Where Your Favorite Millennial Halloween Movie Stars Are Now
Face it—they don’t make Halloween movies like they used to. There are the way-way-back throwbacks, of course, such as the original Halloween; slasher-happy stories like The Amityville Horror and A Nightmare on Elm Street; and the head-spinning grossness of The Exorcist. But we’re talking about a much more recent past: the millennial Halloween glory days of the 1990s and early aughts. Maybe it’s because our current reality is full of its own horrors (like the dark corridors of Tinder and the hellish landscape of the gig economy) through which we are forced to navigate as adults, but just as nostalgia for the days of our slap-bracelet-wearing, Tamagotchi-raising youth has fully taken shape on the runway, it’s come around doubly strong for Halloween.
The reigning favorite among the millennial Halloween movie set is probably Hocus Pocus, with which we are perennially taunted when rumors of a sequel inevitably circulate. But here’s a new way to keep up with your faves, aside from watching them year after year: Check in with the child stars from those bygone days when you had to leave a message on your friend’s landline that Halloweentown was about to start. Some of them remain very famous, if reclusive; some of them have updated to Twitter and Instagram; and some of them have blissfully slunk away into relative obscurity. Here’s where your millennial Halloween movie stars are now:
Hocus Pocus
Omri Katz as Max Dennison
Katz was 17 when he starred as Max in Kenny Ortega’s beloved Hocus Pocus, and his normcore looks (white sneakers, bomber jacket, baseball cap) would actually not require a single update to be believable streetwear today. He went on to play parts in a few TV shows, including as a jock named Brad in Freaks and Geeks, but he retired from acting in 2002. His IMDb page states he is now a hairstylist who lives in Israel and Los Angeles; as long as you stay away from the Black Flame Candle, Omri!
Thora Birch as Dani Dennison
Who can forget Max’s petulant little sister, Dani, in her cute witch costume? And who knew that it was the beginning of Birch’s storied career, which includes another millennial cinematic crown jewel (Now and Then), as well as Ghost World, American Beauty, and the notorious Lifetime movie Pregnancy Pact. She’s still acting! And gave a very candid interview in 2014 about why you might think she “disappeared” after her teenage years.
Vinessa Shaw as Allison
Shaw was the perfect rich-but-nice-girl love interest for new kid Max, and we were all scandalized when the two fell asleep together (gasp) after thinking they had vanquished the Sanderson sisters. Shaw has acted steadily since and, most important, documented the Hocus Pocus 25th anniversary party Freeform threw on Instagram, where she reunited with both Birch and Katz. Adorable!
And she seems to have a special friendship with Birch, which is, again, very cute.
Sean Murray as Thackery Binx
If you were into Thackery or not into Thackery, it said a lot about whether or not you were into his Colonial low ponytail. He may have appeared only at the beginning of the movie as a human (he was quickly turned into an immortal cat), but he was a memorable presence. Now he might be more recognizable as Timothy McGee in the hit series NCIS, in which he has starred since 2003. He also took part in the Freeform 25th anniversary celebration, according to Instagram (which also shows he really loves hip-hop).
Casper
Christina Ricci as Kat Harvey
Casper was part of then–teen movie queen Ricci’s ’90s streak, which included Now and Then (with Thora Birch), The Addams Family, and That Darn Cat. Ricci has never stopped acting, most recently starring as Zelda Fitzgerald in Z: The Beginning of Everything. Her Instagram account, @riccigrams, is very good; she recently shared a throwback Vogue shoot.
Devon Sawa as Casper
Note: Sawa did not voice Casper; he was merely revealed to be Casper’s corporeal form, which, thankfully, was a cute boy, and he and Ricci reunited again a few years later in Now and Then. Sadly, it seems they did not actually ever date. But Sawa went on from his teen heartthrob days to star in jump-scare classics like Final Destination and Idle Hands (the latter with Jessica Alba), and became Stan in Eminem’s “Stan” music video. He has continued acting, and also has a pretty funny Twitter account, in which he talks about being a dad and encourages people to vote. (Go off, cute Casper!) He appears to be friends with Macaulay Culkin, as well.
Halloweentown
Kimberly J. Brown as Marnie Piper
Did you forget that Disney’s Halloweentown starred Brown opposite the legendary Debbie Reynolds? Brown starred in all four Halloweentown movies (yes, there are four), as well as in Bringing Down the House with Queen Latifah and Steve Martin, and on Guiding Light for eight years. But please make sure you’re sitting down before you read this: Brown is dating her Halloweentown II love interest, Daniel Kountz, aka Kal. They filmed a YouTube sketch together last year and now make many appearances on Brown’s Instagram page as a couple. With their IRL romance, the Halloweentown legacy might be thriving more than any other.
Double, Double Toil and Trouble
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen as Kelly and Lynn Farmer
This 1993 Dualstar masterpiece is one of the Olsen twins’ much beloved but lesser known works, and who knows, perhaps it presaged some of the witchier vibes in their brooding, minimalist label The Row. You probably know that the sisters made a few more movies, then stopped to attend New York University and become truly respected designers. Double, Double is more than worth revisiting, as are the twins’ ’90s costars—Eric McCormack! Cloris Leachman!
