Is it all just a bunch of hocus pocus?
Throughout the centuries, many have believed in witches and witchcraft, passing stories through the generations.
It’s easy to envisage the stereotype of a witch – someone who is ugly, has green skin, wears a black pointy hat and flies on a broomstick. But what is a witch? And how have people felt about them through time?
Here, BBC Bitesize takes a closer look at the history of witches, famous trials through time and iconic characters in literature, film and television. You can also take our IYKYK quiz below to see if you’re more Winnie, Mary or Sarah Sanderson - good luck!
What is a witch?
Traditionally, a witch is defined as a person – usually a woman – who is believed to possess magical or supernatural abilities. A group of witches is called a coven and over time, the meaning of the word ‘witch’ has continued to evolve.
In history and folklore, witches are often defined as being either good or evil. A white witch is said to focus on healing and protecting others, whereas a black witch is typically said to use their powers for harm or malevolence through black magic.
In folklore, the ‘witching hour’ means a time of night when witches, as well as other supernatural beings, are at their strongest. Most accounts suggest it occurs at midnight or 3am.
But through time, it hasn’t taken much for a person to be accused of witchcraft. While some were praised for their healing powers, in challenging times, others were blamed for misfortune like crops failing or widespread disease.
Those targeted throughout the centuries have mainly been older women, with accusations coming from within the suspect’s community. Many faced persecutions and were even sentenced to death for allegations of witchcraft.
Who are the most famous witches in history?
There have been many famous witches – and those accused of being witches – throughout history. It is impossible to name them all, but here are a few notable examples.
From the 1560s, authorities in Scotland began accusing people of performing witchcraft and worshipping the Devil. Midwife and healer Agnes Sampson is famously said to have summoned a storm to kill Scotland’s King James VI and his bride, Princess Anne of Denmark. The investigations led to the North Berwick witch trials of 1590 and King James VI's obsession with witches is believed to have inspired Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
In the 17th century, Alizon Device, a young woman from Pendle, Lancashire, was accused of cursing a pedlar called John Law. As a result, the Pendle Witch Trials began in 1612 – one of the most famous witch trials in English history.
Decades later, a local minister in Massachusetts, Reverend Samuel Parris, accused an enslaved Indigenous woman called Tituba of witchcraft after his daughter and niece experienced strange, unexplained fits. Tituba, alongside Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne, were among the first people accused and tried during the Salem witch trials in 1692.
Who are the most famous witches in literature and on screen?
When it comes to literature, film and television, several witches are likely to spring to mind. This list isn’t intended to be comprehensive – but you’ll likely have heard of these famous characters.
As mentioned, there’s the three witches, known as The Weird Sisters, in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. In Greek mythology, Circe transforms Odysseus’s crew into pigs in Homer’s Odyssey.
There’s also The White Witch in C. S. Lewis's series, The Chronicles of Narnia, Mildred Hubble in Jill Murphy’s The Worst Witch series, The Grand High Witch in Roald Dahl’s The Witches and Hermione Granger in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter franchise.
In L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, we are introduced to Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West. The characters are reimagined in musical and film series Wicked, which explores the unlikely friendship between Elphaba (the Wicked Witch) and Glinda (Glinda the Good).
You may have also heard of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which began as an Archie Comics series. In the 90s and 00s, a television show based on the comic book starred Melissa Joan Hart as the lead, Sabrina Spellman. Between 2018 and 2020, actress Kiernan Shipka also portrayed Sabrina in Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, based on the Archie comic book series of the same name.
Sticking with comics, famous witches from the Marvel Universe include The Scarlet Witch and Agatha Harkness. In the world of Disney, there’s Ursula the sea witch in The Little Mermaid and the Cromwell family in the Halloweentown film series.
In 2026, fans were also thrilled to see the Owens sisters, played by Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, return for Practical Magic 2. The first film, Practical Magic, is based on the 1995 novel by Alice Hoffman.
But they aren’t the only famous witch sisters…
Who are the Sanderson sisters?
The Sanderson sisters are a trio of fictional witches from Disney’s 1993 cult classic, Hocus Pocus. By definition, ‘hocus pocus’ means sleight of hand or trickery.
In the film, Winifred ‘Winnie’ Sanderson is portrayed by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy plays Mary Sanderson and Sarah Jessica Parker stars as Sarah Sanderson. The film follows the three 17th century witches who are brought back to life 300 years after being executed in Salem, Massachusetts, on Halloween night.
The Sanderson sisters are resurrected by sceptical teenagers Max, who lights the infamous black flame candle in their original home that later served as a museum. With the help of his sister Dani, classmate Allison and Thackery Binx – a boy cursed to live as an immortal black cat by the witches – they must work together to stop the Sanderson sisters from consuming the life-forces of the town’s children to stay young forever.
In 2022, Midler, Najimy and Parker all reprised their roles for the film’s sequel – Hocus Pocus 2. But are the Sanderson sisters based on real witches?
Well, the answer is no – but there is some loose inspiration surrounding the famous witches. Hocus Pocus is set in Salem, a real location where the Salem witch trials took place.
The witch trials took place between February 1692 and May 1693 and were a series of hearings and executions of people accused of witchcraft. But some fans of the film also believe the characters were loosely inspired by three real-life sisters accused of witchcraft in the Salem witch trials – the Towne sisters.
Quiz: Which Sanderson sister are you?
Where was Hocus Pocus filmed?
Infamous for the 17th century Salem witch trials, Salem is a historic coastal town in Massachusetts, USA. Every year, it welcomes tourists across the globe who visit to learn more about its history – as well as visit film locations from the movie Hocus Pocus.
A lot of Hocus Pocus was shot on sound stages in Burbank, California. But today, you can still visit several of the film’s locations in Salem.
According to Destination Salem, the opening scenes of the movie were filmed in living history museum Pioneer Village, at Salem’s Forest River Park. Bette Midler’s rendition of Put a Spell on You – one of the film’s most iconic scenes - was filmed at the Old Town Hall in Derby Square.
Today, fans of the hit film can also visit the exteriors of the high school that characters Max and Allison attended, as well as Allison’s family home that hosted a Halloween party.
As for Hocus Pocus 2, the sequel was filmed mainly in Rhode Island, USA.
When were the UK witch trials?
During the Salem witch trials, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft and a total of 25 people died as a result. But in between the 16th and 18th centuries, several witch trials also took place in the UK.
Witch trials famously took place in Pendle in Lancashire, the east Lothian coast, St Osyth in Essex and Islandmagee in Northern Ireland. At the time, people across the UK believed in witches.
In 1542, witchcraft was first made a capital offence under a statute of Henry VIII. However, it was repealed five years later. In 1563, the Scottish Witchcraft Act became law, meaning witchcraft became a crime that could be punished by death.
And with accusations of witches also came witch-hunters. One of the most notorious was self-proclaimed Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins, who was a witch hunter in the 1640s.
Is there going to be a Hocus Pocus 3?
Hocus Pocus and its 2022 sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, are available to stream on Disney+. But is there going to be a third instalment in the film series?
In recent years, a third film has been teased, with numerous original characters stating they’d be keen to reprise their roles. But in May 2026, various news outlets reported that Hocus Pocus 3 was in early development with Disney - and that Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker would return to star.
As for an official release date, we will have to wait and see!
*This article was written in October 2026
