(Throwback Repost) #MarcusWritesHocusPocus2 Part 1

By: Marcus Cardona (October 31, 2015)

So I was online on Facebook, like any millennial, just scrolling through the newsfeed of my peers. When I saw a fan made poster for a film that immediately struck the 90’s kid in me… HOCUS POCUS 2! The poster depicting the Sanderson sisters played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy with Times Square in the backdrop with the tacky movie tagline “The Witch Is Back” As with all things on the internet you have to do additional research. A few Google search links later, I learned that the poster was fake, the concept and idea were real, but there was no confirmation of it actually being greenlit as a project.

So in the midst of writing prompts I decided to start writing my own take on how I believe a sequel, 22 years later, would go in my mind. The original film being very reminiscent of 1993 era. I want the sequel to be released coinciding with the modern time and another revival of the Sanderson sisters in the digital age maintaining continuity. However the original gave plenty of material for the ethos and origins of witches and magic to expand upon and I decided to delve into that. While I could script and write dialogue I simply have the storyline with minimal dialogue to be read as a fan fiction. It is still lengthy with characters and plot. All the ideas are mine based on the original property and storyline of the first Hocus Pocus and a take on the name of the rumored title “Rise of The Elder Witch”. So here is Hocus Pocus 2: Rise of The Elder Witch by Marcus Cardona…

We begin in 2000 B.C. in Ancient Egypt, we are in the midst of a funeral of a pharaoh. The pharaoh is being carried by his servants, priests, and followed by the queen holding the hand of the pharaoh’s young daughter, Princess Phyia accompanied by a bodyguard. After the funeral and placing of the body into a tomb. The Queen and Phyia return to the palace to be greeted by a council of men stating that the Queen is no longer serving as the governing ruler since she did not bear a male heir to the throne and that a new pharaoh will be elected ending her lineage. The Queen angered at the council lashes out at the council. The Queen’s bodyguard steps between the council and the Queen and turns to the Queen and impales her. Phyia watches and with tears in her eyes runs, the bodyguard asks what they should do and the council responds forget about her.

          Angry and alone Princess Phyia has retreated to her father’s tomb crying. We see a young green-eyed priest, cloaked in all black wearing a silver snake talisman necklace with a yellow gem, find her and extends a hand out stating there is a way to bring her parents back. In a cave with torches, there is a gathering of black cloaked males alongside the Princess, all wearing the same silver snake talisman necklace, as they circle a ritual table with the Princess’ parents bodies wrapped in linen. An older Priest asks the Princess to hold her hand out, and she resists and Amam, the young black cloaked priest from earlier steps out and reassures her as he cuts her hand and draws blood into a ritual bowl. The crowd begins chanting as bodies become enraptured in magic aether as Princess Phyia watches with a gaze of wonderment and then an evil smile comes across her face as the gem in her necklace glows bright and changes from yellow to blue, the flames begin to burn black, and the crowd stops chanting…

Flashforward to 2016.

         We are in New Haven, Connecticut. Grace Cahill, a quirky college girl studying Political Science and pre-law is waiting at a coffee shop across from a bus station typing class notes. Off the bus comes her younger sister, Jodie Cahill, a high schooler, still awkward but dressed to have fun. The two sisters are really excited to see one another as Jodie is staying with Grace for the college weekend. They engage in older sister little sister conversation Jodie is excited to be at a college. They then arrive in Grace’s dorm room and meet Rachel Fecteau, Grace’s roommate who’s also in a sorority. Rachel gives a sorority pitch to Jodie if she attends their college next year and asks if they’re going to the Mu Psi Delta, fraternity Halloween party. Rachel says she’s not sure what her costume is yet. Grace rushes her eager sister out of her dorm and on their way out Rachel asks if she’s called Matthew back.

           Grace arrives with Jodie to class where her teacher has already started the lesson. The professor is speaking to the students about the history and the final verdict of occult trials internationally. Grace and Jodie sit in the back row. Grace gets a text from Matthew: “Can you at least talk to me?” The professor speaks about the trials and death penalties of occult practices historically ranging back to the trial and killing of Priests in Egypt. The professor comments that a black cloaked society has been spoken of in every instance where occult practices and rituals were held and that supposedly in the Library of Alexandria scrolls of their history of magic and immortality were lost in the fire. It wasn’t until later that female occult leaders or witches were prosecuted. However, the commonality of a dark male and female figure have been continuous in occult cases. She then speaks of the first witch trials in America being in Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut.  A hand in the back next to Grace and Jodie raises and it’s of Oliver Reiker, a grungier outcast kid with a Misfits shirt and flannel. Oliver mentions about his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts and about the Sanderson Sisters trial in which all three were hung being accused of witches with the actual recorded crime being the abduction and murder of Emily Binx and abduction of Thackery Binx. He then mentions that the Sanderson sister cottage used to be a tourist site in their town and that in 1993 the items and trinkets inside the house were collected by the American Witchcraft Historical Society after it was broken into and talks about a massive migration of kids towards the house on Halloween that occurred and he mentions “there was a girl in my brother’s grade who said she fought against resurrected Sanderson witches.” Grace stares at Oliver as Oliver smiles and stares away. The professor concludes class and mentions that the city’s Museum is having an exhibit if anyone is still interested in the History of Occult Trials.

          Walking down the hall Grace asks Jodie if she’s interested in going to the exhibit. Oliver overhears and is like “You girls should really consider it, it’s so crazy that we have all these movies about magic and Harry Potter but are fictional and these were actual trials of magic and strange practices." Oliver mentions "It’s special event because of The Serpentian Equinox in which the night is longer as both Mars and the moon eclipse the sun supposedly causing a lot of supernatural activity” Grace asks Oliver “Were you the guy who tried exorcizing ghosts out of one of the Resident Hall basements their Freshman year?” Oliver responds that colleges have been haunted for years with the ghosts of professors and students with unfinished business and he just wanted to shower in peace. Matthew Rogers, a preppy type wearing Mu Psi Delta letters then appears and greets Grace and Jodie. Matthew says “Hey Grace can I talk to you.” Grace tries avoiding Matthew as says “I’m not that type of guy. I swear I was being stupid. ” Girls from down the hall call to Matthew as Matthew awkwardly waves at them. Jodie seeing her older sister upset steps in and is says “Just leave my sister alone” and Oliver watches as that all unfolds being a bystander. They all walk off past Matthew. Upset with what happened in the hallway, Grace and Jodie decide to go to the exhibit with Oliver.

       Outside the museum. Boxes and crates are being unloaded as the museum curator is directing people to set up different displays in the exhibit. We see Winifred's book of spell being unloaded encased in glass carried in and put on a display pedestal however the eye closed and sealed.

The curator content with the last cargo of the American Witchcraft Historical Society does a final run through of the all the pieces. The curator then speaks to the staff about taking down the previous exhibit banners and packaging and loading the relics and trinkets into the moving trucks for their next location in New York. The previous exhibit was Egyptian History. A female museum worker putting away the Egyptian trinkets sees a Silver Snake Necklace with a Blue Gem glowing in one of the containers and becomes hypnotized by it as she reaches for it and holds it in her hands, one of her coworkers calls her for their lunch break as she places it in her pocket. The workers and the woman leave for lunch. As the curator walks through he wipes a glass display containing three jars of green, red, and purple dust beneath them on the display plaque is engraved “the ashes of the Sanderson sisters” accompanied with the mirror of Winifred Sanderson, the lucky rat tail of Sarah Sanderson, and the thimble of Mary Sanderson. The eye on the book of spells opens. As the curator arrives at the display the book’s eye opens. The curator opens the case to examine the book. He picks up and the book and as he holds it a yellow glowing arch blasts all over the curator as his eye turns green.

        The Cahill sisters and Oliver are eating at a sandwich shop talking about college and their experiences. Grace steadily becoming more and more interested in Oliver’s hometown and history of his occult following. Oliver explains that he just had a weird obsession with adventure and monster movies growing up. Oliver is asking Jodie about highschool and applying to college and how he couldn’t imagine going to the same college as his brother. Grace reassures Oliver that she likes looking out for her sister. Jodie replies that she’s independent and it’s their parents' idea to have Jodie go to the same college as Grace. The museum employees arrive at the sandwich shop and the female employee keeps hearing a voice whispering and phases in and out of a zombie like gaze. A male coworker asks if she’s okay and the female worker goes to the bathroom. Jodie feeling like a third wheel to Oliver and Grace sits and just starts texting then excuses herself to the bathroom. In the bathroom, the female coworker pulls out the necklace as the glowing continues and she tries to put on the necklace. As she puts on the necklace blue arcs shoots from the necklace and control and contort the female museum worker’s body as she coughs and her voice becomes that of Princess Phyia! Princess Phyia is possessing the female museum worker and looks in the mirror. The Princess looks into the mirror at the body looks and proclaims “this body is aged. I need a different vessel.” A knock at the bathroom door occurs and Jodie is waiting outside the bathroom and the voice of Jodie goes “excuse me”. Princess Phyia looks in the mirror and smiles as she rips the necklace of the body of the female museum worker. The door opens to a confused museum worker as she walks passed Jodie zombie like and returns to her coworkers sitting at a table. Jodie walks past the mirror and goes into the bathroom stall with the necklace at the sink.

           Jodie returns to the table wearing the blue gemmed silver necklace. However, the necklace isn’t phasing Jodie as it phased the museum worker.  At the table, Oliver and Grace seem really cozy with one another and the trio leave for the museum. Jodie lingering behind Oliver and Grace is texting completely normal as they are walking to the museum. Outside the museum the trio is greeted by Rachel and two of her sorority sisters. Grace rolls her eyes as Rachel greets Jodie and says, “Oh my god Grace you really should be introducing her to the best parts of college, not a boring museum.”  Rachel then says “If you want Jodie you can still come to the Halloween party with us” Grace asks Rachel what she’s doing at the museum and Rachel replies “Volunteer work it was either museum greeting or running the college’s haunted house for kids” Rachel says to Jodie that she likes her new necklace as it emanates a subtle blue glow. Grace asks Jodie about the necklace as Jodie walks away and Grace and Oliver follow.

            Oliver, Grace, Jodie, and Rachel and her two sorority sisters walk into the museum and join an exhibit tour group. They examine nooses, cauldrons, witches apparel, brooms, wands, shrunken heads, magical trinkets and news clippings of stories. Jodie’s necklace begins glowing brighter.  The tour guide is presenting all the items out loud as they move along the displays. Meanwhile, Oliver is saying comments about all the items he already knows in detail at expense of the tour guide making Grace laugh. The tour guide continues stating “mistletoe most popular for kissing under at the Yuletide was also hung above doorways in medieval times to ward away evil spirits.” The tour guide then says “the most modern item in our collection are supposedly the collected  ashes of the Sanderson sisters of Salem seized after an incident in 1993 and the remaining properties of the Sanderson sisters was collected by the American Witchcraft Historical Society” Oliver excited in realization says to Grace, “If the jars of Sanderson sisters are here. The book of spells has to be here. I saw it as it a kid and it used to give me nightmares. It’s the creepiest book I’ve ever seen. Rumor is that it’s bound in human flesh.” The two walk over to a glass case that says “The Book of Spells” but it’s empty.

From behind the crowd yells the curator who’s skin has fused with the book “Phyia my mistress! I come to resurrect thee!” The necklace on Jodie is glowing brightly and Jodie is now FULL ON POSSESSED by Princess Phyia floating amongst the tour group as a wave blasts from her body shattering the glass displays. The crowd disperses and Rachel and her sorority sisters duck behind a display. Grace stares at her sister floating, Oliver wraps his arm around Grace protecting her and stares at a witch hunting item display. Grace screams out for Jodie. The possessed Jodie in Princess Phyia’s voice yells, “Amam you coward! Free me from my vessel!” The curator, possessed by Amam, walks toward Jodie and reaches for her neck. In the last second Oliver throws a handful of salt in Amam’s face and grabs Jodie putting mistletoe around her neck causing the gem’s glow to fade and Jodie’s body collapses. Oliver and Grace catch Jodie and grab cover. Jodie is passed out.

        Amam still possessing the curator looks around dazed from salt in the face looks around to see the Sanderson sisters’ ash containers with Rachel and her two sorority sisters hiding behind the broken display. Amam says a magical enchantment from the book as the items of the Sanderson Sisters float and the jars of dust glows and individually take to the bodies of Rachel and her two sisters. In a magical display we see the sorority sisters begin to mutate as their hair changes and bodies morph. BOOM RESURRECTION there stand the Sanderson sisters for their third resurrection wearing the clothes of Rachel and her sorority sisters. The Sanderson sisters laugh in realization of their resurrection.  Winifred Sanderson looks over to Amam and says how is this possible? Book is that you? Sarah says I smell a boy! And Mary says I smell a virgin! Grace says “Can witches smell that?” and Oliver says “Wait you’re a virgin too?”

        The witches go towards Amam bowing at him for their resurrection. Amam shouts “Don’t waste time Winifred I have brought you back to resurrect Phyia! My true mistress!” Winifred in shock says “Phyia! The Elder Witch?” Amam says “The girl! She wears the necklace!” The Sanderson sisters turn to see Jodie in the arms of Grace dragging her out of the museum. Oliver then hits a displayed church bell which echoes loudly deafening the Sanderson sisters and Amam. As they fall to their knees paralyzed by the ringing. Oliver then runs over to Jodie with Grace and runs out of the museum. Amam goes over and destroys the ringing bell. The Sanderson sisters recover. The Sanderson sisters look at their new bodies in awe of their new surroundings. And have some witty dialogue of all the witch trinkets in the museum and other witches “who didn’t last”. Amam in distress is now losing control of the curator’s body he was possessing. Winifred goes over to the possessed man-book and tries reasoning with Amam. Amam states his primary mission is to resurrect Phyia and that he can no longer control a physical body. He says his spell is temporary and that only with the help of Phyia will they be able to sustain their current forms until daylight. Mary looks outside and says “Tonight is the Serpentian Equinox!” as Sarah laughs in joy clueless. The book separates from the curator’s body and Winifred now holds the book in her hands and says “Let’s bring back a witch, sisters.” The curator looks up in confusion. Sarah goes “Excuse me sir what year is it?” As the curator tells them it’s 2016. Winifred zaps the curator and says “only 23 years being dead this time they just can’t get enough of us” Winifred still in Rachel’s clothing receives a text from Matthew, “Is Grace still at the museum?” The witches playing with phone accidentally hit Siri’s and Siri asks “What can I help you with?” Winifred asks “Who is Grace” as Siri pulls up Grace’s contact information.

          Oliver is driving his car with Grace in the backseat holding Jodie. Oliver is excited and nervous with adrenaline rushing from the witch battle and is rambling on. Grace is asking what is going on. Oliver has concluded that the witches have been resurrected and is trying to recall all he remembers of the Sanderson sisters and can’t recall a man. After Oliver asks crazy questions about Grace and Jodie’s childhood and history. Grace sees the necklace underneath the mistletoe and tries grabbing it. It has fused to Jodie’s body. Oliver recalls something he heard Winifred said and asks Grace if she remembers? Grace replies”Phyia! The Elder Witch” the two retreat onto campus.

       Carrying the body of Jodie into Grace’s dorm room. The two lay Jodie on Grace’s bed. Oliver uses Grace’s laptop to look up “the elder witch.” Oliver reads the description of The Elder Witch, a supposed sorceress – the first witch of history with her origins unknown as well as her death. Many different pages mention The Elder Witch with different instances of her in history all over Europe, Asia, and Africa. Looking at her necklace the letters resemble hieroglyphics and sanskrit. Oliver looks up “sanskrit, hieroglyphic witchcraft” reading into a search Oliver reads about a black cloaked society of priests who worshipped and raised a female sorceress who was thought to once be the daughter of a pharaoh who sought revenge for casting her out as a child. He finds an etching on the website similar to the design of the necklace on Jodie’s body. The power for the dorm goes out. Oliver says, “Whatever the Sanderson sisters want is in your sister and it might be alot worse than them.” Oliver and Grace grab Jodie. We see Oliver search online “Sanderson Sisters – Danielle Denison”

      The Sanderson sisters have arrived on campus still in sorority apparel via broomstick. Winifred with the book in hand, Sarah with a satchel, and Mary standing on the campus lawn overlooking the college their magic has disrupted the campus electrical system. We see millions of college students collecting outside of their dorms like a fire alarm has just gone off with half the students wearing Halloween costumes and the other half in dormitory sleep wear as R.A.s are collectively gathering their residents for head counts. Mary Sanderson is trying to sniff out Grace, Jodie, and Oliver but her smelling ability is all messed up with all the college students around. Grace comes out of the dorm with Oliver holding Jodie in their arms. The R.A. of Grace’s dorm is asking what happened and places Jodie in a wheelchair. As the witches are trudging through college students on the lawn they are stopped by other girls in Rachel’s sorority. The other sorority sisters assume that they’re older alumni visiting and greet them as sisters. The Sanderson sisters tell them they’re looking for Grace Cahill. The sorority sisters ask why and Winifred responds well she has one of our sisters. The sorority sisters see Grace arguing with the R.A. and point out the trio. Oliver sees the sorority pointing at them and immediately takes Jodie and runs with Grace. Winifred starts running towards them and stops. Winifred says “Sisters!” as Sarah and Mary come to her side surrounded by sorority sisters. Winifred says “The last time we were here, we were outdone by a corpse, a cat, and some kids. This time we have more sisters correct, Sarah.” Sarah being a bumbling idiot reveals her satchel of witches items. The Sanderson sisters begin singing a chant. One of the sorority sisters puts hand over Winifred’s mouth and says “Not here. We have a chapter room.” As the Sanderson sisters accompanied by sorority sisters start walking away toward the chapter room, the R.A. asks them to stay on the lawn and Mary zaps the R.A. to a cold statue frozen in a yelling pose (typical Disney villain humorous spell).

        Oliver and Grace still dragging Jodie have arrived in the parking lot at Oliver’s car – which is a beater of a car. Oliver is so concerned on why the Sanderson sisters aren’t chasing them right now. Grace asks Oliver if his exorcism freshman year worked? Oliver replies with a big smile and says “We need some supplies and a little help.” Oliver Facetimes Dani Denison, Dani from the original Hocus Pocus who now lives back in California and has grown up into a full-fledged spirit guide hippie. We see multiple black cats and trinkets in the background as Oliver and Grace explain the situation.  Dani in adulthood is still sassy as ever and says “So you’re telling me that the Sanderson sisters are back and neither of you virgins lit any candles? Okay, it’s not either of your faults.” Dani tells them what they need we see Oliver and Grace then grab white paint, comically small rosary beads, a bible, a bowl, and matches. The two arrive at the New Haven green. Oliver starts explaining that they need to draw a ritual circle so he starts painting on the grass with white paint aligned with candles on the corners. He explains that they’re using light magic which is brought on by selflessness and purity whilst the dark magic of witches was for selfish gain and corruption. They can expel the spirit of Princess Phyia from Jodie’s body and it will be contained in the ritual circle but for complete banishment they’ll need to do another spell. Jodie places Grace’s body in the middle of the circle. Oliver with bible and beads in hand watches and says, “One more thing a summoning spell and banishment spell both require pure blood… or virgin blood.” Grace jokes, “Luckily there’s two of us.”