Location, Location, Location

Disney Comes to Lincoln

Emily Harrison, Lion's Roar Staff

The popular 1993 Halloween-time movie, Hocus Pocus, will be filming a sequel from October to December, in arguably one of the most historic states in the United States: Rhode Island. Not only will the new movie be filmed in the Cranston Street Armory of Providence, but part of the filming will be done at Chase Farm in Lincoln.
Continuing With the old rustic theme of New England, Rhode Island is the second state in New England where Hocus Pocus has been filmed. The first Hocus Pocus movie was partly filmed in Salem, Massachusetts where the witch trials were held in the late 1600s. To this day, the village of Salem is still home to historical sights from the 1600 witch trials, making it the perfect setting for the first movie.

The set was under construction for several weeks, as it grew into a magical village. Neighbors were entranced by the production’s progress.


For hosting some of the filming sites home to Hocus Pocus 2, the Disney production will be paying Rhode Island a total of $70,000, giving $10,000 per month with $25,000 going to the town of Lincoln. This seems like a win-win situation for Rhode Island as they get to experience the filming of a popular movie while getting paid.
One of the only negatives of having active filming in Lincoln is the timing. This year, Lincoln is supposed to have a 150th-anniversary parade in October. Because of the filming at Chase Farm, some of the celebrations and parade paths will have to be rerouted.

The set on Chase Farm continues to be built every day from the early morning to late night as the production team needs the set to be ready for filming in October. It will supposedly take place at night and early in the morning to set the mood for a “Halloween theme”.

This picture shows several wooden structures of buildings that are being built as a part of the
set.

We do not know exactly what will be filmed on Chase Farm from Hocus Pocus 2, but location manager Alex Berard told the Valley Breeze, “we have to get our special effects people involved with the fire department to schedule a controlled burn of one of the buildings.”

Many paths have been blocked off at Chase Farm to provide space for the set, but visitors are still allowed to visit the site from a distance as certain parts of Chase Farm are still accessible. The parking lot is still open to the public, but the path on the way down to the parking lot from the big hill gets blocked off at a certain point as well as the path to Butterfly Farm.
Even 28 years later, the lead actresses in the original are returning Hocus Pocus 2, starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker who was spotted at Figidini restaurant in Providence. The film is scheduled to be released on Disney+ in the fall of 2022.

As if these experiences weren’t enough, Kendall Cooper Casting, the casting agency for Hocus Pocus 2, is offering opportunities to locals of Providence, RI for numerous extra positions. Specifically, the agency is looking for people from the ages of 18-22, those with dance experience, and men with hair shoulder-length or longer. Roles for extras are also paid, but no travel expenses or housing costs are covered so only locals of Rhode Island should be applying.

Some of the other requirements for applying are that you have to be fully vaccinated in order to work on set, you have to wear a mask at all times except for when filming, and you have to be available for at least 12 hours daily. These hours clearly do not line up with the school day for students, but if anyone has friends or family members interested, there are applications available on the Kendall Cooper Casting website as well as links to the website in online news articles.

Lincoln residents and businesses are expected to take advantage of this opportunity by getting involved and staying up to date on any changes or progressions happening right in our town. When Hocus Pocus 2 is released, it is going to be a memorable experience to see Chase Farm in a movie that will be watched all around the world.