While Sarah Jessica Parker plays the fictional Sarah Sanderson in Disney's Hocus Pocus franchise, the actress has a real-life connection to the Salem witch trials. Premiering in July 1993, Hocus Pocus was a notorious bomb upon release — likely due to the dubious decision to release a Halloween movie in the summer. However, thanks to home video and repeat viewings on TV, young millennials fell in love with Hocus Pocus, and the movie 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 that movie, Winifred (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy), and Sarah (Parker) Sanderson are three witches who are hung during the Salem witch trials. However, they are resurrected 300 years later when teenager Max Dennison (Omri Katz) lights the Black Flame Candle. Though they were the villains of the film, the Sanderson sisters became the most celebrated Hocus Pocus characters, particularly the enchanting Sarah. And the fact that Parker is actually connected to the Salem witch trials adds even more magic to the film's legacy.

Hocus Pocus' Sarah Jessica Parker Is Actually The Descendant Of An Accused Witch

Parker's Ancestor, Esther Elwell, Was Found Guilty Of "Sundry Acts Of Witchcraft"

In the premiere episode of the documentary series Who Do You Think You Are? USA, Sarah Jessica Parker learns that one of her ancestors, Esther Elwell, was found guilty of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials of 1692. The trials saw 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.

Upon learning that her ancestors were involved in the Salem witch trials, Sarah Jessica Parker expressed dismay that she might be related to the accs, and was visibly relieved this wasn't the case.

Esther Elwell, who married into the English Elwell family that had 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 trying accused witches had been dissolved. Elwell lived to the age of 82, ing away in her hometown of Gloucester, Massachusetts.

SJP Is In Complete Shock Over Hocus Pocus' Popularity

Bette Midler Was The One Who Realized The Demand For Hocus Pocus 2

Just as she was surprised to learn she had an ancestor involved in the Salem witch trials, Sarah Jessica Parker was shocked that fans were clamoring for a Hocus Pocus sequel almost 30 years after the original came out. Though the 1993 film bombed, Parker's career continued to soar, and she became much more famous for her culture-defining role as Carrie Bradshaw, the protagonist of Sex and the City. Parker entirely credits her co-star Bette Midler for getting the ball rolling on Hocus Pocus 2, telling Vanity Fair,

To be completely honest, for the past 28 years, I didn’t think much about a sequel... I wasn’t involved in the conversations. When I found out it was going to happen, I was in shock. Bette was the person who imagined the idea for years and thought that this would all happen. She could not be deterred from the idea, and I ire her so much for believing and fighting for a sequel. The lesson is, listen to the Divine Miss M. She knows what works and how to get it done.

Midler saw the potential for Hocus Pocus 2 when she began noticing a heavy presence of Hocus Pocus merchandise a decade after the movie's 1993 release — she even bought herself a Winifred Sanderson costume online. And, like 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 was nearly 30 years ago. It was like time had never ed. We immediately fell into our old characters. It’s as if these characters have lived with us the entire 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 have much 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. This is indeed exciting, considering the humble beginnings of the original film, but the whole thing really hinges on the beating heart of the franchise, the Sanderson sisters. Luckily, all three actresses have expressed a desire to come back. Again, Sarah Jessica Parker cited Bette Midler, aka "the Divine Miss M" as her reason for returning (via Extra):

I hitch my wagon to her star. If she wants to do a third one… No one says no to the Divine Miss M.

Like in the first Hocus Pocus film, the Sanderson sisters were defeated in the sequel. However, the Hocus Pocus 2 post-credit scene revealed that another Black Flame Candle exists. So, with Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy on board — or broom — the Sanderson sisters will fly again in Hocus Pocus 3.