Hocus Pocus: 5 Times We Felt Bad For Mary (& 5 Times We Hated Her)

In the unforgettable cult classic Hocus Pocus, audiences were graced with the Sanderson sisters: Winnifred, Mary, and Sarah. The Sanderson sisters are an incredibly witchy trio, but out of all the three, Mary Sanderson is completely unforgettable. From the mole above her lip to any time she said “Winnie” in a shaky and timid voice, Mary would steal the scene, sometimes even from the iconic Winnifred.

But as iconic as she was, she was also the one that you couldn’t help but have mixed feelings for. Specifically, it was easy to feel bad for Mary, and other times it was completely okay with hating her. Here are all the times these instances happened in Hocus Pocus.

10 Hated: She Sucked On Emily’s Lifeforce

Right from the beginning of the movie, the Sanderson sisters sucked the life force from Thackery Binx’s sister, Emily. Like any piece of media inspired by the Salem Witch Trials, it’s a common trend for witches to consume children.

However, it’s horrifying to think of odd Mary sucking out the life force of a little girl, especially when it was later revealed that Mary would sniff out children whenever they were near.

9 Felt Bad: She Was Controlled By Winnifred

Sometimes being a witch is hard, and sometimes being sisters with an assertive witch is even harder.

It’s easy to see that Winnie, Mary, and Sarah all love each other, but the way that Winnie bossed Sarah and Mary sometimes made it hard to watch.

8 Hated: She Was A Suckup

As much as Winnie bossed her sisters around, it was clear to see that Mary was also a suckup.

She’d fall at Winnie’s feet and is always at her side whenever she was in the room. Being there for your sister is important, but sometimes being a suckup is just cringeworthy.

7 Felt Bad: She Wasn’t Aware What Was Going On

At one point in Hocus Pocus, Mary forgot why she was even tagging along with Winnifred and Sarah. Winnie had to ask questions to her as if she was a child to jog her memory.

Fortunately, Mary would eventually catch on to what they were doing and would remember why she tagged along in the first place. This short-term memory episode Mary had made it to be that it was hard not to feel bad for her.

6 Hated: She Wanted to BBQ Thackery But Helped Turn Him Into A Cat

Out of all the sisters, Mary was definitely the most vicious. When the sisters captured Thackery, one of the options Mary gave when Winnie asked what they should do with him was to barbeque Thackery.

Sucking the life force out of a child is one thing, but grilling a human alive? In the end, they opted to turn him into a cat, but still…

5 Felt Bad: Whenever Winnie Beat Down On Her

Whether it was verbally or physically, it seemed like Mary was always the punching bag for Winnie’s frustration. At one point in the movie, Winnie called her an idiot, and later on, Winnie would randomly swipe at Mary’s face or arm.

No matter what, beating down on someone isn’t okay and exactly why it’s easy to feel bad for Mary.

4 Hated: Whenever She Randomly Barks

Each Sanderson sister had their own quirk, but for some reason, Mary would bark or snort.

As an antagonist already, it’s easy for her to be unlikeable, but add random barking at people to the mix, and she’s even more hated than before. There’s just something off about a witch that snorts at others.

3 Felt Bad: When She Was Trapped In The Oven

Sure, Mary isn’t the greatest, but when Max, Dani, and Allison all trapped the Sanderson sisters in the oven, it seemed like the potential end came too quickly for Mary.

They’re evil witches, but they’re funny, and it was hard not to want them back on screen.

2 Hated: When She Targeted Dani

Just when we thought the child kidnappings would cease with Emily, they go ahead and target lovable Dani at the end of the movie.

Out of all the protagonists, Dani was quirky, fun, and adorable and definitely not someone who deserves the wrath of Mary Sanderson. This alone is a reason why Mary should be hated.

1 Felt Bad: She Had To Fly On a Vacuum Instead Of A Broomstick

Because the sister’s brooms were taken by children while they were occupied inside a house, the witches were left without their brooms. So, when it came time to head out to where the Book was, all that was left in the cupboard were one good broom, a mop, and a vacuum.

We all know who gets the broom, of course, and Sarah gets the mop, so that leaves the vacuum for Mary. One day she won’t get the short end of the sister stick.