When it comes to fun-loving Halloween family films, few have offered more unbridled joy over the last 27 years than Disney’s Hocus Pocus. The plot of the film follows a trio of wicked witches returning to Salem, Massachusetts, 300 years after being burned at the stake continues to be one of the most beloved films for everyone to watch during All Hallows Eve.
Starring Bette Middler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker, the first Hocus Pocus was released on July 16, 1993. The film cost an estimated $28 million to make and grossed roughly $44 million worldwide. With the film’s continued popularity comes a slew of fan art, memes, cosplays, and retrospective tributes.
The Sandersons As Zombie Dolls
Courtesy of LVBart comes a spooky minimalist hand-drawn depiction of the three Hocus Pocus witches: Winifred, Sarah, and Mary as a trio of handless and eyeless dolls. While there aren’t too many details shown on the Sandersons’ costumes, the creepiness lies within their blank expressions
While the artwork retains the childlike aesthetic of a toy doll, the vacuous eyeballs and lack of fingers denote a frightening sense of soulless emptiness that would likely scare children to near death. The art is done by Ludwig Van Bacon, who has several other pieces of Hocus Pocus fan art worth checking out.
The Sandersons In A La Alice In Wonderland
This artwork by Antonio Lorente (@Antonioilustrando) shows the Sanderson sisters in a way that fans have never seen before. With big eyes and crooked smiles, the sisters look like they could belong in the world of Alive in Wonderland.
Although there are a plethora of Hocus Pocus memes on social media, the artwork created by fans is more enchanting and engaging. Memes focused on Hocus Pocus are entertaining, but artwork like this needs to be framed.
Thackery Binx Before Becoming A Cat For Eternity
When people think of Thackery Binx, they picture him in cat form. However, fans shouldn’t forget the young man he once was.
When viewers first meet Thackery, he’s a young man who tried protecting his younger sister from the neighboring witches. Sadly, Thackery was too late. The Sanderson sisters sucked the life of Emily and turned Thackery into a cat, forcing him to live that way for eternity. While there were small things about Binx that didn’t always make sense, he has the saddest storyline in the movie. And this artwork by Kytsko shows the depths of Binx’s torment.
Justice For Dani & Binx
It was easy to feel bad for Dani in Hocus Pocus. She was living in a new city and the only person she could rely on was her brother Max. The only problem was that Max was bothered by everything his younger sister did and wanted nothing to do with her.
Luckily for her, she found Binx. Now with a pet cat that could talk, Dani had a new friend to love and look after. This artwork shared by @HocusPocusFilm shows the connection Dani and Binx had. They spent a short time together, but it was filled with respect and love. It only made their goodbye more emotional.
“Sisters!”
Diehard Hocus Pocus fans can hear Winifred screaming “Sisters!” just by looking at this artwork by @AlexJason2.
The piece mimics the moment Winifred, Sarah, and Mary burst into their house after being dead for 300 years. Once they were in their home, they reminisced about the good times they shared there and searched for long-loved items. This piece of art is especially spooky because of the red eyes the sisters have. They’re far more menacing in this work than on the screen!
Maniacal Spellbook
Created by SuperWheatley via Deviant Art, this image of the three weird, wild, and wicked witches delighting over a spellbook séance comes with a heightened sense of creepiness highlighted by body language.
The Sanderson sisters had some badass quotes while creating their spells and this artwork shows that in their expressions. In addition to the maniacal grin that Winifred flashes as her eyes bulge out of her skull, notice the way in which the witches place their decrepit hands with long sharp fingernails. As a glowing green cauldron imbues their faces with a sickly green tint, Sarah appears like a zombie ready for attack.
Swollen Grotesquery
This grotesque image of the Sanderson Sisters depicted with swollen, almost clownlike faces is startling for how exaggerated the witches’ facial features are. The image was created by the artist known as Bluyou via DeviantArt.
With extreme features such as Winifred’s buck teeth or Sarah’s witchy mole, the image almost has a Roald Dahl quality. The puffy cheeks make them appear larger than life, while Sarah’s devilish grin adds an extra layer of creepiness. As likable as the characters on Hocus Pocus are, this image focuses on their spooky side.
An Ethereal Pose
To grasp how truly spooky this image is, one should look at the full picture of Daekazu’s profile on Deviantart. The ethereal image comes from Daniel Kordek and beautifully depicts the Sanderson Sisters as evil enchantresses.
In addition to the finely detailed images of the three Hocus Pocus witches, the artwork’s creepiness is bolstered by the swirling wind and fog that lend a supernatural quality to the piece. The floating pumpkin with the adorable cat’s face is a nice touch as it adds a false sense of innocence to the image.
The Rise Of Billy Butcherson
Courtesy of Kevin Nordstrom (aka MrDinks) this image titled “The Rise of Billy Butcherson” has a distinct throwback style redolent of the 1990s. Lovers of the art can see Kevin’s full profile on Deviantart.
What makes this one so spooky is how many ghoulish figures appear in it. In addition to the three scary reincarnated witches, the portrayal of Billy rising from the grave as a reanimated zombie while a black cat flashes across the bottom is unlike most of the Hocus Pocus fan art pieces. While Sarah stealing Billy from Winifred was one of the worst things the Sandersons did to each other, Winifred took it to another level when she killed him for cheating on her. That spookiness leaks out of the art.
Immortality Potion
Created by Aquiles-Soir, this image (found on Deviantart) labeled “Immortality Potion” depicts lead witch Winifred (Middler) as a deranged and cackling maniac as she brews a vat of neon green elixir.
In addition to her overzealous response, what makes the image so spooky is the detailed artwork highlighting Winifred’s possessed determination to create a serum of immortality. The long, sharp fingernails and eerily bedazzled jewelry lend an added layer of uneasiness.
Pencil Sketch
Even though the Sanderson sisters were some of the coolest characters on Hocus Pocus, they were haunting and dark. This mortifying pencil sketch of the witchy Sanderson sisters comes from Nev777 via DeviantArt. Not only is the image far different than most colorful fan-art depictions, but the stark hand-drawn sketch resembles something Hannibal Lecter would have made while in prison.
Beyond the exaggerated hairdos, the meticulous detail in the eyes of each witch in the image is what makes it so spooky. Mary Sanderson in particular appears eviler than she ever has in the past.
A Renaissance Pose
There’s something both stunningly beautiful and startlingly spooky about this image of the Sanderson sisters created by artist Jacke Flamel via DeviantArt.
The arresting imagery has a retro-Renaissance feel as the witchy women wear ornate costumes from their time spent in 1692 Salem. While Sarah appears a bit entranced, Winifred and Mary have creepily distorted facial figures that make them appear more grotesque than in reality. A tattoo as beautiful as this one should be tattooed on Hocus Pocus die-hards.
I Put A Spell On You!
Fans are hoping the Sanderson sisters sing “I Put A Spell On You” In Hocus Pocus 2. So much so that artists are drawing it. The raging in-your-face violence of this image of Winifred comes from fan artist Diego Tomasini (aka DIBRJUO) on Deviantart. The black and white hand-drawn piece is made ultra-freaky by the exaggerated body features of the odious witch.
Aside from the oversized head and wild hairstyle, the pencil neck and reptilian claw-like hands and fingernails make Winifred appear doubly monstrous. The pinched brow and bugged-out eyes underscore the fact that Winifred is about to cast a spell on her next victim.
Billy Leads The Way In This Horrific Masterpiece
Created by SamHain1992 via Tumblr, fewer pieces of Hocus Pocus fan art conjure the sensibility of both the film and the Halloween season as in the image above.
With the zombified Billy Butcherson taking center stage, the entire piece has the appearance of an official one-sheet poster for the film. The three Sanderson witches hover above the principal cast members, while the holiday iconography also includes the black cat, menacing jack-o-lanterns, spooky graveyards, and the like. As one of Hocus Pocus’ better characters, Dani, especially, looks haunting.
