13 Easter Eggs in Hocus Pocus 2 Not to Miss | Playbill

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Film & TV Features 13 Easter Eggs in Hocus Pocus 2 Not to Miss

Can you spot all of these callbacks to the original Hocus Pocus while watching the sequel?

Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler, and Sarah Jessica Parker in Hocus Pocus 2 Photo by Matt Kennedy, courtesy of Disney Enterprises

Someone lit the black flame candle, and the Sanderson sisters have returned to put a spell on you in Hocus Pocus 2. The sequel contains many of the classic quirks and nods of the 1993 original: Sarah repeating “amok” over and over, Winifred being called a “hag,” Mary calling their would-be victims “shish-kababy,” and Mary’s crooked smile — which is now mysteriously in the opposite direction.

Hocus Pocus 2 features the return of Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker. It follows Becca, Izzy, and Cassie, three teenage girls who must save Salem from the witches. Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, and Lilia Buckingham star as the new trio of heroines. The film is filled with references to the first movie, backstory details, and evidence for fan theories.

Both Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2 are available to stream on Disney+. If you’re planning on a Hocus Pocus double feature this Halloween weekend, here are some Easter eggs in Hocus Pocus 2 to watch out for. See how many you can spot.

Hocus Pocus Book Courtesy of Disney Enterprises

Let’s Go Back to the 1600s
Hocus Pocus 2 tells audiences the year is 1653, 40 years before the year embossed on the cover of the Hocus Pocus book that fills the screen at the beginning of the first film.

"We Are Not Here!"
In the first film, the townspeople of Salem arrive at the door of the Sanderson sisters’ cottage. “There are no witches here,” Sarah says in the first film when the villagers come bearing torches. When the crowd appear for a much scarier purpose in the second film, Winifred tells her sisters to act like no one is home. Sarah makes sure to tell the villagers as much: “We are not here!”

Cat Transformation Spell
The sequel gives a nod to Thackery Binx’s curse when Winifred spots this spell in her new book, and Sarah believes Gilbert’s cat Cobweb is really Binx. The spell in the original film is the first instance of “itchita copita, melaka mystica” being uttered within the franchise, which goes on to make several appearances throughout both films.

Hannah Waddingham in Hocus Pocus 2 Photo by Matt Kennedy, courtesy of Disney Enterprises

Who Is Mother?
In Hocus Pocus, the three sisters raise their brooms to the memory of “Mother.” Turns out, they may be raising their brooms to the Witch Mother, rather than the woman who birthed them. The sequel flashes back to the young Sanderson sisters, who meet the Witch Mother for the first time in the woods. There, the Witch Mother gifts the Book to Winnie.

Dani’s Halloween Costume Has Some Supernatural Origins
In the original Hocus Pocus, Dani dressed up like a witch. And her costume has some callbacks in Hocus Pocus 2. The sequel introduces the Witch Mother in a brick red dress, outfitted with a feathered black cape reminiscent of Dani’s vest. While Dani’s costume features an embroidered sun in the center of the bodice, an interesting symbol considering how sunrise dooms the Sanderson sisters, the Witch Mother’s costume features an open all-seeing eye embroidered in the same spot. The image of the open eye on a red background is also repeated on a beaded curtain in Gilbert’s shop.

Belissa Escobedo, Whitney Peak, and Lilia Buckingham in Hocus Pocus 2 Photo by Matt Kennedy, courtesy of Disney Enterprises

1990s or 2020s, It’s Tie-Dye and Cardigans
Max Dennison rocks tie-dye in the Hocus Pocus, a fashion choice repeated by Cassie in Hocus Pocus 2. The costume department also outfitted Cassie with a cardigan reminiscent of the one that Allison wore for the majority of Hocus Pocus.

Which High School Is This?
In the scene where Becca waits to speak to the principal, the high school’s mascot is revealed. Unsurprisingly, it’s the Puritans. However, either the name for the high school has changed from Jacob Bailey High School to Samuel Skeleton High School, or it’s another high school in Salem. The name seems to be a nod to the lyrics of the song “Skeleton Sam” by LVCRFT, which plays in the sequel’s opening shots of modern-day Salem.

The Dennison House
A painting of the house can be seen hanging in the original film. The house can also be spotted in the sequel: it’s on a billboard.

Sarah Has One Job
“I lured the child in,” Sarah remarks in the beginning of Hocus Pocus. In the sequel, upon being told that today’s “youth potions” already have the souls of children mixed in, Sarah mourns the loss of her one duty.

“Winnie, Do You Want to Hit Me?”
As Winifred loses hope in both films, her sister Mary offers her a free slap on the hand to cheer Winifred up.

Doug Jones in Hocus Pocus Courtesy of Disney Enterprises

Billy Butcherson’s Mouth is Finally Unzipped
In the sequel, Billy finally gets a chance to share his side (literally, the undead man did have his mouth sewn shut for a long time). He was not, in fact, Winifred’s lover that cheated by “sporting with her sister, Sarah.” Billy reveals he only kissed Winifred once in a graveyard. Doug Jones reprises his role, once again scaring characters into screaming when they see him as a zombie fresh from the grave. He also, sadly, loses his head again.

Archabold Sinclair
Max rides past this headstone in the graveyard on his bicycle in the first film. In the sequel, while Becca waits to go into the principal’s office, an announcement over the loud speaker asks, “Archabold Sinclair, please see [one of the teachers] in the gymnasium after school.” And speaking of bicycles, Max and Becca both ride theirs to school.

A Little Breaking of the Fourth Wall
In the cheekiest reference to the original film, Winifred peers through a window and sees a couple sitting on the couch watching the 1993 Hocus Pocus.

 
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