Hocus Pocus is hands down one of the best Halloween movies and a must-watch on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween. Can you imagine a Halloween without the Sanderson sisters?! I know I can’t! After all, it’s all just a bunch of Hocus Pocus!
Many of the actors from this fan favorite movie went on to bigger and better things after hanging up their broomsticks, so let’s take a look at what our three favorite witches and Salem residents have been up to!
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Bette Midler
The highly sadistic and temperamental sister Winifred Sanderson was played by Bette Midler. Midler has had endless success in her career as an actor, comedian and producer – as shown through her three Grammys, four Golden Globes, three Emmys, and one Tony award. If that was not impressive enough, Midler had a Vegas residency at Caesars Palace named Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On. So, yeah, she’s been pretty busy since Hocus Pocus.
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Kathy Najimy
Although not as cunning or evil as her eldest sister, Mary Sanderson was played by Kathy Najimy. Najimy has lent her voice to a number of popular cartoons including King of the Hill (Peggy) and the Netflix hit, BoJack Horseman. Najimy has also starred in a number of films and TV shows since Hocus Pocus, including appearances on Veep and Inside Amy Schumer. She even starred in the hit off-Broadway show, Kathy & Mo!
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Sarah Jessica Parker
Every time Halloween rolls around, I always forget that Parker starred in Hocus Pocus. How could I forget such a stellar performance?! The extremely flirtatious Sarah Sanderson is played by SJP, whom is often described as the most beautiful of the sisters despite canoodling with Winifred’s former beau, Billy Butcherson. After filming wrapped, SJP traded in her broomstick to play the role of Carrie Bradshaw on HBO’s iconic Sex and the City. She now stars in a new HBO comedy, Divorce, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
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Omri Katz
Originally, Leonardo DiCaprio was cast to play Max but dropped out to film What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. So while Katz got lucky in landing the role as the new kid in Salem, he has not done much acting since portraying Max Dennison in Hocus Pocus. Reportedly, he is currently a hairdresser in Los Angeles. Although acting is no longer his main priority, Katz has had minor roles in Freaks and Geeks, General Hospital, and Journey into the Night.
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Thora Birch
Since starring in Hocus Pocus as sassy little Dani Dennison, Thora Birch has been very busy in the acting world! She won an Academy Award for her breakout role in American Beauty, starring as Kevin Spacey’s daughter Jane. She also starred alongside Scarlett Johansson and Steve Buscemi in Ghost World. She has also acted in numerous independent films and has even landed a role in the USA Network drama series, Colony.
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Vinessa Shaw
Max’s former crush-turned-girlfriend Allison was played by Vinessa Shaw, who also went on to have a successful career after the premiere of the Halloween favorite. She most notably played alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow in Two Lovers, and earned a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance in 3:10 to Yuma in 2007. All of these accomplishments are almost as impressive as when Allison figured out that the witches couldn’t handle salt.
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Sean Murray
For Sean Murray, his role as Thackery Binx was pretty much the last role of his film career, disappointing teenage girls everywhere in the 90’s. Instead, Murray found success in television starring as Special Agent Timothy McGee on NCIS since 2003, where he has no fear of being turned into a cat.