I am one of those lucky kids of the 90s who saw Hocus Pocus during its initial release in theaters. Like Dani, I was 8 (and a little over six months old) in 1993. Disney Channel has been showing a lot of behind-the-scenes footage of the film in the lead-up to its release, so I was excited when my hometown newspaper in Wisconsin announced an early preview at our local movie theater. My parents tried to take me, but we didn’t get there early enough. It was sold out, so we went to see something else. But I kept going “to the bathroom” to peek between the theater doors (front of the stadium seating) and watch the film. Hocus Pocus in random one-minute bursts. I got the novelization by Todd Strasser to tide me over until I finally saw the whole movie when it officially came out. I loved it as much as I expected, if not more. I was soon getting yelled at for rollerblading around the neighborhood with a broom or mop between my legs (I could have died, apparently). These are the kinds of anecdotes Hocus Pocus Fans get from other fans in the new book Witches Run Amok: The Oral Tradition of Disney’s Hocus Pocusnow available from Hyperion Avenue, an imprint of Disney’s Buena Vista Books.
(Hyperion Avenue)
I had never read an oral history book before. For those who don’t know it, it is a collection of organized quotes from people who were involved in the creation of Hocus pocus, and some of its most notable fans. I really liked the format, although it sometimes leaves room for digressions that go off topic, which is a bit irritating when you’re suddenly thrown back into the main conversation of that section. The book is divided into chapters on the origins of the film, pre-production, the cast, and all manner of filming (location shooting, sets, costumes, props, music, etc.). The final chapters, which make up about a third of the book, are devoted to what happened after the film was completed and how this box office flop became a timeless classic.
Written by entertainment journalist Shannon Carlin, Witches Run Amok: The Oral Tradition of Disney’s Hocus Pocus originated from an article from 2018 for Hectic about the creation of the “I Put a Spell on You” sequence. The book reuses interviews conducted for that piece, but expands on them with a mix of newly conducted interviews conducted just for this “book,” as well as some archival interviews. It seems that the Sanderson sisters themselves (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy) weren’t as available as the rest of the cast and creative team, as most of their quotes come from the archives. But it also doesn’t feel like they had much to contribute to the narrative, so you don’t feel their absence missed.
I consider myself as Hocus Pocus Superfan, I was surprised how much I learned from Witches Run Amok: The Oral Tradition of Disney’s Hocus Pocusa great addition to Aaron Wallace’s Hocus Pocus in Focus: The Thoughtful Fan’s Guide to Disney’s Halloween Classic (Wallace returns in this book to give a more brilliant perspective on the film and to point out inconsistencies in the lore of Hocus PocusFrom the development of the story and script to the numerous revisions and last-minute cast changes, there are so many anecdotes about the filming of Hocus Pocus that were new to me. Although there are still some questions for the next author who wants to dedicate 300 pages to this topic, Hocus Pocus (Why is the movie version of “I Put a Spell on You” still not available anywhere outside of the movie after all these years?).
Interviews include the film’s creative team (David Kirschner, Kenny Ortega, Neil Cuthbert, Mick Garris), the stars (Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thora Birch, Omri Katz, Vinessa Shaw, Doug Jones, Jason Marsden and more), the crew (John Debney, Tony Gardner, Peggy Holmes, Mary Vogt and more), and people involved in Hocus Pocus 2 (Belissa Escobedo, Ginger Minj, Kahmora Hall) and many more.
There is a small problem with Witches Run Amok: The Oral Tradition of Disney’s Hocus Pocusthe use of uncensored language in the book. It makes what would otherwise be a problem for younger fans of Hocus Pocus somewhat inappropriate. For example, there are four F-bombs throughout the book (pages 27, 114, 124, 219), but the cover and back cover of the book give no indication that this Disney-branded publication would contain adult language (of course, one should assume that “virgins” are being referred to, as this Hocus Pocusbut these conversations are otherwise not explicit). Shannon Carlin’s author’s note at the beginning of the book includes a statement that some quotes have been edited for length and clarity, and you’ll find plenty of parentheses throughout indicating that a quote has been changed, but words are never (hell) censored in the way you’d expect given Disney’s branding.
Until Blu-Ray release 2018Disney had largely ignored the story behind the scenes Hocus Pocusand not even the 25th anniversary re-release showed the full picture. Fortunately Witches Run Amok: The Oral Tradition of Disney’s Hocus Pocus offers a more comprehensive look at the making of one of the greatest Halloween classics of all time and its unlikely path to becoming a pop culture phenomenon. If the Sanderson sisters are part of your annual Halloween movie tradition, this is a must-read.
