Where Billy's Hocus Pocus Wig Has Been For The Past 30 Years
As we move closer to the end of September, audiences can expect to see an influx of horror films arriving in theaters in time for the Halloween season — one such film being the highly-anticipated Disney+ original "Hocus Pocus 2," a sequel to the beloved cult-classic "Hocus Pocus."
Like it's predecessor, "Hocus Pocus 2" will focus on three witches named Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson (played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy respectively) who terrorize a group of teenagers in Salem, Massachusetts after being resurrected due to a 300 year old curse. In addition to its youthful protagonists — as well as some inspired musical numbers — the original film also included a few eccentric Halloween-inspired side characters. This includes a man named Thackery Binx (Sean Murray) who is transformed into a black cat, as well as a reanimated corpse named Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones), the latter of whom is actually set to return in "Hocus Pocus 2."
Considering the fact that the upcoming sequel is set close to 30 years after the events of the original film, fans will no doubt be wondering if the iconic look of Billy Butcherson will remain, after such an extended absence. Thankfully, according to Doug Jones himself, the character will look nearly identical to the way he did in the first film ... mostly due to the fact that he will be wearing the same wig.
Billy Butcherson's wig has spent 30 years on display at David Kirschner's house
During an interview with Screen Rant, actor Doug Jones (who has made a career out of playing various inhuman monsters, primarily throug his collaborations with director Guillermo Del Toro) explained that the character of Billy Butcherson will actually be wearing the same exact wig he wore in the original "Hocus Pocus" film when he returns for the sequel — and he revealed where this iconic wig has been for the last three decades.
"If you put Billy from 29 years ago and Billy from the new movie side by side, you would not be able to tell the difference," Jones said. "I was surprised to see that my wig had been on a dummy of me, on display all these years at [producer] David Kirschner's house [...] It is a little personal museum, and we borrowed the wig back, so I wear the exact same hair, I didn't even have to tease it, it was already ready to cut."
In addition to his work as a producer on the original "Hocus Pocus," horror fans will most likely know Kirschner as one of the producers for the 1993 slasher film "Child's Play." The fact that Billy's wig has been on display in the home of such an iconic horror producer is certainly a neat piece of trivia, though perhaps the most impressive part of the entire story is the fact that the wig was well-preserved enough to use again for the new film. In any case, it will be interesting to see how this iconic wig looks on-screen when Billy returns for "Hocus Pocus 2."