There's no arguing that Hocus Pocus is, hands-down, one of the best Halloween movies there is. But you don't need to just take our word for it. Photographer Jennifer Buck is a huge fan of the classic Disney movie, too, and recently took her love of all things Sanderson Sisters to a whole new level with a spooky-yet-sweet Hocus Pocus inspired photo shoot that channeled the iconic trio.
The idea was recently sparked at local dance studio where Buck is also a teacher.
Buck, who owns Just Be PhotoJennic Photography in addition to teaching, tells CafeMom that three of her students caught her eye one day after class.
"One day I saw them goofing off together (they are best friends and have been dancing together since they were younger) and thought they'd be perfect to play these parts!" says Buck.
And so, before she knew it, her own Sanderson Sisters were born.
"Winifred" was played by Kassidy Hollins, "Sarah" by Payton Ames, and the beloved yet wicked "Mary" was channeled by Liza Fagan.
Buck says the whole thing came naturally to her, since she's a huge fan of the classic Halloween flick.
"My mother-in-law and sister-in-law are obsessed with this film," she shares, "and so we watch it every year, multiple times!"
Ironically, her three dance students are so young, they've never seen the film themselves!
Even so, they totally killed it.
"They inspired me to do this," Buck shares. "They are true performers!"
To capture the authenticity of each shot, Buck told the girls to feel free to play around and have a good time. And boy, did they.
To prepare for the photo shoot, Buck scoured costume stores before purchasing the perfect wigs, costumes, and props to pull off each "wicked" look.
Then she worked with the girls and their parents to coordinate a day for them all "to get together and play!"
And play they sure did.
"They nailed the characters so well during the shoot they inspired me even more and gave me more ideas!" she gushed.
Of course, the photos blew up once Buck shared the spooky shots online.
The photographer posted the photos on Facebook September 26, where thousands of people liked and shared the adorable pics.
"We had NO idea it would ever be liked and shared so much … " says Buck, adding that the positive reaction has been "overwhelming" for everyone involved.
Most of all, Buck says she hopes that her pictures put a smile on people's faces, get them in the mood for Halloween, and inspires others to do fun and imaginative photo shoots with their own kids.
After all, she says, kids "have such great imaginations … let them run amuck!"
