Hocus Pocus Stars Return as the Sanderson Sisters for Charity Event
Courtesy of movieweb.com:
Ahead of their Hocus Pocus reunion at the end of the month, Bette Midler posted a photo online of herself alongside Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker in their Sanderson Sister costumes. In the original 1993 movie, the trio of actresses shined as Winnie, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson, a group of witch siblings resurrected in modern-day Salem. In a new photo posted to Midler’s Instagram page, all three actresses can be seen wearing their classic costumes, nearly three decades after they last wore them in the classic Halloween movie.
The image is advertising a one-time-only reunion special for Midler’s annual “Hulaween” fundraiser. Dubbed “In Search of the Sanderson Sisters,” the event is being hyped as “the best thing to happen to Halloween since Hocus Pocus and Reese’s Pieces.” As a virtual event, fans all over the world are welcome to purchase tickets and watch the reunion when it goes down on Oct. 30. Proceeds will be donated to the New York Restoration Project.
Better yet, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark will also be present to host the event. Other guest stars include Glenn Close, Billy Crystal, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Debney, Samantha Diaz, Harry Guinness, Todrick Hall, Jennifer Hudson, Anjelah Johnson-Reyes, Michael Kors, Adam Lambert, George Lopez, Alex Moffat, Vanessa Shaw, Martin Short, Sarah Silverman, John Stamos, Meryl Streep, Kenan Thompson, Sophie von Haselberg, and others.
Released in 1993, Hocus Pocus was not a smash hit at the box office, but it has grown a tremendous fan following in the years since. Written by Mick Garris and Neil Cuthbert and directed by Kenny Ortega, it featured Midler, Najimy, and Parker in three of their most famous roles as the Sanderson Sisters. When they’re inadvertently resurrected in the present day by an unwitting teenager, the witches return to Salem and they try to acclimate to the 20th century. They’re also planning on sucking the souls out of every child in the city, and a group of youths must come together to banish them from whence they came.
Hocus Pocus 2 is also in the works at Disney+. In the past, Midler, Najimy, and Parker have all been publicly open about their desire to return to the franchise in a followup movie. More recently, Midler has confirmed that she is in talks with Disney to reprise the role of Winnie Sanderson in Hocus Pocus 2, though she has yet to sign the dotted line. If Bette Midler is on board, we can presume Najimy and Parker will be close to follow, especially now that we’ve already seen them get back into the costumes for Midler’s charity event.
The upcoming reunion event, called “In Search of the Sanderson Sisters: A Hocus Pocus Hulaween Takeover,” is scheduled for Oct. 30 at 8:00 p.m. EST. Tickets cost $10. The event is described as a “one-time showing,” meaning this will be the only opportunity to see this reunion. It will not be shown again anywhere else after Oct. 30. You can buy your ticket now at the official website for the New York Restoration Project. The image of the Sanderson Sisters in costume comes to us from Bette Midler on Instagram.
