When the comedy-fantasy film Hocus Pocus first came out, critics were not impressed, and it flopped in the box office. Thankfully, since then, it has gained quite a following; millions of children were spellbound with this classic, and it has become a staple for Halloween binge watching.
Most of the cast have had bigger roles, yet a lot of people still remember them for this film. They, in turn, are equally fond of this movie that they worked on more than twenty years ago.
Speaking to ABC News, they have recalled the fun memories that they made while on set.
“I don’t think any of us had any idea of the magnitude of how popular it would be ’til this day,” said actress Vinessa Shaw who played Allison, the love interest of main character Max Dennison. She also credited actor Omri Katz, who played Max, for relieving nerves on set. “Omri’s such a cool dude. We were best buds,” she pointed out. “We were good friends. He didn’t make me feel nervous at all. Anything that was tension-building, we’d just laugh.”
She also described being on set for the younger cast like “being kids in a candy store” and also said that they “loved each other.”
Thora Birch, who played Max’s younger sister, Dani, attests to that. “All three of us [Omri Katz, Thora Birch and Vinessa Shaw] — we got along great,” she said. That bond still extends to this day: “Me and Vinessa, whenever we see each other, it’s like old friends getting back together. She’s just a wonderful person,” Birch said.
Birch did have an issue with one castmate, though. “Dani was in love with the cat. For me, I had an issue whenever the cat came up […] There were a number of live cats, animatronic cats — the thing with the cat was a toss-up. You never knew what would happen,” she explained.
The cast also extended their circle even further. Hocus Pocus was filmed next to the set of television series, Home Improvement. “The kids of Hocus Pocus and Home Improvement were on the lot and high-fiving each other,” Shaw said. “We hung out with Doug Jones and laughed with him and Sean Murray [who played Thackery Binx], and we really just had the best time.”
Speaking of Murray, he revealed a slightly embarrassing tidbit on one of the girls: “Vinessa I’d say I was closest to and Thora was the most wonderful thing ever,” he said, then added, “We’d be on and off with the set teacher in the trailer and she’d write little hearts on the paper I was working on. If you mention it to her today she’ll say ‘Oh no, I didn’t do that’.”
Do you plan to watch Hocus Pocus tonight after loading up on candy? Let us know in the comments what your Halloween plans are!
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