Hocus Pocus Director Reveals Details Of A Spooky Deleted Scene

More than 30 years after the film’s release, Hocus Pocus director, Kenny Ortega, has shared details of a deleted scene that was cut from the spooky season staple.

Starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, the 1993 classic follows the villainous Sanderson witches who terrorize the town of Salem, Massachusetts after being resurrected on Halloween night.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, director Ortega revealed that a lot of “genius” content had to be scrapped from the film’s final edit.

“We honored the writing, and then we had a party, and some of that party had to be left behind because of the length and timing,” he explained, before recalling one deleted scene in which Mary Sanderson (Najimy) attempts to kidnap a child.

The Scene Was Later Revived

“There was a scene with Kathy in a grocery store, where there was a woman shopping with a cart, and she had her child in the cart,” Ortega told the outlet.

“While the woman was shopping, she turned away from her cart for a moment, and Mary steals the cart because there’s a child in it.” He continued: “The woman turns around and her child is gone, and the woman goes chasing after Kathy, who’s trying to beat it with the child.”

Three decades later, the cut scene was somewhat revived in the 2022 sequel Hocus Pocus 2, when the resurrected Sanderson sisters chase down their targets in a Walgreens supermarket.

Disney Had Issues With The Cast

During the same interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ortega also disclosed that Disney wasn’t initially impressed with Midler’s portrayal of Winifred “Winnie” Sanderson.

“When Disney first saw what Bette wanted to do they were like, ‘Uh, we’re not quite sure this is the direction we want you to go in,’” he revealed. However, Midler refused to alter her interpretation of the character.

“I think Bette was [like], ‘Well, this is the direction I want to go in,’” Ortega continued. “‘If you want me to be the actress, you’ve got to bend here.’”