Sarah Jessica Parker’s True Connection to the Salem Witch Trials Explained

While Sarah Jessica Parker plays the fictional Sarah Sanderson in the Disney film Hocus Pocus franchise, the actress has a real-life connection to the Salem witch trials. Debuting in July 1993, Hocus Pocus was a notorious bomb upon release – likely due to the dubious decision to release a Halloween film in the summer. However, thanks to home videos and repeated TV viewings, young millennials have fallen in love with Hocus Pocusand the film became a cult classic. In 2022, a sequel, titled Hocus Pocus 2 was released for streaming on Disney+.

Hocus Pocus 2 saw the return of the notorious Sanderson sisters from the first film. In this film, Winifred (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy), and Sarah (Parker) Sanderson are three witches who were hanged during the Salem witch trials. However, they are resurrected 300 years later when teenager Max Dennison (Omri Katz) lights the Black Flame Candle. Although they were the villains of the film, the Sanderson sisters became the most famous Hocus Pocus characters, especially the charming Sarah. And the fact that Parker is actually connected to the Salem witch trials adds even more magic to the film’s legacy.

Sarah Jessica Parker from Hocus Pocus is actually a descendant of an accused witch

Parker’s ancestor, Esther Elwell, was found guilty of “several acts of witchcraft”

In the premiere episode of the documentary series Who do you think you are? USA, Sarah Jessica Parker discovers that one of her ancestors, Esther Elwell, was found guilty of witchcraft during the 1692 Salem witch trials.. The trials caused the deaths of at least 25 people, mostly women, who were targeted for a variety of reasons, mostly personal or political, until a widespread witch hunt ensued.

Esther Elwell, who married into the English Elwell family who emigrated to the United States, and two other women were accused of bewitching and killing Mary Fitch, the sister of a church deacon (via History of Massachusetts). However, unlike the Hocus Pocus‘Sanderson Sisters, Elwell was not executed. This is because she was arrested in November 1962, a month after the court that tried accused witches was dissolved. Elwell lived to be 82 years old, passing away in his hometown of Gloucester, Massachusetts.

SJP is in complete shock at the popularity of Hocus Pocus

Bette Midler was the one who noticed the demand for Hocus Pocus 2

Just as she was surprised to learn that she had an ancestor involved in the Salem witch trials, Sarah Jessica Parker was shocked that fans were clamoring for one. Hocus Pocus sequel almost 30 years after the release of the original. Although the 1993 film was a flop, Parker’s career continued to grow and she became much more famous for her culture-defining role as Carrie Bradshaw, the protagonist of Sex and the city. Parker entirely credits his co-star Bette Midler for getting the ball rolling Hocus Pocus 2counting Vanity Fair,

To be completely honest, in the last 28 years, I haven’t given much thought to a sequel… I haven’t been involved in the conversations. When I found out this was going to happen, I was in shock. Bette was the one who dreamed up the idea for years and thought this would all happen. She couldn’t be dissuaded from the idea, and I really admire her for believing and fighting for a sequel. The lesson is: listen to the Divine Miss. M. She knows what works and how to do it.

Midler saw the potential for Hocus Pocus 2 when she began to notice a strong presence of Hocus Pocus merchandise a decade after the film’s 1993 release — she even purchased a Winifred Sanderson costume online. And, as Parker said, Midler was right. In 2019, a sequel was greenlit, leading to the return of the Sanderson sisters. Midler said of the three actresses’ reunion,

It was a completely bizarre experience… The dynamic between the three of us was exactly the same as it had been almost 30 years ago. It was as if time had never passed. We immediately fall into our old characters. It’s as if these characters have lived with us the whole time. It’s so strange.

Will SJP return for a Hocus Pocus 3?

The third Hocus Pocus was announced in 2023

Fans of Hocus Pocus I have a lot to be happy about because in June 2023, Sean Bailey, then president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, confirmed that Hocus Pocus 3 is happening. That’s really exciting considering the original film’s humble beginnings, but the whole thing really hinges on the beating heart of the franchise, the Sanderson sisters. Happily, all three actresses expressed a desire to return. Once again, Sarah Jessica Parker quoted Bette Midler, aka “the Divine Miss M” as a reason for returning (via Extra):

I hitch my wagon to her star. If she wants to do a third one… Nobody says no to Divine Miss M.

As in the first Hocus Pocus film, the Sanderson sisters were defeated in the sequel. However, the Hocus Pocus 2 the post-credits scene revealed that there is another Black Flame Candle. So, with Sarah Jessica ParkerBette Midler and Kathy Najimy on board – or broomstick – the Sanderson sisters will fly again Hocus Pocus 3.