'Hocus Pocus 2' is streaming on Disney+. A sneak peek offered a look at RI's role.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
WARWICK — When Jenny Reich of Barrington went to the Rhode Island premiere of "Hocus Pocus 2" on Thursday, she was hoping for an answer to one question:
Did she, who was cast as an extra, make it into the movie?
Other Rhode Islanders may be asking themselves throughout the Disney movie: Do I recognize that place?
The movie, a sequel to 1993's "Hocus Pocus," follows the Sanderson sisters, three witches brought back to life from 1600s Salem, as they terrorize the modern-day Massachusetts town while three teens stand in their way.
"They say it's 'Salem,' but. c'mon, we all know it's really Rhode Island," Steven Feinberg, executive director of the Rhode Island Film & TV office told one of 15 audiences that watched a special "cast and crew" screening Thursday before the general streaming release Friday.
Hocus Pocus 2 in RI: A 1670s village rises in Lincoln park. Will it meet a fiery end? Witches are expected.
The entire Showcase Cinemas, all 15 auditoriums, was reserved for 1,200 invited guests — extras, crew members, vendors who supplied the production, VIPs and their plus-ones.
The Providence Journal watched "Hocus Pocus 2" alongside Reich, and here's what Rhode Islanders will — and will not — find familiar in the movie, which was shot entirely in the Ocean State.
What to know about 'Hocus Pocus 2': Excited about 'Hocus Pocus 2'? What you need to know now that the movie is out
'Hocus Pocus 2' spoilers: Warning, minor plot points mentioned
Here's how Rhode Island appears in the movie:
Lincoln
Chase Farm Park
It was no secret last year that Disney built a life-size replica of 1600s Salem — 1653 to be precise, the movie reveals — at the town park and closed off the street running by it for several days of filming. Rumors were rampant that the village would be burned to the ground to film a climactic final scene.
Moviegoers don't have to wait to see how Disney used the fake village, as it's in the opening scenes of "Hocus Pocus 2."
Not long after, viewers will find out what became of the fire.
The Conjuring: What happens at Rhode Island's 'Conjuring House' ghost hunting tour? We found out
Providence
Moses Brown School
The East Side private school's campus doubles as the campus for the Salem high school.
La Salle Academy
The Catholic high school doubles as the halls and classrooms of the Salem high school.
Atwells Avenue
Doubles for a Salem street, including a stop at the Walgreens, which several characters enter to go shopping. The Sanderson sisters fly here.
Benefit Street
Stretches of the Colonial-looking street play roles as streets in modern-day Salem.
Cranston Street Armory
The Forbidden Woods, which plays a central role in the plot, were built in a sound stage in the armory.
East Providence
Newman Congregational Church, Cemetery
The church and cemetery, across Newman Avenue from each other in the city's Rumford section, are featured in cemetery shots.
Filmed in RI: How a Newport sitting room inspired Julian Fellowes to make HBO's 'Gilded Age'
North Kingstown
Quonset Business Park
The Magic Shop, which plays a central role in the plot, was built on a sound stage in the industrial park. While the stage was used for interior and exterior shots, some street scenes outside the shop were filmed in Newport.
Newport
Washington Square
Several scenes taking place at a Halloween carnival in modern-day Salem were filmed in Washington Square.
Just under an hour into the movie, Reich spotted herself and her daughter, 25-year-old Cornell University medical student Dustine Reich, who couldn't attend the premiere.
"We're behind a police officer," Reich said as the movie played.
Afterward, she acknowledged that, while she recognized herself and daughter, nobody else probably would.
"It was three seconds, a blur," she said of the product of her 12 to 14 hours of work on a cold day in Newport.
On stage: What's it like to play 15 roles in 'Mean Girls'? Ask South Kingstown's Grace Romanello
As an extra, she said she was paid a little bit more than minimum wage. But would she have done it for free?
"To be in a Disney picture with Bette Midler? Yeah."
And, she enjoyed watching Thursday night.
"I loved seeing all of Rhode Island in it."
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Hocus Pocus 2 filmed in Providence, Newport, Lincoln, RI can you tell?
