It’s all just a bunch of Hocus Pocus! The cast of Hocus Pocus is set to reunite on Freeform’s Hocus Pocus 25th Anniversary Halloween Bash and Jordan Fisher and Vanessa Hudgens will host the special, Us Weekly can exclusively reveal.
Kenny Ortega, who directed the 1993 Halloween favorite, has worked with both Hudgens, 29, and Fisher, 24, in the past. He directed Hudgens in all three High School Musical films and choreographed Disney Channel’s Teen Beach Movie, which Fisher appeared in.
Thespecial, filmed at the iconic Hollywood Forever Cemetery, will celebrate the movie’s anniversary and will be part of Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween programming event.
Dove Cameron, Emily Estefan, Sofia Carson, PrettyMuch and Junior New System are all set to perform, and Sharon Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne and Margaret Cho will host a Hocus Pocus-themed costume contest, with Ross Mathews as the MC.
There will also be exclusive interviews with Hocus Pocus cast and crew members Sarah Jessica Parker (Sarah Sanderson), Kathy Najimy (Mary Sanderson), Omri Katz (Max), Thora Birch (Dani), Amanda Shepherd (Emily), Doug Jones (Billy Butcherson), Larry Bagby (Ernie), Jason Marsden (voice of Thackery Binx), Tobias Jelinek (Jay), choreographer Peggy Holmes, composer John Debney, Ortega, and writers Mick Garris and David Kirschner. Drag superstar Lady Bunny will DJ the event.
Birch, now 36, recently opened up to Us Weekly about the 25th anniversary of film, revealing that it’s not surprising that it still resonates with audiences today.
“It’s tied to Halloween and Halloween’s never going anywhere. People go crazy for it, as do I. It’s also the type of film older sisters and brothers say to their younger siblings, ‘You should like this.’ Or those kids now have kids of their own and feel like it’s something safe and fun to pop on the VCR for their kids,” she told Us. “I hate to toot our own horns, but it speaks to the amount of creativity, campiness, humor and the wonderful performances from the three witches and the production value. There’s a mystical element to it that is enchanting. It’s an enchanting movie. I think also, for right now, in this moment – it’s also the female empowerment!”
The Hocus Pocus 25th Anniversary Halloween Bash will air on Freeform Saturday, October 20, at 8:15 ET.
