Welcome back to Behind The Scenes Saturday!!! Today is dedicated to one of my favorite Spooky Season sequels, Hocus Pocus 2! After all these years, we got a follow-up to one of my go-to Halloween movies that provided the randomness, emotions, and humor that made me love the first film so much. So, grab your roombas, be careful of what kind of candle you light, and enjoy these fun pictures and bits of trivia!!

(Trivia provided by IMDb.com)

(Pictures provided by IMDb.com and google.com)

(SPOILER ALERT!!!)

• During a podcast interview, Doug Jones (Billy) confirmed that the wig he wears in this film is the same exact one that he wore in the first film.
• Bette Midler (Winifred) was largely responsible for getting this sequel made. When she realized how popular the first film had become, she was genuinely surprised and she started making phone calls. After she went online, she stated that she’d never seen so much Hocus Pocus merch. As she watched it progress, she’d call the studio once a year and ask, “How about it?”

• In the first film, Mary’s (Kathy Najimy) mouth is crooked to the right. In this film, it’s to the left. Najimy admitted that it was difficult for her to do it on the original side now. To explain the change in this film, Winifred slaps Mary, making her mouth move to the other side.
• During the scene where the Mayor (Tony Hale) loses his place in line, there’s a couple sitting on the bench dressed as a devil and a lady with hair rollers. This is an homage to Garry and Penny Marshall, who played the unsuspecting couple who briefly hosted the Sanderson sisters in the first film.

• Maiden, Mother, and Crone are referenced in the incantation spell. Also known as The Triple Goddess, these entities together form a deity or deity archetype revered in many Neopagan religious and spiritual traditions. The Sanderson sisters embody these figures, Winifred is The Crone, Mary is The Mother, and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) is The Maiden.
• Peaking through a window, Winifred notices a couple watching TV. What they are watching is Garry Marshall and Penny Marshall’s scene in the original film. It was the filmmakers’ way of having them in the film after their passing.

• The spiders that attacked the Salem villagers were Golden silk orb-weavers. Although they are frighteningly large, these spiders are completely harmless to humans. They are not venomous, and their bites cannot even pierce human skin.
• Cassie (Lila Buckingham) wears a tie-dye shirt that similar to Max’s in the first film. Then she wears a tan sweater that similar to Allison’s in the first film.

• Although this film was shot mostly in Rhode Island, Cassie’s house bears a striking resemblance to Allison’s mansion in the first film. That house, also known as Ropes Mansion, is actually located in Salem, MA and it welcomes tourists to visit its botanical surroundings year-round.
• The opening is set in 1653 on Winifred’s 16th birthday, meaning that she was born in 1637. She was 56 when she was hanged in the opening of the first film. Bette Midler was actually 47 when she shot the first film.

• Bette Midler was 47 in the first film and 76 here. Kathy Najimy was 36 in the first film and 65 here. Sarah Jessica Parker was 28 in the first film and 57 here. Doug Jones was 33 in the first film and 62 here.
• Because the film wasn’t actually shot in Salem, many local Salem businesses were contacted and they gave permission for their businesses’ logos to be used for the set. For instance, a sign for The Salem Plant Witch can be seen in the film, hanging above the door on a store front.

• The Reverend Traske’s (Tony Hale) house that young Winifred (Taylor Henderson) sets on fire was modeled after the “Witch House” in Salem, MA. Otherwise known as the Jonathan Corwin House, it was the home of Judge Jonathan Corwin, an infamous “witch” hunter.
• On the billboard sign for Mayor Traske’s re-election, behind Cassie’s head, you can see the Dennisons’ house from the first film.

• I Put A Spell On You in the first film, and One Way Or Another in this one both start at 58 minutes and 30 seconds. In the first film, Winifred’s intro begins before, but the music doesn’t start until 58:30.
• The stitches that Winifred casts onto Billy’s mouth can be read as “Kiss”.

• The Sanderson sisters have a special walk that they do when they’re on a mission, where they hike up their skirts and walk in-step with each other, over-exaggerating their steps in each direction. The fans refer to this move as “hag tracks”. However, when they shot the first film, Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker came up with their own name for it. They call it “slurking” because it’s a mix of slinking and lurking.
• The location of the Sanderson sisters’ home shows the growth of Salem over time. It was originally deep in the woods, then just outside the main part of town, then fully incorporated into a busy street and turned into Gilbert’s (Sam Richardson) shop.

• In 2018, a sequel novel was written by A.W. Jantha. The story followed Poppy, the daughter of Max and Allison.
• Larry Bagby was interested in returning as his character, Ernie “Ice” for this film. His agent submitted him for a cameo as the Salem Magic Shoppe’s owner. Unfortunately, Bagby was never contacted to audition.

• Before this sequel was greenlit, a made-for-TV remake without the original cast was announced. The plans for this were of course scrapped after this film began development.
• The Mother Witch’s (Hannah Waddingham) color scheme is similar to Dani’s witch costume from the first film. The film’s costume designer, Salvador Pérez Jr. stated that this wasn’t intentional, but he embraced it after noticing the similarities.

• Winifred, Mary, and Sarah are commonly associated with the colors red, green, and purple. In this film, Cassie, Becca (Whitney Peak), and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) can be seen wearing clothes with similar color schemes.
• Just before Becca and Izzy enter Gilbert’s shop to look for the book, he can be heard whistling I Put A Spell On You as he prepares to leave for the night.

• The director of the first film, Kenny Ortega admitted that he was not approached to direct this film or the upcoming 3rd film.
• Gilbert tells his customers that the Book is sealed away to prevent it from escaping. However, when the Book wakes up, the first thing Gilbert does is release it, implying that he never actually believed it was dangerous at all.

• The character, Reverend Traske shares the same name of the villainous Reverend Trask from the classic television series, Dark Shadows.
• Rocio Banquells was considered for the role of Cassie.

• There is a hidden Mickey somewhere on Winifred’s outfit.
• When Winifred casts the Magicae Maxima spell, her eyes glow purple. In the beginning of the film, the Witch Mother’s eyes glow the same color, hinting that she also cast the spell.

• In the cursed flash mob scene, many dancers can be seen wearing costumes that are nods to the first film. Among others are a Billy Butcherson costume, Mrs. Dennison’s Madonna costume, Mr. Dennison’s Dracula costume, Dani’s witch costume, the Sanderson sisters (of course), and the costumes worn by the band who played I Put A Spell On You.
• In the first film, Max drinks the Life Potion to save Dani and Winifred says, “What a fool, to give up thy life for thy sister’s”. In this film, Winifred does just that, by giving up her immortal life as the most powerful witch on Earth in order to be re-united with her sisters.

• In 1653, young Sarah (Juju Journey Brener) was briefly entranced by the Witch Mother singing Come, Little Children. After gaining her own magic, Sarah later used that song to lure children to their deaths.
• After the end credits, an extra scene shows another Black Flame Candle, indicating that this indeed won’t be the last we see of the Sanderson sisters.