Hocus Pocus fan? Its original name and storyline was much darker
For many of us, the re-watching of Hocus Pocus has become an annual tradition at this time of year, and suffice to say many of us believe we know the 1993 movie inside out.
But do you know its origins? OrigInal name? Intended storyline? Nah, we didn't think so.
Well, come little children because you're about to find out.
While discussing the movie with EW recently, writer Mick Garris explained that his original screenplay was a much darker movie – one which ultimately never made it to the silver screen.
"What I had written originally was about 12-year-olds. The kids being younger and in more jeopardy was certainly something more explicitly frightening," he explained.
Revealing that the movie's original title was, in fact, Halloween House, Mick went on to explain that the film initially piqued the interest of director, Stephen Spielberg, until industry rivalry forced him to pass on it.
"He loved it until he found out that Disney was already involved, Mick said. "At that time, Disney and Amblin were very competitive in the family-film market, so neither of them wanted to be in business with the other."
Mick explained that, under the scrutiny of a team of writers, the first draft became 'broadly comedic', and soon evolved from a dark story to the family favourite we know today.
