In the years following Hocus Pocus, Thora Birch transitioned slowly but surely into more adult roles with parts in American Beauty, British chiller The Hole, and opposite Scarlett Johansson in the cult smash Ghost World. She notably slipped out of the spotlight, making some questionable choices when she did act, amidst swirling rumors. According to a report by The New York Times, Birch's overbearing father, who acted as her manager for many years, frequently caused trouble on set and even got her fired on at least one occasion.

However, in a testy interview with The Guardian in 2014, Birch countered accusations she was a trouble-maker, stating, "I p****d a lot of people off over a long period of time and they found a way to upset me, hoping that upset would bring a change in my behavior. Like a distancing ...But I'm done, I'm done. People wanted me to be not fine. A lot of it was bull***t." The outlet summarized what happened to Birch's career as "a bit of bad timing, a bit of bad luck and the accruing of a bit of a bad reputation," adding, "Ultimately, she just stopped fitting in."