Salem's Most Beloved Cinematic Export
When "Hocus Pocus" premiered in 1993, it was a modest box office performer that critics largely dismissed. Directed by Kenny Ortega and starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson Sisters, the film was produced on a $28 million budget and grossed $45.4 million at the box office after its July 16, 1993 release—a modest return overshadowed by summer blockbusters like Jurassic Park. Thirty years later, it has become one of the most-watched Halloween films of all time, generating an estimated $8–10 million in annual merchandise revenue and a 2022 sequel that debuted on Disney+. The original film was shot primarily in Salem, Massachusetts, and the city's relationship with the movie has evolved from casual association to a full-blown tourism engine that draws thousands of visitors every October specifically to walk in the Sanderson Sisters' footsteps.
This article is part of our Pop Culture Dark History collection.
The Pioneer Village — The Sanderson Sisters' Cottage
The most iconic filming location is Pioneer Village in Salem's Forest River Park. This reconstructed 1630s settlement, originally built for the Massachusetts Bay Colony Tercentenary in 1930, served as the exterior of the Sanderson Sisters’ cottage. Principal photography began on October 12, 1992, with the majority of filming taking place on sound stages at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California—Salem’s exterior locations were shot during approximately two weeks of on-location work with the principal cast. The thatched-roof structure where Winifred, Mary, and Sarah cooked up their potions and terrorized colonial Salem still stands — though it's a historical recreation, not the actual film prop.
The village opens to the public seasonally, and during October, special "Hocus Pocus"-themed events transform the site into a pilgrimage destination. Visitors line up to photograph the cottage from the angles used in the film, and the grounds host screenings, costume contests, and events that blend the movie's fictional witchcraft with Salem's actual history. The juxtaposition works better than it should — Pioneer Village was built to commemorate real colonial history, and "Hocus Pocus" layered fictional horror onto that foundation in ways that have proven remarkably durable.
The Old Town Hall — Max's High School
Salem's Old Town Hall on Derby Square served as the exterior and parts of the interior of the high school where Max Dennison (played by Omri Katz) suffers through his first day as the new kid in Salem, accompanied by his younger sister Dani (Thora Birch) and eventually joined by his crush Allison (Vinessa Shaw). The building's brick facade and white trim are immediately recognizable to fans, and the square itself appears in several establishing shots throughout the film. Old Town Hall remains an active civic building, hosting public events and serving as a venue for the city's robust calendar of cultural programming.
Derby Square and the surrounding streets — Essex Street, Front Street, and the pedestrian mall — appear throughout the film as the backdrop for the Sanderson Sisters' chaotic night in modern Salem. The streetscape has changed relatively little in the intervening decades, making it easy for visitors to match film locations to real-world spots as they walk the downtown area.
The Ropes Mansion — Allison's House
The Ropes Mansion, a Georgian Colonial house at 318 Essex Street operated by the Peabody Essex Museum, served as the exterior of Allison's family home — the grand house where Max first encounters his crush at her parents' Halloween party. The mansion's formal garden and imposing facade translate beautifully on screen, and the property remains one of the most photographed spots in Salem during Halloween season.
The Ropes Mansion has its own genuine haunted history that predates any film association. Built in the 1720s and occupied by the Ropes family for generations, the house was the site of a tragedy in 1839 when Abigail Ropes died after her clothing caught fire. Locals have reported seeing a woman in the upstairs windows — accounts that existed long before "Hocus Pocus" added a fictional layer to the building's reputation.
The Old Burying Point Cemetery
Salem's oldest cemetery, dating to 1637, appears in the film during the sequence where the characters navigate the graveyard while being pursued by the resurrected Billy Butcherson. The Old Burying Point — also known as the Charter Street Cemetery — contains graves dating to the earliest years of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and sits adjacent to the Salem Witch Trials Memorial, creating a convergence of real history and fictional horror that defines the entire Salem experience.
The cemetery is open to the public year-round and is one of the most visited sites in Salem regardless of season. During October, the narrow paths between ancient headstones become so crowded that the city has implemented traffic management measures. Visitors search for the gravestone used as Billy Butcherson's in the film — though the production used props rather than actual historic markers — and the atmosphere of the burying ground at dusk, surrounded by 400-year-old slate headstones with winged skulls and weeping willows carved into their faces, delivers a genuine Gothic experience that requires no cinematic enhancement. For related history, see our the amityville horror: separating truth from.
The Phillips Elementary School
The building used as the exterior of Jacob Bailey High School — where the famous "I Put a Spell on You" sequence takes place at the Halloween dance — is actually the former Phillips Elementary School on Essex Street. The building's brick facade with its prominent entrance stairway is recognizable in the film, and the surrounding block appears in several exterior shots.
The "I Put a Spell on You" sequence was filmed in a different location — the interior Halloween party scenes were shot in a separate venue — but the Phillips School exterior remains a popular photo stop for fans reconstructing the film’s geography on foot. The film’s score was composed by John Debney, who completed the entire soundtrack in just two weeks after James Horner—originally slated for the project—became unavailable. Horner did contribute the haunting melody for Sarah’s lullaby “Come Little Children,” sung by Sarah Jessica Parker, which has become one of the film’s most enduring musical moments.
Salem Beyond the Film
The genius of Salem's relationship with "Hocus Pocus" is that the film tourism layers seamlessly onto the city's existing identity as America's witchcraft capital, tied to the Salem witch trials. Visitors who come for Sanderson Sisters photo ops inevitably discover the Witch Trials Memorial, the Peabody Essex Museum, the House of the Seven Gables, and the dozens of witch-themed shops and attractions that line Essex Street. The fictional witches lead to the real ones — or at least to the real history of what was done to women accused of witchcraft in 1692.
Salem has leveraged this overlap aggressively. Walking tours combine film locations with witch trial history. The Salem Witch Museum sits steps from multiple filming locations. Shops sell Sanderson Sisters merchandise alongside genuine occult supplies. The blending of entertainment and education isn't accidental — it's a deliberate economic strategy that has made October Salem's most lucrative month by a significant margin.
The 2022 sequel, directed by Anne Fletcher on a $40 million budget, premiered on Disney+ on September 30, 2022, and was filmed primarily at Chase Farm in Lincoln, Rhode Island, with additional Massachusetts locations. "Hocus Pocus 2" became the most-watched film premiere in Disney+ history within its first three days of release, and Whip Media reported it as the most-watched straight-to-streaming title of 2022. New filming locations entered the pilgrimage circuit, guaranteeing another generation of visitors.
Planning a Hocus Pocus Location Tour
All major filming locations are within walking distance of each other in downtown Salem. A dedicated visitor can hit every significant spot in a two-to-three-hour walk, though the temptation to linger in shops, museums, and restaurants will stretch that timeline considerably. Several tour companies offer specific "Hocus Pocus"-themed walking tours that provide film trivia, behind-the-scenes production details, and photo opportunities at each location.
October is the obvious time to visit but also the most challenging logistically. Salem receives over a million visitors during the month, and parking, dining, and attraction access become genuinely difficult on weekends. The commuter rail from Boston's North Station provides a reliable alternative to driving and drops visitors within walking distance of all the major sites. Early morning and weekday visits are the best strategy for anyone who wants to photograph locations without crowds in every frame.
The experience works year-round, though with diminished atmosphere outside of autumn. Summer visits offer pleasant weather and uncrowded access to all sites, and the Peabody Essex Museum alone justifies a trip to Salem regardless of any film connection. But there's no denying that walking past the Sanderson Sisters' cottage on a crisp October evening, with the smell of wood smoke and candy apples in the air and a thousand costumed visitors streaming through the streets, is an experience no other time of year can match.
