What Do Real-Life Witches Think of Disney's 'Hocus Pocus'?

In a newly resurfaced video, Hocus Pocus actress Kathy Najimy reveals that she was worried the 1993 flick would upset real witches. As it turns out, some practicing witches say they do take offense to the film, while others merely view it as lighthearted ghoulish fun.

Najimy also stars in the just-released sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, which has delivered major doses of '90s nostalgia despite receiving lukewarm reviews. The actress returns to the role of witch Mary Sanderson, who along with sisters Winifred (Bette Midler) and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) set out to steal kids' souls in (where else?) Salem, Massachusetts.

The resurrected clip is from Najimy's 1993 interview with Katie Couric as she promoted the first film's release.

"I understand you had some concerns, in all seriousness, about taking on this role because you didn't want to offend or stereotype real witches, is that right?" Couric asks.

"At the risk of having America roll their eyes," Najimy replies, "I just feel supportive of all groups, whether they're women's groups or gay groups or racial groups, and I know that there are groups of witches out there."

She then explains that she isn't a witch, nor does she know any.

"But when I read the script, I thought this is really perpetuating a stereotype about an evil ugly witch, and I know that there are groups of really strong women who sort of bond together and [are] very spiritual and powerful," Najimy says. "I didn't want to be part of perpetuating that myth."

Newsweek reached out to several witches and witchcraft experts to learn what they thought of the film franchise. As with any group, magick practitioners aren't a monolith.

'For the Good of All'

Penny Cabot is the daughter of Laurie Cabot, a famed high priestess and the official witch of Salem. Penny wrote to Newsweek that while both Hocus Pocus films were "fanciful and fun with colorful characters," she was disheartened that the storyline portrays "witches as eating children" and inflicting harm.

Penny explained that her mother has long pushed back against such damaging stereotypes, which Hollywood has exhumed time and again. Adherents abide by the three-fold law, she wrote: Anything that someone does will come back to them, times three. The law emphasizes doing no harm and practicing "for the good of all."

"This is one of our cornerstones in practice as Cabot witches and in many other traditions as well," Penny said. "In a time where inclusivity and acceptance in our culture is at the forefront, to [blatantly] depict us as harmful is disappointing at best."

Reality vs. Fiction

Other witches view the films a little differently.

Mat Auryn, best-selling author of Psychic Witch and Mastering Magick, has studied under Laurie Cabot, who previously railed against the way witches were portrayed in 1987's The Witches of Eastwick.

Auryn wrote to Newsweek that watching Hocus Pocus in October is a tradition for him, and he pressed play on the sequel as soon as it aired. He thinks that the second Hocus Pocus paints witches far more fairly than the first. It helps to explain that the Sanderson sisters in their youth saw witchcraft as an outlet for spiritual empowerment.

The author also lauded Najimy for her 1993 remarks.

"Watching the Kathy Najimy clip fills my heart with delight. As a child of the '90s, I have loved her ever since I first saw her in Sister Act," Auryn wrote. "Seeing her advocate her genuine concern for the real-world effects of practicing Witches and Pagans was very touching and spoke volumes about her heart."

Another leading author isn't upset by the films, either.

Sarah Lyons is the former witch-in-residence for VICE and the author of How to Study Magic: A Guide to History, Lore, and Building Your Own Practice. She wrote to Newsweek that most witches are skilled in differentiating between real life and fiction.

"There's the witch of legend and film, and the witch of history and reality, and between that there's usually a fairly big gap," Lyons said. "I don't get the sense Hocus Pocus or its sequel are trying to represent real witches or witchcraft, so I'm personally not offended if they want to take certain liberties with how they are depicted."

'Evolving Perceptions'

The tourism business is soaring in Salem this year, according to Rachel Christ-Doane, the Salem Witch Museum's director of education. She told Newsweek that part of what the museum does is explain "evolving perceptions" surrounding witches.

Witch trials rocked Europe even before they took Salem by storm, Christ-Doane said. The word "witch" itself has taken on modern meanings in recent decades, gradually shedding some of its negative historical connotations.

Christ-Doane thinks Hocus Pocus was a "great, very cute" movie. Much of it was shot in Salem, and the filmmakers never claimed to tell the true story behind the city's witch trials.

"I don't find it offensive in any way, really," she said. "It's just part of popular culture."

Perpetuating Stereotypes

Lights, Camera, Witchcraft author Heather Greene called Najimy's concerns "forward thinking for 1993" amid the satanic panic. Greene is a witch who's also an editor, film historian and religion journalist who recently penned a thoughtful piece comparing the Hocus Pocus installments.

Even though each film perpetuated certain stereotypes about witches—such as that they're ugly, power-hungry, evil and dangerous—Greene wrote to Newsweek that there's a "distinct difference" between the two.

The first movie heavily leans into clichés, albeit in comedic ways, Greene said. But Hocus Pocus 2 viewers learn that the Sanderson sisters' past is riddled with trauma and "puritanical oppression."

"And, ironically enough, the sisters' backstory is actually yet another stereotypical witch narrative, but of a very different kind," Greene wrote.

She added that in the sequel, "Nature appears to be the source of magic, not Satan. That is a shift that helps nuance our cultural relationship with modern Witchcraft without throwing out the kitschy fun that made the Sanderson sisters popular."

Midwives as Witches

Real witches also praised Najimy's show of historical knowledge in the decades-old clip. In it, she explains that some of the women suspected of witchcraft were actually midwives and healthcare workers. And the idea that witches eat children dates back to that time.

It's a point that Auryn applauds Najimy for getting right. He wrote that the baby-eating trope originated from the fact that many accused witches in Europe "were midwives and assisted in handling miscarriages, as well as knowing herbal formulas for inducing abortions, which quickly made them a target of the church."

The franchise may not be perfect in some witches' views. But Penny emphasized that there's "room for redemption" in a potential future installment: "They have the perfect opportunity in [Hocus Pocus 3] to make their witches vegan."

Newsweek has reached out to representatives for Najimy for comment.

Update 10/28/22, 1:42 p.m. ET: The headline on this article was updated.