Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker in the 1993 Hocus Pocus. Archive still, not the Salem reunion. Image: Disney.
Omri Katz, Vinessa Shaw, Larry Bagby and Tobias Jelinek are back in Salem, Massachusetts, bringing four familiar faces from Hocus Pocus together again. On October 2, Katz shared a video of himself, Bagby and Jelinek returning to Burial Hill to recreate the cemetery encounter between Max Dennison and the local bullies. Shaw, who played Allison, also joined the group’s Halloween weekend, 33 years after the original film’s release, but was not part of that scene.
Jelinek described the visit as part of Salem’s 400th-anniversary celebrations. The actors flew into Boston and drove together to Burial Hill, where fans gathered, cheered and joined in with the dialogue. Their Halloween fan event runs through Sunday, October 4. For the people watching, this was a chance to see the actors perform together again, not just pose for a group photograph.
Who returned to Salem?
Katz played Max, the teenager whose Halloween adventure brings the Sanderson sisters into his life. Shaw played Allison, who becomes part of that adventure alongside Max and his younger sister, Dani, played by Thora Birch. Bagby was Ernie, better known as Ice, while Jelinek played Jay. The reunion revisited their early encounter with Max, rather than one of the witches’ big scenes.
That choice gives the supporting cast its own moment. Max, Allison, Jay and Ice belong to the everyday Salem side of the story, before the fantasy takes over. Bringing those actors back to a familiar location lets fans recognize the characters through their exchanges, without needing the elaborate costumes or effects used for the Sanderson sisters.
How the original young cast came together
Director Kenny Ortega chose Birch as Dani before finding the actor to play her brother. The search for Max involved more than 600 boys. Katz’s first audition did not settle the decision: he was ill, and Ortega felt that his usual energy was missing. Katz returned for a second audition after recovering, and the director then felt sure he had found Max.
Shaw also remembers having to audition more than once. After one meeting, Ortega followed her into the parking lot and asked her to come back and repeat the audition. She later did a screen test with Katz. Her recollection offers a useful reminder that the easy familiarity viewers see in the finished film followed a lengthy casting process.
The adult ensemble had its own preparation. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy spent six weeks rehearsing the Sanderson sisters, developing their voices and movements. Najimy wanted Mary to be recognizable even in silhouette; a pumpkin’s curled stem inspired her distinctive hair. The characters’ very different looks were worked out before filming, rather than left entirely to the makeup chair.
What Shaw remembers about working with the witches
Because the younger actors had restricted working hours, Shaw said they did not always share the same schedule as Midler, Parker and Najimy. Getting their makeup done became a chance to spend time together. She remembered Najimy as a warm presence and Parker talking with her about whether she wanted acting to remain part of her life. Parker had also started performing as a child.
School was part of the working day, too. Shaw recalled studying with a teacher on the Disney lot between scenes. For the younger cast, working on Hocus Pocus meant balancing lessons and a film schedule, not just stepping into the characters that fans remember.
Hocus Pocus: original cast and production
3 screenshotsSalem was one part of a much larger production
The original Hocus Pocus spent one week filming on location in Salem, with studio work taking place at Disney. The witches’ flying sequences used wires on a soundstage, while the talking cat required computer effects. Going back to a real filming location therefore revisits one part of a production that combined recognizable places with carefully built fantasy.
There have been earlier opportunities to reconnect. In October 2013, cast and crew gathered on the Disney studio lot for a 20th-anniversary screening, with Shaw, Katz, Birch and Najimy among the participants. The latest Salem visit continues that reunion history.
The reunion belongs to the original film
Hocus Pocus 2 is a separate film, released in September 2022 and directed by Anne Fletcher. Midler, Parker and Najimy returned as the sisters, alongside a new group of young leads played by Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo and Lilia Buckingham. The Salem meetup is a reunion of actors from the 1993 film; it should not be read as a new casting announcement.
For anyone revisiting the cast’s original work, the 1993 Hocus Pocus is currently available on Disney+ in the United States. Availability elsewhere may differ.
See the original film’s cast, runtime and Where to watch details on our Hocus Pocus page.
