In 1993, Disney brought the fictional Sanderson sisters to the big screen. The movie was more than just a little Hocus Pocus. It’s become a Halloween classic that families have enjoyed for the last 25 years, even returning to theaters for its anniversary in 2018, and getting a sequel in the form of a novel (and a planned movie).
The movie followed siblings Max and Dani when they discovered a scary story told about their new hometown was actually true. Max brought a trio of witches back to life by lighting the black flame candle, and then spent the rest of his Halloween night trying to stop them from stealing the souls of children. While the Sanderson sisters never had the chance to attend Hogwarts, it’s certainly fun to imagine where they - and the rest of the people in their movie - would have wound up sorted.
Binx: Hufflepuff
Some might find his near encyclopedic knowledge of the Sanderson sisters a Ravenclaw trait. Others might find it brave that he takes on the witches after what they did to him, wanting to sort him into Gryffindor. Thackery Binx, however, in both human and cat form, was definitely a Hufflepuff.
When Thackery was a teenage boy, the only reason he attempted to face the Sanderson sisters was because of his own sister. Loyalty to her made him try to take them on. He then spent 300 years learning what he could and guarding their home in case someone resurrected them. He accepted that work as his fate. Binx the cat decided to help Max, Dani, and Allison take them on in 1993 due to that same loyalty. He wanted justice for his sister and all the kids the Sandersons took from their families.
Emily: Gryffindor
Unlike Thackery Binx, the audience doesn’t get a chance to know Emily well. Emily only makes an appearance at the beginning and end of Hocus Pocus. She seemed like an average little girl, which makes sorting her a bit difficult.
The fact that Emily wandered close to where the Sanderson sisters lived, even likely knowing the rumors about them, is what makes us sort her into Gryffindor. Sure, Sarah had to lure her the rest of the way, but considering Emily was the only child they took at the start of the film, it doesn’t seem likely that Sarah lured her right from the house. Emily was either very brave, or she had no idea what the sisters were capable of.
Allison: Ravenclaw
While Binx had hundreds of years worth of knowledge to give to the kids during the movie, Allison didn’t have that kind of time to learn about the Sanderson sisters. Her love for history and Halloween combined to make her learn as much as possible during her 17 years.
Allison’s own encyclopedic knowledge of the history of the Sanderson sisters and her town, and her willingness to share it with people she just met, made her a candidate for Ravenclaw. What solidified that sorting is the fact that Allison can’t resist opening a book to get a little more knowledge. Not only does she open Winifred’s spellbook, but she actually uses it, and learns how to protect her new friends. Allison takes her passion project and makes it practical.
Max: Gryffindor
When the movie starts, Max was fairly selfish, but he didn’t have the cunning or true ambition to get him into Slytherin. Likewise, he doesn’t seem interested in loyalty or learning. He does, however, certainly react emotionally to situations, harping on perceived slights, which leans pretty heavily toward many of the more dramatic Gryffindors in the Harry Potter series.
Max was primarily motivated by his connection to Dani throughout the series, but he also drew a line when it came to allowing the Sanderson sisters to hurt anyone else either. Despite not a single adult in the movie believing anything he said to them, he faced the sisters, even taking Dani’s place and drinking the potion that would end him.
Dani: Gryffindor
Dani certainly takes after her big brother in a lot of ways. She didn’t just bravely stand up to the Sanderson sisters; Dani made them believe she brought them back.
From her first interaction with the witches, it’s clear that Dani wouldn’t let them get the best of her. She claimed responsibility for lighting the candle and identified herself as a witch when confronted by them. Dani wasn’t about to give them any excuse to steal her soul. She kept up with Allison and Max through the entire movie, offered Binx a home, and befriended a zombie. If that doesn’t scream Gryffindor, we don’t know what does.
Ernie And Jay: Slytherin
These two bullies weren’t exactly the typical Slytherins. They weren’t particularly cunning. Instead, their schemes were pretty straightforward. It’s also not clear what their ambitions were beyond picking on the new kid and loading up on candy.
Ernie AKA Ice and Jay, however, would have made for some great Slytherin lackeys. They’re very reminiscent of Crabbe and Goyle in the Harry Potter series. These two wanted to be the big bad guys, but they didn’t have a smarter Slytherin to lead them.
Billy: Gryffindor
Considering Billy spent a lot of time with the Sanderson sisters in life, it might be surprising to see him sorted into Gryffindor. Billy, however, didn’t seem to be particularly cunning or studious or hardworking. He did seem to have a certain amount of bravery.
Billy had to be at least a little brazen to have a relationship with Sarah Sanderson, but also with Winifred Sanderson. Spending time with even one of the sisters took guts. Billy also didn’t show them any loyalty when Winifred resurrected him. Instead, he decided to help Max and Dani in their quest to destroy the sisters.
Sarah: Slytherin
Sarah wasn’t the brightest of the Sanderson sisters, nor the hardest working. Instead, she followed Winifred and Mary’s lead most of the time, relying on her older siblings to figure things out. Her major skill set, and her major interest, definitely make her a Slytherin.
Sarah’s best-known action in Hocus Pocus was luring children to the sisters to use their souls. Her singing voice got the job done. While Sarah seemed to enjoy her role, she also had another interest. She frequently requested to “play with” young people the sisters weren’t sacrificing for their own ends. That probably wouldn’t have been fun for the people involved. Her selfish desires were what make her a Slytherin, along with her sneakily gaining access to children.
Mary: Hufflepuff
It would be easy to sort all of the Sanderson sisters into Slytherin based on their nefarious activities. Mary, however, isn’t as selfish or as ambitious as her sisters. She’s the middle child, and she was clearly into the evil for her sisters.
Mary frequently had to play peacemaker between her older and younger sister when tensions rose. She was also the first to carry out Winifred’s orders, making her one of the most hardworking of the three. Hufflepuff is the Hogwarts house that fit her better than Slytherin.
Winifred: Slytherin
As the oldest, and the leader of the three Sanderson sisters, Winifred also had the most ambition. She wanted to be young and beautiful again, and she didn’t care how many souls she had to steal to live forever.
Winifred also was a much better planner than her sisters. She came up with the ideas and the plans for her sisters to follow through. Winifred also adapted well to her situation despite her 17th-century language and clothing. She could be sneaky if the situation called for it. Winifred Sanderson was definitely a Slytherin.
