It’s been 29 years, right down to the day, but now the witches are back in Hocus Pocus 2. The Sanderson sisters make their long-awaited return in the sequel to the cult classic Halloween movie Hocus Pocus.
Though initially considered a box office flop, the 1993 film has become a beloved Halloween tradition for many, and a sequel has been highly anticipated by the fans, cast and crew. Bette Midler, who plays Winifred Sanderson, made Hocus Pocus 2 possible. Well, that and the studio releasing it on Disney Plus.
With such a long lead-out between movies, the writers had ample time to put in more references than you could shake a broom at. We can’t fit every Easter egg and throwback detail into this list, but here are a few you might have missed!
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SPOILER WARNING: The following list contains spoilers for Hocus Pocus 2.
Haven’t seen it yet? Read our spoiler-free movie review here!
Sarah’s Spider Obsession
The film opens with a flashback sequence, with the beloved sisters as children living in 1600s Salem, Massachusetts. It is Winnie’s 16th birthday, and Sarah gifts her a spider. This is a throwback to Sarah’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) spider obsession in the first film and a character detail reflected in her new dress. The sleeves of her revamped costume look like crotched spiderwebs, and even tiny spiders are scattered across her corset. Or maybe they’ve always been there, but we couldn’t see the details on our CRT TVs.
Other details we picked up were the eyes scattered across Winnie’s dress that match the eye on her book and Mary’s mouth switching sides once she is slapped.
Playing Pretend
When the witches are resurrected by Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), they also tell the trio they are witches. This is exactly what Dani (Thora Birch) did in the first Hocus Pocus after the witches were brought back to life. They also try to trick the witches similarly to how they were in the first movie, but the sisters are wiser this time around.
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The Power of Three
Three is a substantial number in movies about witchcraft, and Hocus Pocus 2 is no exception. The Sanderson sisters form a powerful coven of three witches, which is reflected in the new group. Now I really want to watch Charmed.
Familiar Faces
While only the witches and Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones) came back from the original cast, you will still see some familiar faces around Salem. The scene we spotted the most callback costuming was during the Sanderson sister lookalike contest and subsequent musical scene. Looking out into the crowd, you can spot a cone-bra-wearing Madonna, three women in Little Shop of Horrors-esque red sequin dresses, a Billy Butcher lookalike and a Bone Band member.
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Finally, the couple behind the Mayor (Tony Hale) in line for the caramel apples are dressed as The Devil and “Medusa.” This is a throwback to the couple whose house they are invited into and call Master in the first Hocus Pocus.
Mother Witch
Speaking of Master, in the first Hocus Pocus, it is stated the spell book was given to Winifred by the devil himself. However, in Hocus Pocus 2, we learn it is given to the Sanderson sisters by the Mother Witch (Hannah Waddingham) in the woods. If you look closely at the dress the Mother Witch is wearing; you will notice a similarity to the costume Dani wears in the first movie.
Hocus Pocus 3?
In true Disney fashion, watching through the credits will reward you with a bonus post-credits scene. In it, we see Cobweb the black cat inside the magic shop. The cat leaps to the shelf, revealing a box labeled “B.F Candle #2.” I’m not sure we will get a third Hocus Pocus with how delicately this one was wrapped, but I never thought we’d see Hocus Pocus 2, so who knows?
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Have you watched Hocus Pocus 2 yet? What hidden details did you notice that we might have missed on our list? Comment below to tell us what you spotted!
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