‘Hocus Pocus’ Theory Claims Unlikely Character is Really a Witch!

Thirty years ago, Disney released a movie that would become one of its most successful Halloween films ever, Hocus Pocus. Hocus Pocus tells the story of two teens and one young girl who accidentally bring the wicked (and wickedly funny) Sanderson sisters back to life. In order to remain young and alive forever, the Sanderson sisters — Winifred, Mary, and Sarah — must suck the lives out of the children of Salem. But they won’t if Max, his younger sister Dani, and his crush Allison have anything to say about it.

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Max, Allison, and Dani teamed up with Winifred’s ex-lover, Billy Butcherson, and a talking cat Binx, to help bring the witches down. They are able to work together to outsmart the sisters, since they don’t have any magical powers. Or do they?

One Reddit thread, which was written a while ago, is making the rounds again, now that Halloween will soon be upon us. And it has many wondering if, just maybe, there was another witch in Salem.

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Redditor u/BhowBrianJay thought about the characters and determined that Allison was, in fact, a witch!

Something never sat quite right with me regarding Disney’s Hocus Pocus. I’ve come to realize it makes sense that Alison was a witch, pulling the strings all along. It’s got some plot holes for sure, but goes something like this.

-After the Sanderson sisters were hanged, the town of Salem wanted to ensure nothing like the Bynx children’s murder/disappearance happened again. They would elect a family to hand down the responsibility of protecting Salem (and watching over the house) in case the witches returned. It couldn’t be just any family, but one with knowledge of the supernatural.

Alison’s family (established in the film as rich) descended from the upper crust of Salem’s founders. They passed their craft and responsibility down for 300 years. Alison was anxious to end the curse, and found her chance in newly transplanted virgin, Max.

She charms him, takes him to the house, and leads him through an adventure to end Salem’s 300 year curse.

-Alison is obsessed with witches, always peeking in Winnie’s spell book, has the idea to burn them and figures out the spell lasts until dawn, her mom ran the museum/house, and they never contact her parents (residents who would be more prone to believing the witches had returned), amongst other instances.

Again, some plot holes exist but it’s a new twist on the film after 30 years.

More detail in the video at the link or on YouTube @ https://youtu.be/1biPzUjv5Tk

What do you think?

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Related: Hocus Pocus Fans – You NEED This New LEGO Set! 

To make things even more interesting, Vinessa Shaw — who played Allison in the film — thinks that there is more to Allison’s story. She thinks that it isn’t a stretch to think that Allison may have magic in her blood. If you remember, Winifred even calls Allison a “clever little white witch” when she surrounds herself with a circle of salt as the sisters kidnap Dani and take back Winifred’s spell book.

In a 2022 interview with The Wrap, Shaw said that she definitely thought Allison’s connection to magic was “intentionally implied.”

“It was intentionally implied, for sure. Because if you notice the necklace I’m wearing, it can kind of look like — because you don’t see it, obviously, when I’m wearing the full ball gown — but later, when I’m just in the normal change of you know, jeans and the turtleneck and the sweater, you can see. And the necklace, it has kind of like a pentagram-looking design with the stones. If you look really closely… it’s a gold kind of locket, with white pearls connected to the locket, and it has a kind of design on it that could, if you kind of connected it all together, would have looked like a pentagram. But again, it was never explicit.”

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Related: Did Disney Hocus Pocus Its New Haunted Mansion Movie?

Shaw also noted that the cardigan she was wearing had a piece of twine woven through it. She said that the costume designer — the one who added that detail — mentioned that it could be some sort of protective element that Allison would wear.

“She said, ‘Look at how this twine is through here.’ But she mentioned it after she mentioned what the necklace was,” Shaw added. “And then she said ‘And then look at the twining that’s kind of going in through this sort of leather. That’s old world.’ And it was fleshing out the idea. So she didn’t explicitly say like, ‘This is a protective kind of item that would be for a person who practices white magic,’ but that the necklace was kind of white witchy.”

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Related: Original Hocus Pocus Star Would Be “Honored” to Return For Third Film

Hocus Pocus was not an immediate hit when it was released in theaters. But many attribute that to the fact that it was released in the summer and people weren’t ready to think about Halloween. However, in the years since, it has become one of the most popular Halloween movies to watch. It is so loved by fans that, in September 2022, Disney released a sequel, Hocus Pocus 2.

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Hocus Pocus 2 was one of the most successful movie premieres that Disney+ has seen. Disney has even confirmed that a third film is in the works. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that the Sanderson sisters will be a part of it.

Hocus Pocus 2 introduced us to three friends — Cassie, Becca, and Izzy — who, like Max, Dani, and Allison, bring back the Sanderson sisters. They must work to defeat the sisters once again. And, in the end, it looks like the Sanderson sisters’ story has finally come to an end. But Becca, Izzy, and Cassie’s story has not.

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Unlike Allison, Becca’s magical ability is not implied. She uses her magic, and the power of her friendships, to save Salem. It is assumed that Hocus Pocus 3 will continue the story of the three friends.

Hocus Pocus starred Better Midler as Winifred Sanderson, Kathy Najimy as Mary Sanderson, and Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson. Omri Katz played Max Dennison and Thora Birch played Dani Dennison. Doug Jones was Winifred’s ex, Billy Butcherson.

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Midler, Najimy, and Parker all returned to their roles for Hocus Pocus 2. Whitney Peak played Becca, Belissa Escobedo was Izzy, and Lilia Buckingham played Cassie.

What do you think about the theory that Allison is really a witch? Let us know in the comments!