Little-Known Facts About Hocus Pocus 1 To Give You A Refresher For Hocus Pocus 2
Hocus Pocus was never meant to be a Halloween movie despite a plot that revolves around the holiday. Regardless of the director's intentions, it swiftly became a Halloween cult classic. The charmingly goofy film is full of comical inaccuracies and fantastic '90s lingo, introducing us to the term "yabos" as we learned that being a virgin had the potential to raise witches from the dead. Let's take a stroll down memory lane with these fantastical Hocus Pocus facts.
We've Been Pronouncing Binx's First Name Wrong
Binx, the movie's immortal cat and a constant thorn in the side for the Sanderson sisters, is a crowd favorite. His first and last name should be common knowledge to the movie's audience yet many viewers believe Binx's first name is Zachary.
If you're part of the "Zachary" camp it might surprise you to learn his name is actually Thackery. Not exactly the most "kid-friendly" name for a cat but this movie isn't just for young viewers.
Zombie Billy Should 'Scientifically' Been A Different Monster
Let's take a scientific approach to Billy Butcherson's zombie-state. Courtesy of Winifred, Billy has been six-feet under for over 300 years. Think about it. His skin would have decayed long before his resurrection in 1993, leaving him as a skeleton and not a green zombie in desperate need of lotion, deep conditioning, and a hairbrush.
Did Winnie embalm her ex-lover after poisoning him and sewing his mouth shut? It's almost as though she had plans to resurrect him one day, if only to yell at him some more for cheating on her with her sister, Sarah. Drama.
Omir Katz Almost Wasn't Cast As Max
Could you imagine a different teenage heartthrob playing Max? We can't. During his first audition for the role of the broody Max Dennison, Omri Katz was sick. His illness affected his performance to the point of rejection from the part. Luckily, the original choice for Max backed out due to a scheduling conflict, landing Katz a callback.
Max made a better impression during his second audition, ultimately getting hired to portray Max on the big screen.
Guess Who Was Supposed To Play Max
Omri Katz did the role justice while teaching the upcoming generation the term "yabos" but he wasn't the casting director's first choice. Leonardo DiCaprio was supposed to play the part of uprooted California boy Max Dennison. The famous actor turned down the role to star alongside Johnny Depp in What's Eating Gilbert Grape.
Not that we don't love a young Leo, but there was just something special about Omir in a tie-dyed shirt with that floppy brown hair.
The Kids Didn't Like Binx's Stunt Doubles
Binx had multiple real-life representations of himself. All of which the kids did not enjoy working with. Each black cat served a different purpose: one was good at cuddling while another would jump on command.
Unfortunately, each time a new cat was used on set the kids had to coerce it to like them by using treats and a clicker — that sounds more typical of cat behavior! As you can imagine, this got old real fast for the child actors. They also had a fake, prop cat they used, pictured here.
The "Burning Rain Of Death" Shouldn't Have Worked
As far as escape tactics go, Max's "burning rain of death" isn't terrible. It does give the kids a few minutes head start to get away from the Sanderson sisters. But, if you think about it, he uses a relatively old Zippo lighter from the Sanderson museum gift-store to trigger the fire alarm sprinklers.
If this particular lighter were pre-filled, the liquid most likely would have evaporated in the years since the museum closed.
The Movie Was Originally Created With A Different Genre Focus
Would you believe that Hocus Pocus was originally written as a horror movie? The first draft of the script is said to have featured less comedy and far more frightening scenes. We have to wonder what would have come of Jay and Ice and characters featured throughout the movie.
Thankfully, the writers decided to go with a more family-friendly feel, giving us the plotline we have come to know and love.
Sarah Jessica Parker Has A Witchy Ancestry
When Sarah Jessica Parker played quirky, boy-crazy Sarah Sanderson, she had no clue of her advantage over fellow actresses in their portrayal of the witchy sisters. Parker is a descendant of Esther Elwell, a lady accused of witchcraft in 1692 during the Salem witch trials. Esther's arrest was the last formal accusation recorded during the trials. Thankfully, her case never made it to trial, and she was set free.
I bet SJP wished her ancestor were alive to give some pointers on how to play a convincing witch! Not to say she didn't nail the role, because she 100% did.
'Tis A Black River
All of the anachronisms is one of the reasons Hocus Pocus became a cult classic. But there is one creation that is portrayed accurately, the blacktop. The Sanderson sisters have no clue what it is! Paved roads weren't around until the 1800s, long after the sisters were hanged and six-feet under. Even though asphalt doesn't move, it's no wonder Mary believe it to be a black river.
It's not until Winnie pushes her sister, Sarah, into the "river" that they all conclude it's actually a road. Talk about sisterly love. If they were wrong, Sarah could have drowned!
They Forgot To Fall Back!
For a teenager, Max is pretty on top of the start date for daylight savings time. October 31 was indeed the first day of DST in 1993. Very helpful for a bunch of kids who are trying to survive the night because the three witches chasing them have until dawn to fulfill their spell.
The only problem is that the sun rises at 5:00 a.m when it should come over the horizon an hour later or 6:25 a.m. if we want to be exact. We can chalk the botched timeline up to the kids forgetting to reset their watches.
Kathy Najimy Wasn't The First Choice For Mary Sanderson
Mary Sanderson's famous line, "I smell children!" was meant for another actor. Kathy Najimy was not the casting directors first choice for the role of the middle Sanderson sister. Instead, they had their eyes on Rosie O'Donnell but she didn't even audition. We all love Kathy's fun take on Mary, but it would have been an experience to see O'Donnell running amuck with Midler and Parker throughout Salem.
Rosie declined the part because she didn't want to play a scary witch. We have to wonder if she even bothered to read the script.
