I think it’s safe to say that since it came out in the 90’s, Hocus Pocus put a spell on us. As soon as fall breezes start to blow, I’m ready to enjoy a nostalgic walk down memory lane with the Sanderson Sisters and the kids of Salem.
In fact, my friend and I once celebrated our end-of-September birthdays with a Hocus Pocus themed party, complete with witchy outfits, movie trivia, and my lovable black cat (she is…not having the most fun in this picture as we ask her to cosplay Thackery Binx).
This year, as I prepare for my Hocus Pocus re-watch, I started thinking about what the Sanderson Sisters would think if they came back in 2019. What would they think of our world and all the surprising cultural staples we have?
So, for kicks and giggles, I present a guide to popular culture catered to each witchy sister from my beloved Halloween movie.
My Picks For Winnifred Sanderson:
Her favorite tv show? Lucifer
We all know that Winnifred definitely has a thing for the devil himself. You know she’d go gaga over a show about the sexy devil wandering the earth. A major theme of the show is about Lucifer being a good person, but I bet Winnifred could excuse that thanks to Tom Ellis’s devilishly good looks and charm.
A book she’d dig? Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Full disclosure: I’m close friends with the author of this YA book. But I couldn’t stop thinking about how much Winnifred would appreciate this novel!
To paraphrase SNL’s Stefon: This book has everything for Winnifred. Blood magic, sneaky demons, and magical books that could turn into monsters!
We all know Winnifred loves her BoooOOOOooooOOOOOk…this just seems like a logical choice for her to do some pleasure reading in between all the rounds of potion making and spell casting.
My Picks for Sarah Sanderson:
The song she can’t stop belting out? Boys by Lizzo
Sarah Sanderson may be best-known for the sleepy hit, “Come Little Children,” but I have a feeling she would abandon her spell-casting songs as soon as she heard Boys by Lizzo. After all, Sarah Sanderson is always thinking about boys! This might as well be her personal anthem, a sexually empowering love ‘em and leave ‘em anthem to bring her into the 21st century.
Her television obsession? The Bachelorette
If Sarah Sanderson came back from the dead in 2019, I’m pretty sure this would be her agenda:
1. Use a youth potion to stay eternally beautiful and live forever.
2. Get cast as the next Bachelorette
Some people may go on the show to promote themselves or jumpstart Instagram influencer careers. But Sarah Sanderson would be there for the right reason. Namely, meeting and seducing and dating allllll the men. My only concern is that she would refuse to give roses away, leading to an unprecedented unending season of the reality tv hit.
My Picks For Mary Sanderson:
The book she needs: Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy
It’s hard to live in the shadow of people who are obsessed with their looks and youth! I think Mary Sanderson would really appreciate the story behind Dumplin’, which features a plus-size teen whose life with a beauty queen mom inspires her to compete in the pageant as protest.
If Mary feels boosted by the book, she could always watch the Netflix movie, which would give her an excuse to belt out some Dolly Parton songs!
The wacky show to match her wacky energy: At Home With Amy Sedaris
Mary has a, shall we say…interesting personality. She’s a bit scatterbrained, a bit silly, and a bit confused. Luckily, I think At Home With Amy Sedaris is the perfect show to match Mary’s unique energy.
Amy Sedaris is a fantastically silly comedic actress. Her show spoofs homemaking programs (think Martha Stewart through an incredibly bizarre looking glass). However, her crafts, home improvement projects and food items often take a turn into absurd, goofy and even macabre territory.
Mary is not made to blissfully binge episodes of The Great British Baking Show. Weird as it may be, At Home With Amy Sedaris is a much better reflection of what I imagine Mary’s pop-culture “happy place” to be.
Maybe this October you can take in some of the pop culture that I’d recommend for each of the sisters. And, when in doubt, you can always find an excuse to watch Hocus Pocus again!
