Creepy Catalog
Originally Hocus Pocus Was A Much Darker Film
By Chrissy Stockton
Sept. 9, 2026
Released in 1993, Hocus Pocus remains a classic Disney Halloween comedy-fantasy directed by Kenny Ortega.
It stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters.
Three 17th-century witches are accidentally resurrected in modern Salem.
The cult classic, Hocus Pocus, follows the Sanderson sisters on Halloween night.
New-in-town teen Max Dennison lights the Black Flame Candle and brings Winifred, Sarah, and Mary back to life.
They set out to suck the souls of children so they can stay young forever.
Additionally, Max, his little sister Dani, and classmate Allison race to stop them.
They are aided by a talking cat, a zombie, and a lot of slapstick spellwork.
The version audiences know is far tamer than what appeared on the page. Disney bought the script in 1984. Mick Garris’s earliest drafts had the protagonists as 12-year-olds rather than teens, which put children in far greater and more explicit jeopardy. Kathy Najimy recalls being initially reluctant to take the part.
Origins of Hocus Pocus Characters
The Sanderson sisters also weren’t originally the slapstick, bumbling trio Midler, Parker, and Najimy eventually made them.
Cast members have described the script’s early tone as closer to the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz.
Witches were played for genuine fright rather than laughs.
The script went through nearly a decade of rewrites by roughly a dozen different writers.
All of it was aimed at toning down the horror and leaning into family-friendly comedy before the film finally reached theaters in 1993.
It opened as a flop. It had mixed reviews and a midsummer release that grossed about $40 million on a $28 million budget. There was no awards run to speak of.
Cable, VHS, and yearly Disney Channel / Freeform Halloween airings turned it into a cult seasonal ritual. The Sanderson sisters became Halloween icons.
Merchandise exploded, a 30th-anniversary re-release cracked the box-office top 10, and Hocus Pocus 2 arrived in 2022.
Hocus Pocus is currently streaming on Disney+.
