The Witching Behind the Production of Practical Magic

The cult classic Practical Magic is a movie about witches, spells and curses. But did you know that a witch actually cursed the film production when they worked on it? And did you know there is going to be a sequel about the family of witches?

The 1998 cult classic Practical Magic is not just a beloved witchy film—it also has an eerily enchanting history behind its production. Starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, the film tells the story of two witch sisters navigating love, loss, and a family curse. With an all-star cast, including Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest, Practical Magic was filmed at the height of late 90s nostalgia for magical and supernatural tales.

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One of the most memorable scenes in the film features the characters enjoying “Midnight Margaritas,” a spontaneous, tequila-fueled bonding session. Behind the scenes, the cast really did get tipsy on the cheap tequila Nicole Kidman had brought on set, leading to authentic moments of tipsy joy that made it into the final cut.

The cult classic Practical Magic is a movie about witches, spells and curses. But did you know that a witch actually cursed the film production when they worked on it? And did you know there is going to be a sequel about the family of witches? — **Midnight Margaritas:** The booze in the Margarita was real tequila. Were the curses in the movie real as well? If we are to believe the stories, the witch consultant really did leave a curse on the whole movie.

In addition to boozy fun, Practical Magic became an unexpected sisterhood for the actresses. Though the film was directed by Griffin Dunne, a man, the female cast formed a powerful, almost mystical bond. As Kidman recalled, they synced their menstrual cycles during a full moon while filming, teasing Dunne that they might soon “turn on him.”

Musically, the film drew on the talents of self-proclaimed witch and Fleetwood Mac legend, Stevie Nicks. Nicks not only contributed her song “If You Ever Did Believe” to the film but also re-recorded her classic “Crystal,” both featuring Sheryl Crow.

Yet, what many don’t know is that the film’s making was just as otherworldly as its plot.

Was Practical Magic a Haunted Set?

Behind the camera Practical Magic was plagued by darker forces as well as in front of it is we are to believe the rumors.

Stories about supernatural occurrences circulated during filming from both cast and crew. Cast members reported eerie noises, especially during the climactic coven scene at the film’s end, raising suspicions that the fictional witchcraft may have stirred something real.

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As the director said: “It’s something I will talk about now, but at the time I would sort of deny it. I didn’t want the vibe. As the line from the movie that Aidan has [goes], “I didn’t want to give the curse any strength.” Not that I believed in it. But if you believe in it, you’re giving it strength.”

So was the movie set really haunted, or was it simply the witchy vibe of the set something to the atmosphere. The scariest thing by far was when the witch consultant they had hired cursed the entire movie, as well as the director when they didn’t give into her demands.

The Witch Consultant’s Curse

Originally brought on to help ensure the accuracy of the film’s portrayal of magic, things took a sinister turn with the witch consultant they had hired. They had hired the witch through a friend of the director put them in touch with. The friend has never stopped apologizing for the introduction because of how badly it ended, according to the director.

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The witch was, according to the director, paid very handsomely by Warner Brothers for her consulting on spells and such. The director thought it would be fun to bring her out to Los Angeles where they were filming a lot of the movie. They wanted to put her in a nice hotel as he wanted her to meet Bullock and Kidman, who were dying to meet her.

This all greatly backfired though as the witch got offended. She said to the producer in a phone call: “I’m going to put a curse on you. I’m putting a curse on this movie, and I’m putting a curse on Griffin.”

She wanted three gross points of the profit the movie would make as well as the right to publish a Practical Magic cookbook. She also left an ominous voicemail as well to Griffith: “There is a land of curses!” and started to speak in tongue on a voicemail before threatening to sue Warner Bros as well.

Griffith brought the recording to the legal department and played the curse for them. Only halfway through they stopped the tape and wrote her a check.

A New Age Exorcism for a New Age Movie

The threat of the curse rattled the crew, especially when tragedy struck: a crew member’s father died suddenly. Though he was elderly and already ill, many on set believed it was the witch’s doing. In response, Griffin Dunne arranged a New Age exorcism to cleanse the set.

“It was a very simple, New Agey ceremony that was about as silly as the idea that someone would curse you over the phone,” he told Vulture when he talked about the whole ordeal. “It was mostly chants and smoke and shit like that. “I just did it to cover my bases.”

Though he admitted it was “silly,” the ritual provided some comfort, and filming continued without further incident. The incident did however inspire the creator of the movie to write one of Aidens lines: “Curses only have power when you believe them.”

Critic Reviews and the Supernatural Vibe

Despite the fun behind-the-scenes stories, Practical Magic wasn’t initially well-received. Critics like Roger Ebert and Entertainment Weekly panned the film, calling it “muddled” and “cursed,” as if the alleged witch’s hex truly took hold of the production and made it to as badly as it did on the box office. In fact, it was the last feature film the director did for ages, and he said it certainly didn’t help his career.

However, over the years, the film gained a cult following, embraced for its charming mix of romance, sisterhood, and spooky magic. Today the movie is considered a classis by many, a thing put on every fall to get you in the spooky October mood.

As if continuing the magic of the original, in 2024, news broke that both Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman would return for a much-anticipated sequel. The announcement reignited fan excitement and speculation that the witchy energy from the first film might soon stir again. But the question is: how would a sequel fare if there truly is something like a curse put on the production?