An ‘NCIS’ Star Had a Key Role in Major ’90s Halloween Movie

Before getting a job with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Sean Murray fell victim to the Sanderson Sisters.

The NCIS star had a key role in the beloved 1993 Halloween flick, Hocus Pocus.

Murray appeared in the film’s opening and ending as the human version of Thackery Binx, a teenager from 1693 who gets turned into a black cat by Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson after trying to find his little sister, Emily. While he plays the human version, he does not voice the cat. After Max lights the black flame candle in 1993, Jason Marsden voiced the cursed cat up until the sisters are turned to dust at the very end. At which point, Binx’s spirit is finally able to move on and rejoin his sister, with Murray stepping back into the human role.

Even though it may seem a bit obvious that Murray is in the film, considering he’s the first character you see, Hocus Pocus was released 10 years before he stepped into the role of Timothy McGee on NCIS, and he looks a tad different. He was only 15 when he played Thackery Binx, and it was his first major movie role. Prior to Hocus Pocus, Murray’s credits included the TV movie Backfield in Motion and an episode of the ABC legal drama Civil Wars, both in 1991.

Despite being a Halloween movie, Hocus Pocus premiered in July 1993 and only made $53.2 million at the box office. Since then, the film has grown to be a cult classic and loved by many, spawning a franchise consisting of a sequel novelization, a theme park attraction, a TV special, and a short film. The sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, which saw Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy reprising their roles as Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson, respectively, premiered on Disney+ in September 2022.

Hocus Pocus was directed by Kenny Ortega from a screenplay by Mick Garris and Neil Cuthbert, and a story by David Kirschner and Garris. The film also stars Omri Katz, Thora Birch, Vinessa Shaw, and Doug Jones. A third film is currently in development, but it’s unknown if any other original cast members aside from Midler, Parker, and Najimy will appear. If anything, fans are able to watch Hocus Pocus as much as they want, and maybe even watch it a little differently after discovering that Timothy McGee was turned into a cat in a previous life.