Don’t stand too close to that candle! Wait … did that cat just say something? Don’t worry, it’s all part of the classic Halloween movie Hocus Pocus. Gather your spell book and your potions, and get ready to start this spellbinding quiz!
1: Where does Hocus Pocus take place?
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Hocus Pocus is set, appropriately, in Salem, Massachusetts. The town is a popular tourist destination today, featuring the Salem Witch Museum, the Old Burying Point Cemetery, the Salem Witch Trials Memorial, and Count Orlok’s Nightmare Gallery.
2: Where did Max and Dani Dennison used to live?
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Max and Dani used to live in Los Angeles. They don’t know their new Salem neighborhood well, so they don’t realize that Dani is crying into Halloween decorations at the house of Allison, Max’s crush. They also have little knowledge of Salem’s witchcraft lore.
3: Which witch has matching first names for the character and the actress?
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Sarah Jessica Parker played the part of Sarah Sanderson the witch. Sarah the witch has a rocky relationship with her sister Winnie because she had an affair with Winnie’s boyfriend, Billy Butcherson, back in the 17th century. The boyfriend paid the heaviest price, though—Winnie poisoned him and sewed his mouth shut.
4: In what year was the movie Hocus Pocus released?
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Hocus Pocus was released in 1993. For some perspective, that’s the same year President Bill Clinton was sworn into office, Beanie Babies were introduced, and Duran Duran released Come Undone.
5: The actress who played Winifred is famous for what hit song?
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Bette Midler, who played Winifred in Hocus Pocus, released The Rose in 1979. She won the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal for her performance.
6: At the time of the movie, how long ago were the Sanderson sisters executed?
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Not surprisingly, the Sandersons were executed for practicing witchcraft. Historically, the first settlers arrived in Salem in 1626. The infamous Salem witch trials took place in 1692 and 1693, 300 years before the release of Hocus Pocus. Approximately 25 people were executed during that time.
7: Which witch is the youngest?
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Sarah Sanderson, the youngest of the three witches, has long blond hair and blue eyes. She wears a pink corset and a purple cloak. She can hypnotize people with her singing voice.
8: Where do Max, Dani, and Allison decide to go on Halloween night?
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They decide, of course, to visit the Sanderson sisters’ cottage, which had been turned into a museum. Allison’s mom said that the museum closed because spooky things were happening there.
9: What must happen for the witches to be brought back to life?
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Before the Sanderson sisters were executed, Winifred cast a spell to make their return possible. All they need is for a virgin to light the black flame candle … on Halloween … under a full moon. Lucky for them, Max comes along.
10: Who is guarding the black flame candle?
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A black cat is guarding the candle, but it is not an ordinary black cat. It is actually the transformed version of Thackery Binx, a teenager who disappeared on the same day in 1693 when the witches were executed. Sometimes, when it’s convenient to the plot, this cat can talk.
11: What is the black flame candle made of?
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The black flame candle is made of fat from a hanged man. The candle spell is “solaten omnes saculorem tuba nriirum est.” (Don't say that out loud!)
12: After Max triggers the sprinkler system in the museum, what does he tell the witches it is?
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Since the Sanderson sisters were executed 300 years ago, they know nothing of sprinkler systems. They might wonder, however, why the burning rain of death isn’t hurting Max.
13: How much time do the witches have, to create a potion and regain their youth?
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The three witches have until sunrise to create a potion, make a child drink it, and drain the youth from that child. That’s a tall order, especially since the potion requires obscure ingredients like a dead man’s toes and newt saliva.
14: What do the Sanderson sisters think a paved road is?
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Mary Sanderson calls a paved road a “black river.” That makes sense since there were no paved roads in the late 1600s. However, Winifred later asks to see Max’s driver’s permit, which makes no sense.
15: Where do the kids and the cat hide out to escape the witches?
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The sisters can’t set foot in a cemetery because it is hallowed ground. And this is not just any cemetery—it’s the one where Thackery Binx’ sister and Billy Butcherson are buried. Even though the witches can’t step onto the soil, they can fly overhead on broomsticks and such.
16: What does Mary ride on, instead of a broomstick?
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Poor Mary. While her sisters found proper brooms to ride, she’s stuck with a green and brown vacuum. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be plugged in.
17: What does Allison do, to try to kill the witches?
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Allison thinks they can burn the witches in a pottery kiln at the school. Unfortunately, the witches emerge mostly unscathed. It’s tough to kill witches that have been resurrected after 300 years.
18: What is the title of the spell book the three witches seek?
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The spell book is called the Manual of Witchcraft and Alchemy. The devil had given it to Winifred Sanderson. The book was written in blood, and its cover was made of human skin, with an eyeball that sleeps and wakes. The kids take the spell book from the museum before they run to the cemetery.
19: What song do the Sanderson sisters sing to spellbind the kids’ parents and other adults?
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The witches sing I Put a Spell on You. The song was written by Jalacy “Screamin’ Jay” Hawkins in 1956, and it is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.
20: After Binx is freed from his curse and he sacrifices himself for Dani, who does he leave with?
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To be more precise, his spirit leaves with the spirit of his sister Emily. She died back in 1693, after Binx was unable to save her. He carried that guilt for 300 years while living in the form of a cat.
21: Winifred had a hard time remembering, but can you recall which ingredient the sisters need to make the Life Potion?
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Early in the film, the sisters needed a dead man's toe to make the potion to steal Emily's youth. When they needed the same potion for Dani Dennison in 1993, Winifred struggled to remember the ingredient. Much to the horror of Ice and Jay who were suspended in cages, her sisters helped spark the memory that she needed to "make it a fleshy one."
22: When the sisters arrive at Satan's house, which mythological being does Mary think his wife resembles?
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Mary thinks that Satan's wife is Medusa. In Mary's 17th century mind, her curlers resemble the snakes that grew in place of Medusa's hair. In real life, the couple played by Penny and Garry Marshall are sister and brother.
23: Can you recall what kind of creepy crawlies come out of Billy Butcherson's mouth when he uses Max's knife to cut open his lips?
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When Winnie distracts Max at the cemetery gate, it leaves Billy just enough time to grab his knife. Instead of turning it against Max, Billy uses it to cut open his lips so he can look at Winnie and say, "Wench! Trollop! You buck-toothed, mop-riding firefly from hell!" And in case you were wondering, the moths that flew out were 100% real.
24: Do you know which one of the "Hocus Pocus" actresses went on to play parts in both "American Beauty" and "The Walking Dead?"
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Thora Birch was only 10 years old when she played the part of Dani Dennison. Although she and Bette Midler are both accomplished actresses, they agree that "Hocus Pocus" was a lot of fun to film. The only thing Birch could live without was all the cats used to play Binx. All of the children on set grew tired of all the cats constantly wanting treats.
25: Any idea which part was first offered to comedienne Rosie O'Donnell?
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Before Kathy Najimy was cast as Mary Sanderson, the part was offered to Rosie O'Donnell. Rosie didn't want to do the film because she didn't like the thought of being viewed as a "scary witch." Speaking of casting decisions, Leonardo diCaprio was also offered the part of Max. He was too busy filming "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" to take the part.
26: What kind of relationship did Winnie and Billy have before he became a zombie?
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Back in 1693, Winnie and Billy Butcherson used to be sweethearts. In the cemetery, she refers to him as an "unfaithful lover long since dead." When Winnie caught Billy making out with Sarah, she poisoned him, sewed his lips shut, and buried him. Now you know why he called her a wench.
27: If you opened the pages of the prop named "The Manual of Witchcraft and Alchemy," what would you find inside?
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Many of the lines in the film were improvisational, and Winnie's book was used to keep the actress Bette Midler in character. Inside the cover of the prop, there is an old dictionary full of archaic curse words. Since modern curse words were too heavy in a Disney film, Midler used the book to pull off some of her best insults.
28: Which one of these things does Winnie think she's cursed with?
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As Sarah happily swings a piece of toilet paper and Ice and Jay look on, Winnie laments, "Why, why was I cursed with idiot sisters?" The question gets Sarah to stop long moving enough to say, "Just lucky, I guess." Needless to say, it didn't make Winnie very happy.
29: What kind of person is the only kind of person who can light the black flame candle and bring the sisters back to life?
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Like Thackery tells Emily at the end of the film, "I had to wait 300 years for a virgin to light a candle." When Disney used the word in "Hocus Pocus," it was the first time it had been done in Disney history. It's used as a way to embarrass Max throughout the film, especially with the Halloween police officer.
30: Can you picture the sisters flying and remember which one was the more cautious pilot?
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If you watch closely, you'll see that the witches were taught to fly in character. According to the movie's choreographer, Mary is the most cautious flyer. Even when she's on a vacuum, she is less impulsive and takes direction better than the other sisters. Sarah is a hot mess on a mop!
31: When the sisters are being executed in 1693, how do they try to stop the villagers?
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Throughout the film, the witches use their voices to sing their victims into submission. The villagers were smart not to listen. The folks at the Town Hall Halloween party? Not so much. Sarah even tried to enchant the children by singing, "Come Little Children."
32: Which one of these characters says the line, "It's all just a bunch of hocus pocus?"
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Max is the one who name drops the film when he swears off Halloween. Before encountering the Sanderson sisters, and possibly to posture in front of Allison, Max was a nonbeliever. Once he lit the black flame candle, his changed his mind. In fact, it was Max who tried to warn the whole town.
33: Do you know what the sisters liked to use in their cooking that didn't exist in 1693?
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Early in the film, the sisters are standing around their cauldron Mary notices a strange smell. She tells Winifred that it smells like scrod with bread crumbs and margarine, but margarine wasn't invented for another 200 years. It's all just a little movie magic!
34: Do you have any idea what Max used to light the black flame candle?
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Ironically, the silver Zippo lighter that Max uses to light the candle came from a collection of lighters in the Sanderson museum. Max uses the lighter again when he causes the sprinklers to deliver the burning rain of death.
35: "Hocus Pocus" was released in the summer to avoid competing with which Halloween film?
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"Hocus Pocus" might be near and dear to our spooky, Halloween hearts, but it was a flop at the box office. Despite the Halloween theme of the movie, it was released in July. Many speculate that it was released early to avoid competing with "The Nightmare Before Christmas."
36: Is it true or false that the Sanderson sisters' brooms were stolen by little girls who were dressed as them for Halloween?
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When three small witches, miniature versions of the Sanderson sisters, stole the brooms, it didn't diminish their ability to fly. Forced to fly with supplies from a broom closet, Winnie gets another broom, Sarah gets a mop, and Mary gets a powerful vacuum cleaner. Film buffs claim that the small witches were placed in the film to leave the door open to a sequel.
37: If you watch closely, what is it about Sarah that keeps changing throughout the movie?
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As the scenes change in "Hocus Pocus," so does Sarah's hair. In one scene it will be curly, and in the next, it will be straight. In the "Wizard of Oz," Dorothy's hair changes lengths, and some believe that it's one of the many Oz-themed moments incorporated into the movie.
