Witches Run Amok: The Oral History of Disney’s Hocus Pocus

Pop culture journalist Carlin brings together everyone who was involved in the making of the 1993 Disney film Hocus Pocus for a bewitching, definitive book on the movie and its enduring cultural relevance. Her clever use of the oral history format creates a highly readable timeline that traces the film’s evolution over the years, with laugh-out-loud behind-the-scenes stories. Especially fun is Bette Midler’s battle to wear outrageous fake teeth to play the witch Winifred, against the apprehension of virtually everyone else. The cast and crew’s insights have a conversational appeal, highlighting everything that helped turn Hocus Pocus into an enduring cult favorite. (Although the early 1990s had several big spooky family films, like The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Addams Family, and Casper, Hocus Pocus was not a hit when it premiered.) The final chapter discusses the 2022 sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, which reunited most of the original cast. Each chapter is introduced with a charming illustration.