Hocus Pocus is arguably the greatest Halloween movie of all time.
Even though it came out in 1993, the girl power of its three badass female leads, the
Sanderson sisters, still resonates today.
The years have been kind to Hocus Pocus, but what has the cast been up to all these years
later?
Omri Katz
Hollywood, aka Max Dennison, is the lead of Hocus Pocus.
He sets everything in motion on that fateful night in a bid to impress his crush, but Max
thankfully doesn't let his laid-back point of view stop him from saving the day.
"Would you care to share your California laid back, tie-dyed point of view?"
"Okay."
Although he's less well known today, actor Omri Katz was actually the most well-known
of all the kids prior to shooting the movie.
He had just spent two years headlining the kid's show Eerie, Indiana, and he'd previously
been a regular cast member on the drama series Dallas.
His career stalled in the aftermath, however, with his last role to date in the 2002 short
film Journey Into Night.
Katz reunited with Hocus Pocus co-stars Thora Birch and Vinessa Shaw back in 2015, documenting
the heartwarming results on Instagram.
Vinessa Shaw
Although actress Vinessa Shaw had already made a name for herself prior to stealing
Max's heart in Hocus Pocus, the spooky family film was her big break.
Shaw told Express in the U.K. that fans still frequently call her Allison but, "thankfully,
they keep the 'Yabbos' comment to themselves."
"I couldn't wear anything like that, because I don't have any… what do you call them
Max?
Yabbos?"
"Max likes your yabbos."
Shaw has enjoyed a lengthy and varied career, appearing in horror remake The Hills Have
Eyes, western remake 3:10 To Yuma opposite Russell Crowe, as well as a recurring role
in hit TV series Ray Donovan.
The actress often posts throwbacks to Hocus Pocus on her Instagram.
On the movie's staying power, she told Express:
"I don't think any of us had any idea of the magnitude of how popular it would be.
It just goes to show that when you are young you watch things over and over again and it
gets in your head, and just sticks."
​Thora Birch
Thora Birch was just 11 when she appeared in Hocus Pocus.
Her career launched into the stratosphere afterwards, with the young actress landing
parts in diverse projects ranging from Brit cult horror The Hole alongside a then-virtually-unknown
Keira Knightley, to Oscar-winning drama American Beauty.
It hasn't all been smooth sailing, however, as a 2014 sit-down with The Guardian made
uncomfortably clear.
When it was suggested that Birch stepped out of the spotlight, the actress responded:
"I didn't step back.
I was always working, it's just that no one was paying attention."
Still, Birch isn't done with Hollywood just yet.
She's still acting, and producing, as of October 2018.
Tobias Jelinek
Bully Jay must have escaped from the Sanderson house at some stage 'cause the actor who played
him, Tobias Jelinek, has enjoyed a healthy career since his hilarious turn in Hocus Pocus.
"Whoo, I love the costume.
What are you supposed to be?
A New Kid On The Block?"
Jelinek has appeared in a variety of popular TV shows over the years including Netflix
super-hit Stranger Things, Arrow, and Atlanta, just to name a few.
Although Jelinek isn't a big interview guy, Hocus Pocus is still clearly near and dear
to his heart.
He shared a sweet Instagram post comparing then and now pics of himself and buddy Larry
Bagby via an Entertainment Weekly piece on the reunion, naturally, neither of them has
changed a bit.
Larry Bagby
"This is ice…"
Similar to his on-screen BFF, Larry Bagby has worked consistently since Hocus Pocus,
even showing up as a bully again on hit nineties horror show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Bagby happily shares a ton of Hocus Pocus-based content on his Instagram, including a heartwarming
reunion shot with fellow cast-members Omri Katz and Doug Jones.
Judging by co-star Tobias Jelinek's page, the two are still pretty close all these years
later, too.
If there's a cheerleader for Hocus Pocus, it's, somewhat surprisingly, Ice.
"Yo, witch.
Get ya face off my shoe."
​Bette Midler
The delightfully unhinged head witch Winifred Sanderson is still one of Bette Midler's favorite
roles.
"Sisters, sing."
"Ahhhhhh…"
Midler even dressed up as Winnie again back in 2016.
Winifred flew once more in honor of the 21st anniversary of Midler's charity, the New York
Restoration project, at their annual Hulaween Party, which she hosts.
Nowadays, Midler is still doing what she does best - acting in movies and singing to sold-out
crowds.
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker was already established when Hocus Pocus dropped, but nobody could've
predicted just how huge she'd get.
"We're just three kindly old spinster ladies."
"Spending a quiet evening at home."
"Sucking the lives out of little children!"
Parker, obviously, went on to become Sex and the City's Carrie, starring in six seasons
of the hit show along with two spin-off movies.
These days, aside from a still-busy acting career, the mother-of-three is also looking
to take creative control by producing original content.
As she told Red in an interview:
"I love producing because I love the collaboration with incredibly gifted people and seeing the
process through from beginning to end."
Kathy Najimy
All three Sanderson sisters went on to have fabulous careers, and Kathy Najimy, who played
the goofy but well-meaning Mary, was no different.
She appeared in acclaimed shows like Younger, The Big C, and Veep, just to name a few.
Much like the rest of the cast, Najimy has plenty to say about her time on Hocus Pocus,
opening up to SyFy about how she got involved in the project and how obsessed she was with
co-star Bette Midler.
Among the many tidbits the actress shares were how she came up with Mary's crooked hair,
which was supposed to look like the top of a pumpkin.
She also talked about her mouth, which Najimy explained was meant to make her look like
a bloodhound, "so this sort of sniffy thing sort of happened."
"I smell children…"
"Sic 'em!"
Doug Jones
Would you believe that Billy Butcherson was actually one of character actor Doug Jones'
most human roles? Jones was hidden beneath layers of latex in virtually every film since,
particularly for lifelong pal Guillermo Del Toro, who cast him in films such as Hellboy
and Pan's Labyrinth.
He finally came to the fore in 2017 as the Amphibian Man in Oscar-winning fantasy romance
The Shape of Water.
Buzzfeed tapped the performer for lots of amazing behind-the-scenes info from the Hocus
Pocus set, including how his role was expanded based on the strength of his hilarious performance,
and how he improvised one of his biggest moments.
This one, to be exact:
"You bucktoothed, mop-riding, firefly from hell!
I've waited centuries to say that."