Film Quote of the Day: Bette Midler’s ‘Hocus Pocus’ Line That Became a Halloween Classic

My wife is not a horror girlie. She is firmly the romantic comedy persona of the household, and I think that's what makes us work. But when Halloween rolls around, she lets me watch one movie full of witches and virgin sacrifices with her.

No, it's not Ken Russell's The Devils.

It's Disney’s 1993 cult classic Hocus Pocus.

It's a movie she loves revisiting again and again, and I have to admit, I have a lot of fun watching it with her, too. I especially love Bette Midler’s larger-than-life performance as Winifred Sanderson, the resurrected Sanderson sisters' lead witch who bosses the other two around and seems the most menacing.

Noe, I have been a Bette fan since Beaches, but that's a different article.

Today, I want to talk about one particular line delivered right at the start of the sisters' resurrection that is the center of memes, laughs, and, I think, the movie's soul.

Let's dive in.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The Scene in Question

This movie is a perfect cozy Halloween watch. Bundle up the whole family, light some candles, and watch as, after 300 years of slumber, the Sanderson sisters are accidentally summoned back to life in modern-day Salem, Massachusetts, to wreak havoc on the town that bound them in a book.

No, there might be a little explaining to do for younger kids, since the accidental summoner, Max Dennison, is a virgin — a big plot point — but you can kind of chalk that up to it being a weird 90s movie.

Anyway, once they're awake, Winifred Sanderson, disgusted by the warmth and cheer of a brand-new day, delivers her iconic opening line that I say all the time now:

"Oh, look. Another glorious morning. Makes me sick!"

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

What The Quote Means

We get the joke immediately, and it sets the tone for the whole movie. These are goofy witches who are quick-witted and fun to be around, unless they're trying to steal your soul.

Beyond the story, the line has transcended Hocus Pocus to become a universal anthem for anyone forced to wake up early for a reason they don't want to be involved in.

It's a meme, a GIF, and it speaks to the movie's cult popularity.

Hocus Pocus Quotes

This movie is so popular now, it's hard to imagine it was a box-office bust when it came out. It was hard to pick just one quote, so I put together a section of the movie's best lines. Check them out below.

• "Let's see, amnesia, bunions, chilblains, cholera. Tsk, tsk. We can do better than that, I think." – Winifred Sanderson
• "Must been an imp." – Winifred Sanderson
• "Haaag?! Sistahs, did you hear what he called you?" – Winifred Sanderson
• "Take my hands and we will share her." –Winifred Sanderson / "Oh Winnie, how generous of thee!" – Mary Sanderson
• "Fools! All of you! My ungodly book speaks to you. On All Hallows' 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 shall be mine!" – Winifred Sanderson
• "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 black as black. Just...like...this!" – The Sanderson Sisters
• "Let's breeeew another batch!" – Winifred Sanderson
• "Cat's got my tongue!" – Winifred Sanderson
• "Sistahhhhs!"– Winifred Sanderson
• "I smell a child." – Mary Sanderson – Winifred Sanderson
• "Don't get your knickers in a twist! We are just three kindly old spinster ladies." – Winifred Sanderson / "Spending a quiet evening at home." – Mary Sanderson / "Sucking the lives out of little children!" – Sarah Sanderson
• "Winifred, thou are a sprig of a little girl." – Mary Sanderson / "Liar! But I shall be a sprig forever once I suck the life out of all the children in Salem!" – Winifred Sanderson
• “Oh, look. Another glorious morning. Makes me sick!” –Winifred Sanderson
• “You know, I've always wanted a child. And now I think I'll have one on toast!” –Winifred Sanderson
• “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!” –Winifred Sanderson
• “Sisters, All Hallow's Eve has become a night of frolic, where children wear costumes and run amok!” –Winifred Sanderson
• “Amok! Amok, amok, amok, amok, amok.” –Sarah Sanderson
• “It’s a full moon tonight. That’s why all the weirdos are out.” –Dani
• “Damn, damn, damn, double damn!” –Winifred Sanderson
• “Therefore, 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?” –Winifred Sanderson
• “Come, we fly!” –Winifred Sanderson
• “Bubble, bubble! I'm in trouble!” –Bus Driver
• “It's the chocolate-covered finger of a man named Clark!” –Mary Sanderson
• “I put a spell on you and now you’re mine.” –Winifred Sanderson
• “Dead man’s toe, dead man’s toe! Dead, dead, dead!” –Sarah Sanderson
• “Thackery Binx, thou mangy feline. Still alive?” –Winifred Sanderson
• “It’s all just a bunch of hocus pocus.” –Max
• “I had to wait 300 years for a virgin to light a candle.” –Thackery Binx
• "I'll have your guts for garters, girl!"— Winifred Sanderson
• “It reeks of children.” –Mary Sanderson
• “It is a prison for children.” –Winifred Sanderson
• “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
• “It's the burning rain of death! Come, you fools!” –Winifred Sanderson
• “I love you, jerkface.” –Dani
• "Welcome to High School Hell." —Max
• “Oh, cheese and crust! He's lost his head! Damn that Thackery Binx!” –Winifred Sanderson
• “Well, I don't know. Cat's got my tongue.” –Winifred Sanderson
• “Why was I cursed with such idiot sisters?” –Winifred Sanderson
• “I killed you once, I shall kill you again, you maggoty malfeasance! Hang on to your heads!” –Winifred Sanderson
• "Wench! Trollop! You bucktoothed, mop-riding firefly from hell!" — Billy Butcherson
  
• “He’s a good zombie.” –Max
• “Mmm, mmm, mmm! I need one of those instant ice packs. You girls are giving me a fever!” — Bus Driver
• “Drop dead, moron.” — Dani
• “My lucky rat tail!” –Sarah Sanderson
• "Goodbye, cruel world." — Winifred Sanderson
• “Fine, but everyone here knows that Halloween was invented by the candy companies. It's a conspiracy.” –Max
• “Don’t get your knickers in a twist! We’re just three kindly old spinster ladies.” –Winifred Sanderson
• “Stuff it, zit face.” — Dani
• "Let’s light this sucker and meet the old broads." — Max
• “Sisters, we’ve been gone 300 years.” –Winifred Sanderson
• "Well, it says to form a circle of salt to protect from zombies, witches, and old boyfriends." — Allison
• “‘Tis firm! ‘Tis firm as stone!” –Sarah Sanderson
• “Go to hell!” –Billy Butcherson / “Oh! I've been there, thank you. I found it quite lovely.” –Winifred Sanderson
• “I shall always be with you.” –Thackery Binx
• “Farewell, mortal bus boy!” –Sarah Sanderson
• “Maybe you could learn to breathe through your nose.” –Max
• “Couldn’t you forget about being a cool teenager for just one night?” –Dani
• “Say what you want! Just don’t breathe on me.” –Max
• “They’re very health-conscious in Los Angeles.” –Ice
• “Dance, dance until you die!” –Winifred Sanderson
• “It’s my curse, that and you two! Get off me you thundering oafs!” –Winifred Sanderson
• “I am beautiful! Boys will love me!” –Sarah Sanderson
• “You want to smash some pumpkins?” –Jay
• “You hags! There are not enough children in the world to make thee young and beautiful!” — Thackery Binx
• “We’re young!” –Mary Sanderson / “Well, younger. But it’s a start!” –Winifred Sanderson
• “I suggest we form a calming circle.” —Mary Sanderson
• “Aren’t you broads a little bit old to be trick or treating?” –Master’s wife
• “You’re going to turn me into one of those fat, useless, contented house cats.” – Thackery Binx

Summing It All Up

Bette Midler’s performance as Winifred Sanderson remains the beating heart of Hocus Pocus, and that opening line sets the tone for the whole thing.

Whether you're rewatching the film on Halloween night with family or friends, or alone, make sure it's not too late; otherwise, you'll have a hard time waking up the next day.