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100+ Best Hocus Pocus Quotes to Reminisce Over

The family-friendly, iconic Halloween movie, Hocus Pocus, may have debuted in 1993, but it’s still frequently quoted today. 

The first movie stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Sean Murray, Thora Birch, Omri Katz, Vinessa Shaw, and Doug Jones.

Its popularity is so strong that Disney+ finally released a sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, on September 30, 2022.

In the new movie, Sam Richardson, Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobado, and Lilia Buckingham join Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and Doug Jones for a new adventure.

And now Disney is working on a third film featuring characters old and new (source).

Let’s reminisce about the original movie with these 70+ best Hocus Pocus quotes, plus a few favorites from the sequel while we wait for the third film to finish up.

Hocus Pocus quotes

Graphic that reads "It's all just a bunch of hocus pocus."

I bet you already know a lot of the lines that follow below – they are some of the most popular Hocus Pocus captions and quotes!


I love you, jerkface. – Dani Dennison

Bubble, bubble. I’m in trouble! – Bus driver

It’s all just a bunch of hocus pocus. – Max Dennison

You lit the black flame candle?? – Guy dressed as a cop

They’re very health conscious in Los Angeles. – Ernie / Ice

Let’s light this sucker and meet the old broads! – Max Dennison

Thackery Binx, what took thee so long? – Thackery Binx’s sister, Emily

Oh man, how come it’s always the ugly chicks that stay out late? – Jay

It’s a full moon tonight. That’s why all the weirdos are out. – Dani Dennison

Wench. Trollop. You bucktoothed, mop-riding firefly from hell! – Billy Butcherson

I need one of those instant ice packs. You girls are giving me a fever! – Bus driver

How many times I gotta tell you? My name’s not Ernie no more. It’s Ice. – Ernie / Ice

Mr. Dennison, care to share your California, laidback, tie-dyed point of view? – Miss Olin

To convey gorgeous creatures, such as yourselves, to your most forbidden desires. – Bus driver

You hags! There are not enough children in the world to make thee young and beautiful! – Thackeray Binx

Everyone here knows that Halloween was invented by the candy companies. It’s a conspiracy. – Max Dennison

It doesn’t matter how young or old you are, you sold your soul! You’re the ugliest thing that ever lived and you know it. – Dani Dennison

I’m sorry, Emily. I had to wait 300 years for a virgin to light the candle. – Thackery Binx to his sister Emily when he is no longer in cat form anymore

And of course, we can’t forget the infamous Hocus Pocus cat spell quote:

Twist the bones and bend the back. Itch-it-a-cop-it-a-mel-a-ka-mys-ti-ca. Trim him of his baby fat. Itch-it-a-cop-it-a-mel-a-ka-mys-ti-ca. Give him fur as black as black, just like this!

The Sanderson Sisters

Winifred Sanderson quotes

Graphic with a black silhouette of a witch hat. Text inside reads "Oh look! Another glorious morning. Makes me sick!"

Arguably the queen bee of the Sanderson sisters, Winifred Sanderson, played by Bette Midler, is a gold mine of Hocus Pocus Instagram captions.

Here are more than 20 of my favorites!


Goodbye, cruel world!

It is a prison for children.

Well, fancy! We desire children.

Book, darling, come to Mommy!

Get off me, you thundering oafs!

I’ll have your guts for garters, girls!

Damn, damn, damn. Double damn!

Dance! Dance! Dance until you die!

Sisters, we’ve been gone 300 years!

Well, I don’t know. Cat’s got my tongue!

I put a spell on you and now you’re mine.

Why was I cursed with such idiot sisters?

Thackery Binx, thou mangy feline. Still alive?

Hello, I want my book. Bonjour, je veux mon livre.

Oh cheese and crust! He’s lost his head. Damn that Thackery Binx!

Don’t get your knickers in a twist. We’re just 3 kindly old spinster ladies.

You know, I’ve always wanted a child. Now I think I’ll have one – on toast!

I killed you once. I shall kill you again, you maggoty malfeasance! Hang on to your heads!

Sisters, All Hallow’s Eve has become a night of frolic, where children wear costumes and run amok!

Oh look. Another glorious morning. Makes me sick! – Definitely my favorite saying from Hocus Pocus!

Oh, I’ve been, thank you. I found it quite lovely. – Winifred’s response when Thackery Binx tells her to go to Hell.

Unfaithful lover long since dead. Deep asleep in thy wormy bed. Wiggle thy toes, open thine eyes, twist thy fingers toward the sky. Life is sweet, be not shy. On thy feet, so sayeth I!

My ungodly book speaks to you. On All Hallow’s Eve, when the moon is round, a virgin will summon us from under the ground. We shall be back and the lives of all the children of Salem will be mine!

It stands to reason, does it not, sisters dear, that we must find the book, brew the potion, and suck the lives out of the children of Salem before sunrise? Otherwise, it’s curtains. We evaporate. We cease to exist. Dost thou comprehend?

Sarah Sanderson quotes

Graphic with a drawing of a candle and a quote from Sarah Sanderson in Hocus Pocus: Brave little virgin who lit the candle. I'll be thy friend.
Graphic by Meg Frost, all rights reserved.

The youngest, most beautiful, and ditziest of the Sanderson sisters, Sarah Sanderson, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, is known for her flirtatious and flighty one-liners.


Amok, amok, amok, amok!

Farewell, mortal bus boy!

‘Tis firm. ‘Tis firm as stone!

This is terribly uncomfortable!

I am beautiful. Boys will love me!

My lucky rat tail. Just where I left it!

Hang him on a hook and let me play with him!

Brave little virgin who lit the candle. I’ll be thy friend.

Dead man’s toe! Dead man’s toe! Dead. Dead. Dead.

Oh thou should not speak to Master in such a manner.

Come little children, I’ll take thee away. Into a land of enchantment. Come little children, the times come to play. Here in my garden of magic.

Mary Sanderson quotes

Graphic with a drawing of 2 hands holding. Text below the drawing reads a line from Mary Sanderson: I suggest we form a calming circle.
Graphic by Meg Frost, all rights reserved.

The most underrated Sanderson sister, Mary, played by Kathy Najimy, is definitely the funny girl of the trio – without even trying.

Here are some of Mary Sanderson’s best lines.


It reeks of children!

Winifred, I smell children!

Oh, Winifred. Thou art devine.

She’s so well fed, isn’t she? Plump. Plump. Shish-ka-baby.

Sisters, Satan has married Medusa! See the snakes in her hair?

Sisters, look! It’s the chocolate covered finger of a man named Clark.

Since this promises to be a most dire and stressful evening, I suggest we form a calming circle.

More Hocus Pocus sayings

Graphic with 2 hands with celestial tattoos. Text in the middle reads a line from Alison in Hocus Pocus: It says to form a circle of salt to protect from zombies, witches, and old boyfriends.
Graphic by Meg Frost, all rights reserved.

And before we get to quotes from the sequel, here are even more famous quotes from the original Hocus Pocus film.


Say what you want, just don’t breathe on me. – Max Dennison

How much candy have you had, honey? – Jenny (Max & Dani’s mom)

Aren’t you broads a little old too be trick-or-treating? – Master’s Wife

Welcome to High School Hell. I’m your host, Boris Karloff, Jr. – Max Dennison

Couldn’t you forget about being a cool teenager just for one night? – Dani Dennison

In case Jimi Hendrix shows up tonight, here’s my number – Max Dennison to Allison

It says to form a circle of salt to protect from zombies, witches, and old boyfriends. – Allison

You’re going to turn me into one of those fat, useless, contented house cats. – Thackery Binx

Take good care of Dani, Max. You’ll never know how precious she is until you lose her. – Thackery Binx

You’re my kitty now. You’ll have milk and tuna fish every day. And you’ll only hunt mice for fun. – Dani Dennison

It’s not Dad. It’s Dadcula. Oh my goodness. Who must this charming young blood donor be? – Dave Dennison (Max & Dani’s Dad)

He lit the black flame candle. The witches are back from the dead and they’re after us. We need help! – Dani Dennison to Jenny (Max & Dani’s mom)

You’ve messed with the great and powerful Max! Now you must suffer the consequences. I’m going to summon the burning rain of death! – Max Dennison

It just so happens that Halloween is based on the ancient feast called All Hallow’s Eve. It’s the one night a year where the spirits of the dead can return to Earth. – Allison

Thank you! I really like yours, too. Of course, I couldn’t wear anything like that because I don’t have any – what do you call them, Max? Yabbos? Max likes your yabbos. In fact, he loves them! – Dani Dennison

Ernie / Ice: Gee. We don’t get any smokes from you. We don’t get any cash. What am I supposed to do with my afternoon?
Max: Maybe you could learn to breathe through your nose.

Hocus Pocus 2 quotes

Hocus Pocus 2 promotional poster featuring the Sanderson sisters.
Photo courtesy of Disney.

And now for some Hocus Pocus 2 quotes to celebrate the sequel!


That’s a big ol’ yikes! – Izzy

Power is meant to be shared. – Izzy

I love the resting witch face. – The Mayor

I’m a witch. I know things. – Mother Witch

I banish thee from Salem forever! – Reverend

Why art thou such a pest – Winifred Sanderson

Sorrow is such sweet parting. – Mary Sanderson

Witches are real! We’re all gonna die! – Pirate kid

You’ve literally held a grudge for centuries. – Becca

A witch is nothing without her coven. – Mother Witch

Retinol. What a charming name for a child. – Sarah Sanderson

Follow the sound of my voice, you dust bag. – Billy Butcherson

Thou are different than the children I have eaten. – Mary Sanderson

Lock up your children! Yes Salem, we’re back! – Winifred Sanderson

Don’t you just love it when a recipe calls for blood? – Mary Sanderson

I’ll have your guts for garters, girl! Confound you! – Winifred Sanderson

Oh look, they’re drowning a man. How charming. – Winifred Sanderson

The world is not too fond of witches. Can’t imagine why. – Mother Witch

Wretched villages. Useless even when bewitched. – Winifred Sanderson

And then I come home and the gothic Golden Girls are in my garage. – The Mayor

Hey, stop! I’m a good zombie. I’m not even chasing thee! – Billy Butcherson to Gilbert

My eyes have misted over with the tragic tears of a lifetime of failure. – Winifred Sanderson

This is a very sacred space for witches. We come here to charge our magic. To make us stronger. More powerful. – Mother Witch

And if you too would like to try your hand at resurrecting the Sanderson sisters, black flame candles are half off for Halloween. – Gilbert

Magic has a way of uniting things that ought to be together. Happy sixteenth birthday, child. – Mother Witch to Winifred Sanderson

Another year begins anew, Maiden, Mother, and Crone, too. We call on thee with one request, help our intentions manifest. – Becca and Izzy

Pirate Kid: What’s a virgin?
Gilbert: Uh…that is a person who has never…lit a candle. – Gilbert

Gilbert: You know, legend has it, it’s on the 16th birthday that a witch gets her powers.
Becca: And like most legends, I’m assuming that’s based on some sort of patriarchal fear of female aging.
Gilbert: Yeah, probably that, too.

What are your favorite Hocus Pocus quotes?

It’s clear that Hocus Pocus has had a massive impact on its viewers.

Not only does it have undeniable charms, but its cast of characters, storyline, and quotes are sure to have lasting impressions.

As this post has shown, even the sequel proved that we all need just a bit more Sanderson sister magic in our lives. I’m already itching for the third film, how about you?

With these classic quips, you can inject a little extra sparkle into your day or any future get togethers.

Now that you’ve come to the end of the blog post, don’t forget to spread some enchantment when you think of Hocus Pocus!

And don’t forget to share your favorite quotes from Hocus Pocus or Hocus Pocus 2 in the comments section below, too.

Until then, it’s time to fly–like heady witches with broomsticks blazing!


About the author

Photo of Meg Frost on Buzz Lightyear: Space Ranger Blast at Disney World's Magic Kingdom.
Photo by Meg Frost, All rights reserved.

Meg Frost is the creator of The Park Pixie, where she covers Disney World, Disney+, and Disney fandom.

She holds an M.A. in Journalism from Northeastern University and B.S. in Communication & American Studies from University of Miami in Florida.

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This post was originally published September 8, 2022. It was last updated October 1, 2023.

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