Salem is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. It is widely known for the infamous Salem witch trials of 1692, which resulted in the execution of 20 people accused of witchcraft. Salem is also the setting of the 1993 fantasy comedy film Hocus Pocus and its 2022 sequel Hocus Pocus 2, both produced by Walt Disney Pictures.
Background[]
Salem is depicted as a town that embraces its witchy heritage and celebrates Halloween with enthusiasm. The films feature many landmarks and attractions of Salem, such as the Salem Common, the Old Town Hall, the Witch House, the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, and the House of Seven Gables. The films also reference historical figures and events related to Salem's history, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Giles Corey, and the Salem Witch Museum.
Appearances[]
Hocus Pocus[]
In Hocus Pocus, three witch sisters, Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson, are resurrected on Halloween night in 1993 by a teenage boy named Max Dennison, who lights the Black Flame Candle in their cottage. The witches have until sunrise to drain the life force of the children of Salem or else they will turn to dust. Max, his younger sister Dani, his crush Allison, and a talking cat named Thackery Binx (who is actually a boy cursed by the witches in 1693) try to stop them with the help of a spell book that belongs to Winifred.
Hocus Pocus 2[]
In Hocus Pocus 2, the Sanderson Sisters are accidentally brought back to life again by two teenage girls, Becca and Izzy, who light another Black Flame Candle in a magic shop run by Gilbert, a man who witnessed the events of the first film. The girls team up with their estranged friend Cassie Traske, a descendant of Reverend Traske who banished Winifred in 1653, and Mike, a local boy who has a crush on Becca. Together, they must find a way to stop the witches from casting the Magicae Maxima spell, which would make them all-powerful and immortal.
