As October begins, All Hallows’ Eve is brewing and bubbling once again in Massachusetts.
For the third year in a row, the cast of “Hocus Pocus” returned to kick off the season with the third annual “It’s Just a Buncha Halloween,” a weekend-long celebration of the beloved cult classic.
The festivities culminated on October 5 with a special screening of the film at The Cabot, featuring live commentary from the original cast. But before the movie began, there was another celebration in order; a wedding!
Earlier that day, the cast gathered at the historic Pickering House, believed to be one of the oldest homes in the United States continuously owned by a single family, for the wedding of Larry Bagby (a.k.a. Ernie “Ice”) and his wife, Vero.
For 32 years, “Hocus Pocus” has become a cherished Halloween tradition, with fans welcoming the film into their homes year after year. After all this time, the cast feels like family to many, and it’s clear the feeling is mutual. Larry not only live-streamed his wedding for fans, but also opened the evening with a touching tribute video celebrating his and Vero’s love story, set to an original song he wrote after their very first date titled “Love Will Find a Way.”
The celebration continued with a musical performance by Larry and Vinessa Shaw (Allison Watts), followed by a drag performance of “I Put a Spell on You” by Miz Diamond Wig Fall, Maxine Harrison, and Miss Michael Pires. The commentary and Q&A portion of the event was hosted by The Horror Squad Podcast.
Larry and Vinessa were joined by Jason “Mars” Marsden (the voice of Thackery Binx), Omri Katz (Max Dennison), and a cardboard cutout of Tobias Jelinek, who was busy on set for a new project, for a nostalgia-filled, laugh-out-loud screening. The group reminisced about their time filming, recalling Kenny Ortega’s hands-on directing style, shown through never-before-seen footage from Larry’s Hi8 camcorder.
Mars shared how he joined the project later in production when the team decided they needed a more theatrical voice for Binx the cat. A perfect fit, Mars was already known for iconic roles like Max in “A Goofy Movie,” and was conveniently filming “Boy Meets World” just a few stages over at Walt Disney Studios.
The cast also pointed out which scenes were shot in Salem and which were filmed on soundstages or the Warner Bros. backlot. One moment that had the entire theater laughing was Vinessa’s recollection of her exaggerated blinking caused by fans blowing in her face to simulate outdoor wind after the Sanderson Sisters blast through the roof at the Dennison home.
As the screening came to a close, it was clear that “Hocus Pocus” still casts a powerful spell, bringing joy to both fans and the cast alike.
So mark your calendars for next year because the cast will be back in Massachusetts for another spooky, nostalgia-filled weekend of “Hocus Pocus”!
