Last updated: July 5, 2026·🔄 Guide reviewed and refreshed ahead of Halloween 2026.· By Seckin Peker

Halloween Costume Guide

Winifred Sanderson from Hocus Pocus Halloween Costume Guide

Another glorious morning. Makes her sick. Makes the rest of us reach for the wig.
Curly Hair Medieval Red Hair Villain Witch
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Quick Answer: The Winifred Sanderson Halloween costume is a medieval gown and cape topped with a wig and teeth that carry most of the recognition.
  • Winifred Sanderson Wig (essential)
  • Bunny Teeth (essential)
  • Medieval Renaissance Gown
  • Velvet Hooded Cape
  • Women’s Witch’s Broom
  • Adult Winifred Sanderson Dress

Winifred spends most of both films rushing against a sunrise deadline, since she and her sisters turn to dust if they can’t finish their potion before dawn on November 1st. The wig and the teeth are what actually make the costume her specifically, since a red-haired woman in a cape alone could be a lot of witches. Hocus Pocus 2 released on Disney+ in 2022 and became the most-streamed film in the US for weeks afterward, so this one has stayed in front of new audiences well past the original 1993 film.

Items Total10 Items
DifficultyModerate
VibeHorned Wig, Overbite, Green Cloak
Cost$90-$260

Winifred Sanderson Halloween Costume Items

Winifred Sanderson Halloween costume infographic showing medieval gown, velvet cape, red wig, teeth, necklace, earrings, rings, false nails, broom, and ankle boots

Winifred Sanderson Costume Items

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Winifred Sanderson Hocus Pocus Disney Witch
  • 1 Medieval Renaissance GownThe base layer under the cape. Look for one with visible corset lacing and a textured skirt rather than a plain, flat costume dress. It’s meant to look heavy and theatrical, not simple.
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  • 2 Velvet Hooded CapeHer actual cloak is green with gold occult symbols embroidered on it, so a plain solid cape gets you close but not exact. Worn over the gown, it’s the piece that gives the whole outfit its shape from a distance.
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  • 3 Winifred Sanderson Wig (essential)The two teased curls that stand up like horns are the single most recognizable part of her whole design, ahead of the gown and even the cape. A plain red wig without that shape just reads as generic witch hair. Get the shape close and people will place the costume before you say a word.
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  • 4 Bunny Teeth (essential)The large, overlapping front teeth are one of the most specific things about Bette Midler’s actual performance, not a costume exaggeration. Skipping them turns a very identifiable face into a generic witch look. They take some getting used to for talking and drinking, so practice with them on before the party.
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  • 5 Winifred Sanderson NecklaceA jewelry detail that adds authenticity up close. Skip it without losing much of the overall look from a distance.
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  • 6 Pearshape Drop EarringsAnother small jewelry accent. Easy to swap for something similar you already own.
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  • 7 Women Bohemian Retro Ring SetLayers in more jewelry for a fuller look. Skip it entirely if you’d rather keep your hands free.
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  • 8 Extra Long Sharp False NailA dramatic touch that fits her theatrical style, and a genuine hassle for texting, eating, or picking things up all night. Decide if the photos are worth the inconvenience before you commit.
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  • 9 Women’s Witch’s BroomA classic prop for photos, and genuinely awkward to carry through a crowded room for hours. Plan on setting it down between pictures rather than holding it all night.
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  • 10 Women’s Ankle BootieCheck your closet first. Anything with a bit of height works fine hidden under a floor-length gown.
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  • 11 Adult Winifred Sanderson Dress, All-In-OneAn alternative to buying the gown and cape separately. Worth it if you’d rather have one piece instead of two to coordinate.
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  • 12 Kids Winifred Sanderson Dress, All-In-OneThe same all-in-one alternative sized for kids, replacing the separate gown and cape.
    See on Amazon
Winifred Sanderson with her horn-curl wig and overlapping front teeth from Disney's Hocus Pocus

How to Style the Winifred Sanderson Halloween Costume

The wig is what people notice first, and if the two curls sit flat instead of standing up like horns, the whole face reads as a generic witch instead of specifically her. The teeth matter almost as much, since that exact overbite is one of the more unusual, specific choices in her whole design. At a party, the usual failure is a gown that looks too plain or too clean, which drifts the look toward a costume-shop witch instead of the theatrical, over-the-top villain she’s supposed to be.

Winifred belts out a full musical number to a room of adults at the Salem town hall, and every single one of them dances until they physically drop from exhaustion. She’s smiling the whole time. It’s framed as a fun party song, but it’s actually a binding spell she’s using to control the entire room.

Practice talking with the teeth in before the party

The overlapping front teeth change how your mouth moves, and the first time you try to talk or drink with them in shouldn’t be in front of a room full of people. Wear them around your house for a few minutes and say a few sentences out loud. Eating is genuinely harder with them in, so plan to take them out during dinner if there is one.

Set the broom down somewhere specific, not just wherever

A full-size broom leaning against a wall gets knocked over constantly at a crowded party, usually into someone’s drink. Pick one spot, a coat closet or a corner near where you’re standing, and put it there between photos instead of carrying it around. It’s a prop for pictures, not something to hold through an entire conversation.

Winifred Sanderson Group Halloween Costume Ideas

Couple Costume Idea

Winifred Sanderson & Billy Butcherson

Strong pairing for people who know both films, since Billy is a real recurring character resurrected by the Sanderson sisters in both movies, not someone invented for a costume pairing. His zombie look against her theatrical villain costume gives the pair a real visual contrast, though anyone who hasn’t seen the films will just see a witch standing next to a corpse.

Winifred Sanderson Billy Butcherson

Duo Costume Idea

Winifred Sanderson & Sarah Sanderson

Excellent duo, and it’s the core relationship both films are built around. Winifred’s imposing, controlling energy next to Sarah’s flighty, boy-crazy style gives the pair an obvious contrast, and almost anyone who’s seen either film will place it instantly.

Winifred Sanderson Sarah Sanderson

Group Costume Idea

Hocus Pocus Witches

Excellent group, and it’s one of the most reliable Halloween ensembles out there. Sarah Sanderson, Mary Sanderson, Billy Butcherson, and Dani Dennison each have a distinct enough look that the group reads clearly the moment everyone’s dressed, no explanation needed.

Winifred Sanderson Sarah Sanderson Mary Sanderson Billy Butcherson Dani Dennison

Group Costume Idea

Iconic Witches

Excellent group, with enough visual range that nobody blends into anyone else. Maleficent, Bellatrix Lestrange, Melisandre, and Sabrina Spellman are all recognized well outside their own franchises, and the color and texture range across the group, horns and black, dark and disheveled, red and flowing, modern and casual, gives it real variety in photos.

Winifred Sanderson Maleficent Bellatrix Lestrange Melisandre Sabrina Spellman
Winifred Sanderson in her full green cloak and medieval gown from Disney's Hocus Pocus

Winifred Sanderson Halloween Costume DIY Tips

Building the Look

The gown and cape are worth buying rather than thrifting, since finding secondhand renaissance wear that actually fits the theatrical style is a long shot. The wig and teeth are the two items that matter most for recognition.

  • Gown and cape: buy these, or go with the all-in-one dress instead if you’d rather not coordinate two pieces.
  • Wig: buy this one. The curl shape is the whole point, and a cheap wig usually can’t hold it.
  • Teeth: buy these too. There’s no real substitute for the overbite.
  • Jewelry: cheap costume pieces work fine, skip any of it without much loss.
  • False nails: skip them entirely if you don’t want to deal with using your phone all night.
  • Broom: a real broom from around the house works just as well as a costume one.
  • Boots: check your closet, since they’re hidden under the gown anyway.

Playing Winifred Sanderson at the Party

Winifred is loud, vain, and completely convinced she’s the smartest person in any room. She’s also genuinely funny without meaning to be, which is most of why people still love her.

  • Complain about your sisters even if you don’t have any at the party. It’s her most repeated bit.
  • React to sunlight, bad lighting, or anything remotely cheerful with total disgust.
  • Deliver “I put a spell on you, and now you’re mine” to anyone you catch staring at your wig.
  • Don’t play her subtle. She’s theatrical in every scene she’s in, and underplaying it just makes the costume look like a generic witch.

Winifred Sanderson Halloween Costume: FAQ

Build it around the wig and the teeth, since those two things carry the recognition before the gown even registers. Add the medieval gown and velvet cape, or use one of the all-in-one dress alternatives instead. Layer on the jewelry, then carry the broom for photos.

Yes, and it’s not close. Hocus Pocus 2 released on Disney+ in 2022 and became the most-streamed film in the US for weeks afterward (Wikipedia), which kept the whole trio, and especially Winifred, in front of a new audience alongside decades of the original film airing every October.

Her reaction to daylight: “Oh, look. Another glorious morning. Makes me SICK!” Her opening line at the town hall party: “I put a spell on you… and now you’re MINE!” And her running complaint about her sisters: “Why? Why was I blessed with such idiot sisters?”

Bette Midler plays Winifred Sanderson in both Hocus Pocus (1993) and Hocus Pocus 2 (2022) (IMDb).

You can skip them, but you’re skipping one of the most specific things about her face. The oversized, overlapping front teeth are a real detail from Bette Midler’s actual makeup, not something a costume invented, and leaving them out makes the rest of the face read as a generic witch.

Yes, mostly. The two teased curls that look like horns are the single most recognizable part of her whole design. A plain red wig without that shape reads as generic witch hair instead of specifically hers.

A little of both. The gown and cape are hard to thrift convincingly, so buying the pieces or one of the all-in-one dress options makes more sense than hunting for secondhand renaissance wear. Jewelry, boots, and the broom are easy to substitute or skip.

What condition allows the Sanderson sisters to return from the grave?

What happens to the room full of adults when Winifred sings at the town hall party?

Which actress plays Winifred Sanderson in both Hocus Pocus films?