With Halloween arriving this month, it means viewers will be enjoying classic films full of frights and fun. One movie that has held up over the years as a fan favorite is Hocus Pocus. The film focuses on the Sanderson sisters in an on-screen adventure. It’s playing on Freeform quite a bit this month and viewers are now noticing that a Hocus Pocus phone number is censored in the movie. Here’s why that number probably won’t be showing up.
What is the Hocus Pocus phone number censored for?
In one scene in the film, the character Max, played by Omri Katz, gives a note with his phone number to Allison (Vinessa Shaw). Unfortunately, Max doesn’t quite get the outcome he wanted by trying to pass his number to her. Check it out in the early part of the Max highlight reel video below.
While his full number is supposed to appear on that note, it doesn’t in recent showings of the movie on television. In fact, that Hocus phone number is partly censored now.
There’s a great reason for it. The first three digits on the note are “555” and the last four are no longer shown. That’s due to the fact that 555 numbers were popularly used for TV and movies because they tended to not be active phone numbers.
However, that has changed over the years. As time has moved on, the movie has endured and a person, family, or business began using a number like that. Most likely, they don’t want people calling them asking if Max is there or if they know the Sandersons.
So, in an effort to make sure people weren’t pestering whoever has that number, the Hocus Pocus number is now censored. That said, it’s probably still available out there for those looking to get the digits, but why?
Where can you watch Hocus Pocus?
The month of October 2019 will feature as much Hocus Pocus as viewers want to see, thanks to the Freeform network. They’ll be showing it throughout the next 30 days quite a bit as part of their 31 Nights of Halloween event. If you missed it on Tuesday (October 1), don’t worry, as it’ll be on again Wednesday (October 2) and many other nights.
Check out the full Freeform schedule to see when the next time the classic will show.
Other options are to purchase the DVD, Blu-ray, or on-demand video for viewing at your convenience. That is available through all sorts of websites, stores, and streaming platforms, including Amazon, Best Buy, YouTube, and Apple.