6 Hocus Pocus Filming Locations in Salem, MA
Salem, MA
6 Hocus Pocus Filming Locations
A Witchy Weekend in Salem, Massachusetts
October 28, 2020
You can also find the Vlog on YouTube (see below!).
It's all a bunch of HOCUS POCUS! ;) With Salem, Massachusetts less than an hour away, we decided to spend a witchy morning at 6 Hocus Pocus Filming Locations! This was our first experience in Salem, MA during the Halloween season so we didn’t know quite what to expect. To hear about our experience wandering around a city infused with Halloween spirit and tons of history -- keep on reading!
1. Allison's House - 318 Essex Street, Salem, MA
2. Town Hall (Halloween Party) - 32 Derby Square, Salem, MA
3. Max's High School - 61 S Washington Square, Salem, MA
4. Max and Dani's House - 4 Ocean Avenue, Salem, MA
5. Thackery Binx's House - 31 West Avenue, Salem, MA
6. Old Burial Hill Cemetery - Orne Street, Marblehead, MA
Allison’s House - 318 Essex Street, Salem, MA
Our first stop was Allison’s House, which was only about a 10-minute walk from where we decided to park. Allison’s House is one of the most iconic Hocus Pocus locations, in my opinion. When Max and Dani go trick-or-treating, it was right in front of this house where Dani says the iconic quote, “Rich people… They’d probably make us drink cider and bob for apples.”
Although not quite decorated like how it was in the movie, the house stands majestically nonetheless. It is more formally known as Ropes Mansion, and is now operated by the Peabody Essex Museum. You actually can go inside, but due to covid safety precautions, we decided to stay outside for now and will save the indoor exploring for later.
While not a Hocus Pocus location, the Witch House is also about a minute walk down the street (310 Essex St.). This is also a very iconic Salem destination. Contrary to popular belief, no witches were killed at this house. It was actually the home of Judge Jonathan Corwin and is the last building standing that has direct ties to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.
Town Hall - 32 Deby Square, Salem, MA
Up next on the Hocus Pocus tour was Town Hall, located a short 5-minute walk from Allison’s House. There was some construction going on around the Town Hall, but we were still able to spot it. In the movie, this was where Max and Dani’s parents attend the Halloween Party. Yes, where “I Put a Spell On You” happens!
While also not a Hocus Pocus location, we highly recommend stopping by Caramel Patisserie, a French Bakery that you’ll pass on your way from Allison’s House to Town Hall. During the Halloween season they had Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake with cute ghosts on top, as well as other baked goods like macaroons (e.g. pumpkin, birthday cake, lemon and much more!).
Max’s High School - 61 South Washington Square, Salem, MA
It’s about a 10-minute walk to the next Hocus Pocus stop -- Max’s high school. There are quite a few scenes filmed right outside the school, as well as in the park across the street. The one that first comes to mind is the scene where the green smoke shoots out of the top of the school when the witches are “burned” in the ceramics burner room. Another iconic scene that comes to mind is when Allison gives back Max’s phone number with the quote, “Trick or treat.”
While also not a Hocus Pocus location, we highly recommend stopping by the Wicked Good Books Bookstore for a new find, or picking up a quick cup of coffee from the Brew Box to enjoy during your walk around Salem.
Max and Dani’s House - 4 Ocean Avenue, Salem, MA
The last three Hocus Pocus locations are further away than the first three stops. You can either drive a 5-minute drive, or commute a 30-minute walk. For the most part the walk is flat, but it’s about 1.5 miles each way, so do keep that in mind.
Lucas and I decided to walk since we weren’t in a rush to be anywhere. Plus, we didn’t want to re-park our car. The fall season made for a scenic walk anyways, as we crunched on top of fallen leaves to get to Max and Dani’s house.
PLEASE NOTE: Max and Dani’s House is a private residence -- yes, someone really does live there, so please be mindful as you walk around the neighborhood and only take photos as appropriate.
Thackery Binx’s House - 31 West Avenue, Salem, MA
About a 5-minute walk away from Max and Dani’s house is Thackery Binx’s house located at Pioneer Village. Tickets were unfortunately sold out given that it was the weekend right before Halloween, so Lucas and I were unable to see Thackery Binx’s house up-close. However, since it was nearby Max and Dani’s house, we decided to walk by anyways to see if we can spot a black cat in the area ;)
Old Burial Hill Cemetery - Orne Street, Marblehead, MA
And lastly is Old Burial Hill Cemetery, which actually isn’t located in Salem. It’s really located in Marblehead, MA, which was about an 11-minute drive. (We don’t recommend walking since it’ll take you an hour to get there with an 8-miles round trip!) This is the cemetery that Max bikes through to get to and from school.
This location does get pretty crowded and has very limited parking, so do keep that in mind when planning your Hocus Pocus adventure. By the time we drove over to the cemetery it was already midday (crowds were definitely out and about at this point on a Saturday), so we aired on the side of caution and decided to just drive past it rather than finding a place to park. We also didn’t feel right filming on the cemetery grounds, so a quick drive-by was our alternate solution!
Annnd that’s a wrap!
That concludes our morning tour to 6 Hocus Pocus Filming Locations in Salem, Massachusetts! We weren’t sure if this was going to be an enjoyable experience given the crowds that arrive around midday, but I’m super glad we got ahead of the crowds by arriving so early! We were able to see 4 out of 6 stops with barely any other tourists around.
As a 90s kid who has seen Hocus Pocus every year since it was released, I had so much fun embracing the Halloween spirit pretending like I was the fourth Sanderson sister... Thankfully I had a husband who embraced the Halloween spirit with me. ;)
Cheers to Halloween spirit!
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