Who would have thought that the Divine Miss M would join the ranks of Halloween villains like Jason Voorhees, Michael Meyers, and Freddy Kreuger? Since 1993, Bette Middler’s portrayal of the child-eating witch Winifred Sanderson has captivated and frightened audiences of all ages with her dark powers, nasty plots, and spellbinding crooning. Playboy transgender supermodel Arisce becomes obsessed with Hocus Pocus during Halloween season: here’s why.
Hocus Pocus
- Director: Kenny Ortega
- Writer: Mick Garris, Neil Cuthbert
- Starring: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Omri Katz, Thora Birch, Vinessa Shaw
- Running time: 96 minutes
- Released: July 1993
Why Arisce loves Hocus Pocus
“It has aged so well, because it came out around same time as Buffy, and all those other shows,” Arisce told Playboy. “But when you look back at the effects and everything, Hocus Pocus looks like it was done maybe two years ago. Bette Middler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy are such a great trio. Their chemistry is so fun.”
If you’re a child of the ’90s, Hocus Pocus has always been there. Whether you rented it from Blockbuster, or caught it on The Disney Channel in October, there’s a chance you’ve seen Bette Middler sing, dance, and spook the children of Salem at least a couple times.
The movie was directed by Kenny Ortega, who comes from the world of choreography. Ortega would later direct the insanely popular High School Musical and Descendants franchises. At this point, I feel like all trivia surrounding the movie is common knowledge.
Yes, Rosie O’Donnell turned down the role of Mary Sanderson. Leo DiCaprio almost won the role of Max Dennison from Omri Katz, but he opted to star in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? instead. Real-life siblings Penny and Gary Marshall played a married couple in the movie: weird!
But did you know that the song “Almost Unreal” by Roxette was written for this movie? It didn’t make the final soundtrack, but it was used by another 1993 release. That 1993 release? Super Mario Bros. Ever heard of it? How’s that for trivia?
For Arisce, and for many, Hocus Pocus is a cherished Halloween tradition. Since September, she’s seen it five times. She even proudly watched it during its theatrical release, which oddly enough, was in the middle of summer.
“When you came home, and you saw that ad with the kid jumping introducing the movie on Disney Channel, you knew it was going to be amazing,” Arisce says. “I would stay my ass home and watch it, no matter what I was planning to do.”
Arisce is on The Playboy Club. Talk to her now.
