3, "Yes, Hocus Pocus 3 is happening." The decision seems like a no-brainer considering Hocus Pocus 2 broke the record for the biggest film premiere on Disney+.
The Sanderson sisters are the fictional trio of witches from the movie “Hocus Pocus.” In the film, their names are Winifred, Sarah and Mary — they were executed for practicing witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. In the film, they are brought back to life after a virgin lights a black flame candle on Halloween night.
It turns out that there was a fourth Sanderson sister, Elizabeth. Elizabeth has been mostly forgotten by time because she tried to live a normal life away from her sisters. She married, had children, and reportedly didn't use magic.
The Sanderson Sisters. Winifred (Winnie), Mary and Sarah Sanderson. First appeared in the Walt Disney Pictures live action movie Hocus Pocus, released in 1993.
Rebecca Towne Nurse, Mary Towne Easty, and Sarah Towne Cloyce were the original sisters of Salem who inspired the iconic roles of Winifred, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson. However, the Towne sisters were almost the opposite of their inspired characters.
The main colors of the Sanderson Sisters' costumes are green, red, and purple. Winifred Sanderson wears a green dress/cloak, Sarah Sanderson wears a purple dress/cloak, and Mary Sanderson wears a red dress/cloak.
While it is not confirmed that Allison is a witch in the Hocus Pocus canon, her fascination with witches and the supernatural raises the theory. The potential for an Allison-based spinoff series was discussed but never materialized, leaving the question of her witch status unanswered, yet open to future exploration.
“The Witch Mother is the all-powerful witch who gives the Book of Spells to young Winifred on that fateful night when she leaves Salem in the 1600s and runs with her sisters into the woods to escape the Reverend. The Book immediately takes to Winifred,” producer Lynn Harris says.
Sarah Sanderson is the most beautiful, desirable, alluring, drop dead gorgeous, beguiling, attractive and most exquisite one of the Sanderson Sisters. As well as the prettiest, sexiest, loveliest, hottest, fairest and finest of the trio of witches. She has long, wavy light blonde hair and very fair and flawless skin.
The magic and charm of Disney's Hocus Pocus come from its three antagonists, the Sanderson Sisters, which the movie explains each has powers that are arcane, evil, and dangerous. Mastering a nefarious magical aptitude, Mary, Sarah, and Winifred are a force to be reckoned with, no matter what century conjures them up.
The Sanderson Sisters were executed in 1693 after taking the life force of a young girl and turning her brother into a black cat (though the people of Salem believed they had killed him, too), and they continued their evil plans in 1993 by attempting to lure the children of Salem to them so they could take their life ...
The movie ends there with the Sanderson sisters gone for good. However, the post-credits scene shows a black cat stumbling upon a box in the magic shop labeled "BF #2 Candle," implying there's another Black Flame Candle, a special item that can be used to resurrect the witches again.
Hocus Pocus 2 arrived at Disney+ almost three decades later in 2022, with Hocus Pocus 3 on the way to make it a Sanderson sister trilogy. Following Hocus Pocus' footsteps decades later, in the second movie a group of Salem residents inadvertently bring back Winifred, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson.
Since its 1993 release, “Hocus Pocus” has put a spell on audiences around the globe. Now, 29 years later, the Sanderson sisters are back for the sequel, “Hocus Pocus 2" on Disney+.
As Cobweb jumps onto one specific shelf, he reveals a box labeled “BF Candle #2,” indicating that Gilbert had one more Black Flame Candle stashed at the magic shop. This tease is similar to Book's eye opening up in the end credits scene of Hocus Pocus (1993), suggesting the Sanderson Sisters could be resurrected again.
At some point in her youth, Winifred shared a single kiss with a young boy named Billy Butcherson in a graveyard and grew to believe they were soulmates, despite the fact that he didn't reciprocate this feeling.
In Hocus Pocus, we learned that Billy Butcherson was Winnie's ex-boyfriend (though Sarah vehemently claimed he was her boyfriend too) who met a tragic end when Winnie decided to poison him in the 17th century, before resurrecting him as a zombie 300 years later.
In both Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2, Winnie treats her sisters Mary (Kathy Najimy) and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) poorly, throwing minor verbal and physical abuse at them throughout the movies.
Max, Dani, and Allison, however, don't have any impact on Hocus Pocus 2. None of the three original characters return for cameos, with director Anne Fletcher citing their absence as due to difficulties in organically integrating them into the story.
Max drinks the potion that witch Winnie intended for Dani, so Winnie tries to suck Max's life force instead. Max manages to knock Winnie off her broom and onto the ground. Since Winnie is standing on hallow ground, she turns to stone.
Who is Max and Allison's daughter in Hocus Pocus 2?
The sequel focuses on Max and Allison's daughter, Poppy, who grew up hearing the family story of the original film and parents who avoid Halloween as much as possible.
"The Devil's Wife" (also known as "Medusa") is a minor character in Hocus Pocus. She is the wife of the man whom the Sanderson Sisters initially assume to be the devil. They also think she's Medusa because of her snake-like hair curlers.
Winifred Sanderson: My ungodly book speaks to you. On All Hallow's Eve, when the moon is round, a virgin will summon us from under the ground. Oh oh! We shall be back, and the lives of all the children of Salem will be mine!
