Like a virgin to a candle, rumors of a “Hocus Pocus” sequel have long lit up the internet. Sarah Jessica Parker fueled them once again during a “Watch What Happens Live” appearance on Thursday, saying, “I would love that. I think we’ve all been fairly vocal about being very keen.”
Parker is right. Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy ― the other two Sanderson sisters ― have also expressed emphatic interest in making “Hocus Pocus 2.” Midler said in 2014 that it’s up to Disney, which produced the 1993 original, to get the cauldron boiling.
I’m not one to encourage Hollywood’s nostalgia obsession, but there may be good reason to revive this particular Halloween staple. In a vintage interview with Entertainment Weekly, Parker said the “Hocus Pocus” we know now is nothing like the one she thought she was making. The original script centered more heavily on the Sanderson sisters, but the studio chose to shift focus to the teenagers who resurrect the witchy trio.
”I haven’t experienced editing to this degree before,” Parker reportedly said. The EW article indicates she was nearly edited out of the film, despite “weeks” of rehearsal. Considering Parker still appears in a solid chunk of “Hocus Pocus,” even getting her own musical number, I must admit I’d love to see a follow-up that showcases the full extent of the Sanderson sisters’ quirks. If not a sequel, maybe an alternate cut emphasizing the original vision?
”She was, like, Renfield mixed with Lolita mixed with a Shakespearean wood nymph mixed with, like, a 4-year-old with breasts,” Parker said of her character. “It was totally up to me to create her. I understand the choices that they made. I just wish they had left in a lot of the weird moments.”
Hit Backspace for a regular dose of pop culture nostalgia.
Before You Go
