Every Halloween, Disney’s 1993 film Hocus Pocus becomes one of the most popular movies of the season, bringing childhood nostalgic to your television screens. Hocus Pocus revolves around a trio of witches in Salem, Massachusetts, whom a teenage boy accidentally resurrects on Halloween night. Most, if not all, of the exterior buildings and outdoor scenes are filmed in Salem, allowing you to experience the spooky filming locations in real life. In this guide, I’ll help provide a self-guided tour around Salem checking off all the locations filmed from Hocus Pocus!

Overview of all 7 Filming Locations:

1. Allisons House at The Ropes Mansion (318 Essex St, Salem, MA 01970)
2. John Bailey High School at Phillips Elementary School (86 Essex Street, Salem, MA 01970)
3. Outdoor Scenes at Salem Commons (N Washington Square, Salem, MA 01970)
4. Halloween Party at Salem’s Old Town Hall (32 Derby Square, Salem, MA 01970)
5. Thackery Binx’s Home & Sanderson Sisters Cottage at Salem Pioneer Village (98 West Ave, Salem, MA 01970)
6. Dani & Max’s House (4 Ocean, Ave, Salem, MA 01970)
7. Cemetery Scenes at Old Burial Hill (52 Orne Street, Marblehead, MA 01945)

Hocus Pocus Filming Locations in Salem, MA:

Don’t worry, I won’t leave you without ALL the details in each location, that’s just a bunch of Hocus Pocus! If you’re looking to remember which scenes were filmed where, below is a detailed guide with all locations with specific scenes from Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2!

1. Allison’s House at The Ropes Mansion

• The Ropes Mansion, or as you might know of it, Allison’s Mansion from Hocus Pocus! This is one of Salem’s most visited attractions, and you’ll be sure to recognize it when you see it. This location appears in the trick or treating scene, after Dani and Max’s argument. Now, the house is a museum open all year-round for guests to purchase tickets and view. However, if you don’t want to purchase tickets, you can still grab your photo with the exterior of the house!
  • Location: 318 Essex St, Salem, MA 01970

2. Hocus Pocus’ John Bailey High School at Phillips Elementary School

• Hocus Pocus’ John Bailey High School, also known as Phillips Elementary School, is located on Washington Square. The school is immediately recognizable due to the scenes focusing on the schools bell tower in the movie. This location is where the children lure the witches into the school in hopes of getting rid of them once and for all.
  • Location: 86 Essex Street, Salem, MA 01970

3. Outdoor Scenes at Salem Commons

• Located right next to John Bailey High School, is Salem Commons in the heart of downtown Salem. The grassy-green public park is a popular tourist destination for a picnic or a walk in the park. The park is well-known for many of the outdoor scenes, specifically where Max flirts with Allison! Ironically enough, the Hocus Pocus film is shown each year at this park during Haunted Happenings!
  • Location: N Washington Square, Salem, MA 01970

4. Halloween Party at Salem’s Old Town Hall

• Salem’s Old Town Hall is in the heart of Salem, neighboring near the other must-see Hocus Pocus filming locations. This popular location is from the iconic Halloween Party scene, where the movie’s famous musical moment performed, from Bette Midler’s I Put a Spell On You. While most of the interior scenes were filmed outside of Salem, you’ll have the opportunity to take a photo in front of Old Town Hall, where they filmed the exterior scenes!
  • Location: 32 Derby Square, Salem, MA 01970

5. Thackery Binx’s Home & Sanderson Sisters Cottage at Salem Pioneer Village

• The opening scenes of Hocus Pocus take place at Salem’s Pioneer Village where Thackery Binx searches for his sister Emily before the Sanderson sisters turn him into a black cat, also where the Sanderson Sisters Cottage is located! While the cottage appears to have been a set created for the film, you can still envision it while inside the Salem Pioneer Village. The cottage is available for a walk-through tour during the months of June – October 29th, purchase your tickets with the link below!
  • Location: 98 West Ave, Salem, MA 01970
  • Purchase tickets here.

6. Dani & Max’s House

• That’s correct, if you dare, you can visit the real-life location where the Sanderson sisters were resurrected! It is a private residence, so don’t go knocking, but you are allowed to stroll the street and admire its iconic exterior from the movie.
  • Location: 4 Ocean, Ave, Salem, MA 01970

7. Cemetery Scenes at Old Burial Hill 

• The filmmakers actually filmed the cemetery scenes where Max rode his bike, stumbled upon the two bullies Jay and Ice, and had his shoes stolen. They filmed the scenes in Marblehead, about 3.5 miles outside of Salem.
  • Location: 52 Orne Street, Marblehead, MA 01945

Final Thoughts

That’s it! All 7 Hocus Pocus filming locations in Salem, MA – all located within a 15-mile radius of downtown Salem. Are you looking for more things to do in Salem? I have you covered! Check out my entire Salem, MA Travel Guide here!