With Hocus Pocus 2 being released on Disney’s streaming service, Disney+, we wanted to revisit the [not so strong] MoCo connection from the popular original 1993 film– Bethesda native Sean Murray in his role as Thackery Binx.
Hocus Pocus follows teenager Max Dennison (Omri Katz), who after moving to Salem, Massachusetts, explores an abandoned house with his sister Dani (Thora Birch) and their new friend, Allison (Vinessa Shaw). After dismissing a story Allison tells as superstitious, Max accidentally frees a coven of evil witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy) who used to live in the house. Now, with the help of a magical cat (Binx) the kids must steal the witches’ book of spells to stop them from becoming immortal.
Thackery Binx was a 17th-century boy living with his parents and his sister Emily. One day, he followed her into the woods but was unable to rescue her from the three Witches, and after insulting Winifred, he was transformed into an immortal black cat. After the sisters were hanged, he was unrecognized by his family and was abandoned. At some point afterward, he decided to guard the house every Halloween night in order to prevent the sisters from returning. When the Sanderson Sisters disappear off the face of the earth at sunrise, his soul is freed. He leaves with Emily when saying goodbye to Max, Dani, and Allison.
The actor who plays Thackery Binx is Bethesda native Sean Murray. While Murray was born in Bethesda, at Bethesda Naval Hospital, he didn’t spend too much time in the area– growing up on several military bases across the world until his parents divorced and he moved to Los Angeles with his mother when he was 15. In addition to his role on Hocus Pocus, Sean Murray is best known for his roles in JAG and NCIS.
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