Hocus Pocus is one of the most talked-about Halloween movies when the season arrives. Starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, the movie had everything from suspense to love to witchcraft.
Based on the lives and bewitchings of the Sanderson sisters, the witches were brought back from the dead after a virgin lit the black flame candle on Halloween night. It’s been 300 years since they’ve been back on earth and they have one mission: to be young and live forever. As unstoppable of a movie as Hocus Pocus is, it’s not free from errors. Scroll below to see 10 things that don't make sense.
How Did Thackery Know About Billy & Winifred?
When Thackery Binx takes the kids to the graveyard, he tells the story of Billy Butcherson. Billy was Winifred's boyfriend but after she found him sleeping with her sister Sarah, she cast a spell to seal his mouth shut for eternity.
What's odd about this scenario is the fact that Thackery knew about Billy's curse. It's highly doubtful that the Sanderson sisters told Thackery this, especially since they died so quickly after casting a spell on him.
Why Didn't The Sandersons Cast A Spell On The Townspeople?
When the Sanderson sisters are being interrogated by the townspeople, they attempt to cast a spell on them so they can live. Sadly, they all covered their ears so they couldn't listen to their words. However, as powerful as these women are, they couldn't sing louder to make their words heard by at least a few people?
These are women who can smell children, shoot electricity of their fingers, and ride brooms. They couldn't defeat a few angry townspeople? By the looks of the Sanderson sisters, Winifred appears to be the most talented but she failed to cast her magic.
Why Didn't Thackery Speak To His Parents?
After the Sanderson sisters cast a spell on Thackery, he was seen hanging around the townspeople while the sisters were being hanged. After the sisters died, Thackery is seen rubbing against his dad's leg meowing uncontrollably. His dad shoos the cat away and calls it a beast while Thackery runs to the woods to watch from afar. But if Thackery could speak to the Dennisons and Allison, why couldn't he speak to his parents?
There's a theory out there that Thackery didn't want to speak to his parents because the townspeople were against witchcraft and would assume he was evil. But if he can't die then what's the shame in trying? The spell the Sandersons cast was strong enough to last over 300 years, so why not try?
How Did Winifred Know The Driving Laws?
Those who have Disney+ can watch Hocus Pocus this spooky season to recount all of the Sanderson sisters' best moments. However, there was one scene that didn't follow the movie's timeline. When the Dennisons and Allison are driving away from the Sanderson sisters, Winifred spooks them and shows up at Max's window.
While on her broomstick, she says "Pull over! Let me see your driver's permit!" When Max swerves the car, she says "Resisting arrest?" as Max flings her into the woods. If Winifred comes from a time before cars and driving rules, how does she know about modern-day laws?
Why Didn't Emily Try To Escape?
When viewers are introduced to the Sanderson sisters, they're in the middle of creating a spell to take Emily Binx's youth and life. What's weird is that Emily is completely compliant with the sisters. She doesn't try to run away from them, scream, and doesn't seem to care that her brother just showed up to save her life.
Some fans believe that Emily was in a trance thanks to the witches Sarah's singing voice but it's never discussed. It will be interesting if the upcoming sequel will detail the hold the sisters have on those they're praying after.
How Did The Teacher Know About Thackery's Story?
At the beginning of the movie, Miss Olin is telling Max and Allison's class about the tale of Thackery Binx and the Sanderson sisters. She says that Thackery has to live on forever as a cat, hoping to one day be reunited with his sister Emily. What's strange is how Miss Olin knows the tale of Thackery Binx in the first place.
If he doesn't speak to people and the sisters have been dead for 300 years, how is Thackery's tale told? Especially if his parents didn't know he was a cat. Perhaps this small plothole is discussed in the sequel!
Where Do The Sandersons Get Their Ingredients From?
With the Sanderson sisters ruling Hocus Pocus, the thought of them not appearing in the upcoming sequel is unfathomable. They make the movie as iconic as it is, especially when they're casting spells.
When the sisters are making their potion for Emily at the beginning of the movie, they have everything they need (including "dead man's toe!"). But 300 years later, the women are back creating the same spell. How is it possible that they have all the ingredients they had from hundreds of years prior, especially if they include the limbs of human beings. Surely those who took over the Sanderson house and turned it into a museum would have got rid of any human toes they found.
If Hell Was So Bad, Why Didn't They Want To Live?
There are plenty of one-liners from Hocus Pocus that got turned into memorabilia for diehard fans to wear when Halloween rolls around. This includes Winifred's line to Billy regarding Hell.
After Winifred urges Billy to attack the kids in the graveyard, he tells her to "go to Hell." Instead of being offended as many would be, she said "Oh! I've been there, thank you. I found it quite lovely." If she found Hell so lovely, why wouldn't she want to go back there? Why would she want to live in fear where the mortals are?
Is Allison Who She Says She Is?
There's a rumor floating around that Allison is actually a witch herself. She and her family love witches so much that they ran the Sanderson museum and she defended Salem's witchy history in class. She was also far too intrigued in Winifred's spellbook. If she was a witch, understanding Winifred's powerful spells could have been very useful to her and her family.
Now, we never saw Allison perform a spell and she was able to enter the graveyard without dying but fans can't help but find small details that point to her being a witch.
Who Woke Up The Book At The End?
It appears that the only person who can wake the spellbook is Winifred Sanderson. When she needs the book's assistance, the book's eye opens and floats her way.
It's assumed that with the Sanderson sisters dead, the book wouldn't have a master anymore. What's strange is that at the end of the movie, the book's eye opens up. Does this mean the Sanderson sisters aren't really dead? Who else has the ability to wake the book?