The original Hocus Pocus ended with the demise of the Sanderson sisters, but now Disney+ plans to resurrect the three witches in Hocus Pocus 2, and here’s how they can return to Salem in the sequel. Fans of the franchise have been waiting to see a follow-up of Hocus Pocus for nearly three decades, and the film is finally set to arrive in the fall of 2022. Anne Fletcher will direct the sequel written by Jen D’Angelo (Workaholics). The original Hocus Pocus cast members Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy have all been confirmed to star in Hocus Pocus 2, reprising their roles as the three iconic sisters, Winnie, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson.
In 1993, Hocus Pocus saw the Sanderson sisters resurrected when skeptical teen, Max Dennison, lit The Black Flame Candle that brought the sisters back to Salem for the first time. After being trapped in limbo for three centuries, the witches are eager to continue their mission to feed on the souls of all of the children in Salem, Massachusetts. With the help of his younger sister, Dani, their neighbor Allison, and a talking cat named Binx, Max manages to defeat the witches. The film ends with the sisters being turned into stone and exploding at sunrise. While this seemed like it could be the end of the Sanderson sisters, Hocus Pocus 2 won’t be the first time they’ve escaped eternal death.
Hocus Pocus 2 will also include some new faces as it is set to revolve around three young women who, following in Max’s footsteps, accidentally bring the three witches back to life. Details about how exactly this will happen in the sequel remain unconfirmed. Still, the original Hocus Pocus leaves viewers with several possible scenarios for how the Sanderson sisters’ resurrection will turn out in Hocus Pocus 2. Here’s a rundown of theories based on clues from the classic 1993 Halloween movie, as well as some new evidence and speculation from fans of the Hocus Pocus franchise.
The Black Flame Candle
The Black Flame Candle is what resurrects the Sanderson sisters in the original Hocus Pocus, making this the most obvious means of bringing the witches back in the sequel. Before the sisters were sentenced to death and hanged in Hocus Pocus, Winnie cast a spell that required a virgin to light the Black Flame Candle during a full moon on Halloween. Once this happened, the witches were able to return to Salem unscathed. Given that Winnie’s spell worked once already, and the candle wasn’t depicted as having been destroyed at any point in the 1993 film, it could be used a second time to unlock the spell and allow the sisters to return in Hocus Pocus 2. Of course, if that’s the case, the Disney+ sequel risks being a copy of the original, with the same witches and the next generation of characters following a fairly similar storyline as the 1993 film. If the infamous Black Flame Candle brings the three sisters back for a second time, the sequel will need to provide other new dynamics to ensure that the follow-up doesn't fall completely flat.
Bookie
The final moments of Hocus Pocus may have offered a major clue as to how the sisters will return in Hocus Pocus 2. When the townspeople hung the sinister witches at the beginning of the first film, their spirits were banished to live inside of Winifred's beloved spell book, sometimes referred to as "Bookie." The cover of which contains a single large, seeing eye. The film's final scene mirrors those of the beginning present-day scenes at the Sanderson sisters' home. The eye peers around as if waiting for someone to come and unlock the spellbook, freeing the sisters from its pages. By choosing to end the film with a close-up of the book, eye open, and once again wondering about the room, the movie seems to have set up the story for a sequel. The eye-opening implies that the sisters aren’t done yet. This also hints at the fact that the book might play a role in the Sanderson sisters' inevitable return in Hocus Pocus 2.
The Blood Moon (from the sequel novel)
Another theory is that Hocus Pocus 2 may be influenced by the 2018 young adult novel Hocus Pocus & The All-New Sequel. Written by author A.W. Jantha, the book includes a novelization of the beloved 1993 film as well as a new sequel that continues the original story surrounding the Sanderson sisters. In the book, the sequel takes place 25 years after the original Hocus Pocus timeline. In The All-New Sequel, the plot revolves around the 17-year-old daughter of Max and Allison, Poppy Dennison.
According to the novel, the Sanderson sisters are somehow able to return to Salem through a moonstone, and the event takes place during a Blood Moon on Halloween. It's safe to assume that regardless of how the witches return, this detail at least will stay consistent from the original to the sequel, and audiences can likely expect the film to premiere around Halloween of 2022. Should Hocus Pocus 2 incorporate Jantha's version of events into the movie sequel, this would be an entirely new means of resurrection that wasn't part of the clues detailed in the previous film. But if the book is now considered part of the canon, it’s possible that Disney+ was inspired by Jantha’s sequel. If so, Hocus Pocus 2 could follow a similar storyline to the one portrayed in the novel.
Another New Ritual
In Hocus Pocus 2, the three young women who inadvertently bring the Sanderson sisters back to modern-day Salem must find a way to stop the witches from “wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world," according to Disney+. This could hint that the sequel also plans to surprise audiences with a new ritual for bringing the witches back to life. As of now, it's unclear whether or not this new trio of young women will include Max and Allison's daughter, Poppy Dennison, or three new characters that haven't been revealed. In the past, fans have theorized that Allison was actually part-witch and that she had powers, too. And at one point in Hocus Pocus, Sarah Sanderson even calls Allison, a "white witch." If that's the case, and if Allison and Max's daughter is one of the three young women ready to take the lead in Hocus Pocus 2, then perhaps she will unknowingly cast the spell that brings Winne, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson back to Salem.
If the sequel plans to bring new, young witches into the fold, then whatever causes the Sanderson sister’s resurrection in Hocus Pocus 2 could be something completely different from what any current theories have imagined. A brand new kind of ritual that has yet to be hinted at by the franchise. No matter how the witches ultimately make their return, Hocus Pocus fans who’ve been patiently waiting three decades for the Sanderson sisters to return to Salem–and to the big screen– will be satisfied to know that they will finally be making their comeback soon.