Hocus Pocus: The Illustrated Novelization

by A.W. Jantha, Gris Grimly (Illustrations)

"It's just a bunch of hocus pocus."

Having just moved from sunny California to Salem, Massachusetts, teenage Max Dennison doesn't understand his new town's fascination with everything Halloween. When he has an opportunity to impress his gorgeous classmate Allison by visiting an old house where a trio of alleged witches once lived, Max jumps at the chance to prove he doesn't believe in the town's superstitions. He lights the Black Flame Candle, accidentally releasing a coven of malicious witches, the infamous Sanderson sisters, from the afterlife.

Now it is up to Max, his little sister Dani, Alison, and their new friend, a talking black cat named Binx, to stop the sisters from regaining their beloved spell book. If they can keep the witches from sucking the life force from the town's children until the sun rises, the Sanderson sisters will turn to dust. If they fail, the witches will become immortal and be free to torment Salem for all eternity.

This deluxe novelization of the cult classic Halloween tale Hocus Pocus, illustrated by renowned artist Gris Grimly, is a must-have for fans of the film.

Genres: Fantasy, Halloween, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Witches, Fiction, Graphic Novels

232 pages, Hardcover

Published August 30, 2022

Reviews

[Coos Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ya tenía la edición que contiene la adaptación de la primera película, y el segundo libro. Pero cuando me enteré que iba a salir el primer libro ilustrado por el gran Gris Grimly no pude evitar comprarlo. Y tan pronto llegó, me puse a leerlo, pues spooky season. Es como si hubieran copiado el guión de Hocus Pocus y le hubieran dado una forma de prosa, más literario. Como fanática enfermita de la primera película, recuerdo los dialogos y expresiones a la perfección, así que no noté variaciones entre el texto y la película. Solo difiere en un detalle, ya llegando al final (que no voy a mencionar pra evitar spoilers). Es ínfimo, pero es para enganchar con el próximo libro. Al margen de eso, creo que es un libro ideal para quienes amen Hocus Pocus, porque realmente es una preciosura de lectura. Y las ilustraciones son una barbaridad de lo lindas que son.

[Ashley Daviau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I literally squealed with delight when I saw this had been made into a book illustrated by Gris Grimly. Hocus Pocus is my favourite movie of ALL time and to see it in book form is a dream come true! And I’m glad to say it did not disappoint, it was absolutely perfect in fact. It was like I was seeing the movie in my head while I was reading and it was such a wonderful feeling. And then getting to see my favourite characters illustrated by Grimly was just beyond amazing. He brought them to life PERFECTLY and it made reading this story that much more spectacular.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost the movie verbatim. But for an illustrated edition, I want more than 15 pictures.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for Halloween! Feels like the movie playing as you read it; had bits not in the movie, along with bits missing from within the movie not in the book. Added more of a prologue to the Binx family. And my curious question-The spell book had the list of names whom apparently owned it, but Winifred was NOT the last to have it. Who is “Elizabeth”? Is she perhaps the girl mentioned in the prologue that Emily Binx talks to before she runs off and the girl tries to warm her? And did Winifred steal it from her? Or did the person have it and own it before it came to be within the museum? Hmmm… Questions, questions….
All in all, an entertaining read! 👻🎃🍁🌙📖

[Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Hocus Pocus, so of course I had to get my hands on this illustrated edition as a special treat to myself this spooky season. And what a treat it was! This is definitely a book to pull out every year and read during the Halloween season. I made a point of reading a little bit of this every night before bed, laying it on top of my cozy orange blanket. (Bonus points if you play atmospheric spooky music in the background while you read to enhance the vibe!) This personally put me in the ultimate Halloween spirit and I loved carving out this bit of time at the end of each day.

Only giving this a four-stars, because honestly? There could’ve been more illustrations. There were A LOT of lulls in this book where I’d be turning page after page and there weren’t any illustrations, and at that point you’re just reading paragraphs of text on much larger pages. Not as fun! While there were some really cool full-page illustrations in here, they definitely could’ve inserted more here and there, even just smaller illustrations along the bottom of the pages or near the margins. Some of the illustrations also left much to be desired and could’ve been more detailed in my opinion. And there were definitely some moments that I would’ve wanted illustrations of but didn’t get, yet other illustrations in the book that either felt repetitive or that I wasn’t crazy about. I dunno, I guess I kind of just expected more from this.

I will say, as far as the writing goes, this was wonderfully adapted! They remained true to the movie while also finding ways to expand upon that and provide more detail and storytelling than perhaps we would’ve gotten from the movie alone. So win-win! Overall I would still really recommend this, and it’s going to be the perfect book for any fan of Hocus Pocus.

[Lindsay♫SingerOfStories♫ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun illustrated retelling of the movie classic, Hocus Pocus. Honestly, I spent almost the entirety replaying the movie line by line as I was reading the words of the book. It was fun to fill in the little holes of the character emotions and movement of the story with the author's words as the story progresses. There are only two or three scenes that really aren't in the movie and I can't tell if it is just my bias as someone who is so familiar with the movie or if they really are cheesy scenes. That aside though, I thought the illustrations and overall aesthetic of the book are so beautiful, I fully enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone who loves the movie and who is looking for some Halloween fun.

[TIFFY ⭐️🥂 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art in this super cute 🥰 reading these are like watching the movie to me Max, Dani and Allison will forever be my favorite people along side binx and billy

[Valerie V · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely stunning. Rich thick pages and colorful illustrations of the classic story. You’ll be happy to indulge in this again and again.

[Beth E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very pretty book.

[Nat]

i liked the added extra scenes. 🧙🏼‍♀️art was super whimsical in a spooky way

[Maurice · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
Let me start this by saying this movie is one of my favourites so this review will have nothing to do with the story but more with how they turned it into a novel, and that is also what i based my rating on.

This book is very nice to have for someone who likes the movie but it does not add anything to the story. It is basically just the movie written in novel form and from time to time it feels like they just took passages from the movie script and copy-pasted them into this novel (especially when things like the scene is described). This could have also been an opportunity to give the characters some more background which sadly didn't happen.
The illustrations are cute and have a specific style that really fits the story i just have on problem with them... there were to little of them... also the format of the pictures lacked in variety. They were all either over two pages, one page or half a page but most pages were just the text.
So all in all i liked it because i like the movie but idk if i would have otherwise tbh, which makes me really sad😐

[Elena Coorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una adaptación fantástica de una de las mejores películas de Halloween de la historia. Me he encantando volver a revivir los diálogos y escenas de la película de este modo. Las ilustraciones son una auténtica maravilla y captan genial la esencia de la película. Además, las páginas están tintadas y decoradas como el interior del libro de Winnifred 🖤. Me parece que tiene muchísimos detalles que están tratados con un esmero propio de un auténtico fan de la franquicia 🫶🏻

[Stephanie Mackey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so much fun to read! I am 35, so I think that means Hocus Pocus came out when I was 7. I watched this with my sisters so many times growing up. I could picture the scenes from the movie when I was reading.

I plan to watch the movie in the next few days. I read this across October 8 & 9th, and here in the mid-west, the crisp, cool weather and falling leaves really enhanced the reading experience. So did the Halloween fireplace ambiance I put on from YouTube! I might re-read this every year about this time.

Even though I knew what was going to happen, I was still drawn into the story because of the great writing and word choice. The illustrations were so cool, and I looked forward to them. The characters don't look the same as in the movie, which, for me, was fun and different.

[Cristiann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this novel was like reliving Hocus Pocus all over again, but in book format and with gorgeous illustrations. The perfect spooky story to read during the autumn/fall season, especially if you’re a 90s kid who’s feeling nostalgic. Love it and highly recommend it to every Hocus Pocus fan! ♥️

[Kimm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the cutest book I’ve ever read. I’m so in love with the movie & I watch it every single year. The book is basically a straight retelling of the movie, with the same iconic quotes. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous!! Such a cozy read & a perfect way to prepare for Hocus Pocus 2 to come out soon 🎃

[Olivia Caple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this almost felt kind of pointless because most of the writing literally follows the script from the film (and I basically have the whole film script engrained in my brain already). HOWEVER, I still really enjoyed reading it! Some things were elaborated on which I enjoyed. Of course, the illustrations are STUNNING! I AM OBSESSED! This would be the perfect autumn/Halloween read.

[Kat San Andres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Realistically this book is a 3 star. The story really doesn’t age well, but I’m giving it 4 stars because I absolutely LOVE the illustrations by Gris Grimly.

Great to own if you’re a collector of books with beautiful illustrations.

[Shel Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork so gorgeous. I wish there would have been more of it. The editions to the story were awesome. I’m so glad I bought this book.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are one of the many that love to watch the first movie multiple times every year, thinking it's flawless... then you will probably think this novelization is perfection. Now, don't get me wrong, the movie is also one of my old favs... I just can't stand to rewatch it as often as most. So, this book, being a novelization of the movie, didn't do anything for me. Aside from adding a few visual details, the plot and dialogue are unchanged. You can picture every scene as you read it, voices and all. Definitely feels like reading the movie. I am just a little disappointed because I was hoping the written version would emphasize more of a dark atmosphere kind of thing, and maybe make some changes or add something to the plot. It just didn't. Which is fine. It just isn't anything new or improved, and I don't think that reading it added any value to my day! The only improvement I did see was an added scene where Max apologizes for Dani having talked about Allison's "yabos", to which Allison responds "You don't have to apologize for her, Dani didn't do anything wrong. You might want to apologize for yourself though." In general, the book seemed to give Allison a tiny bit more of a part, as a STEM student that Max had admired for awhile before Halloween. There also may have been a tiny hint at something that I'm hoping will come up in the second movie! To sum it up... eh, if you know the movie, you know the book, and vice versa.

[Natalya · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Jessy Bunel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful drawings

[clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Les illustrations sont ✨chiefs kiss✨ et c’est fidèle au film !

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great novelization of a fun and classic Halloween movie and amazing art to accompany it!

[Ali]

Such a fun read!

[Dielleina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gris Grimly's eerie illustrations are simply perfect for this story.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is pretty slapstick and rather corny, but it made a fun Halloween family read aloud. Gris Grimly's illustrations add A LOT to the story. I wasn't familiar with the story when I bought it, but picked it up it for the illustrations - and because I thought it would be fun to read out loud with the kids (9 & 12). We all enjoyed it, but as with most books that start out as movies, it reads more like a movie than a book. I guess we'll have to watch the movie now.

A teen boy (with an annoying little sister) who recently moved to Salem, Massachusetts, from Southern California and doesn't believe in witches (but has a crush on a local girl who does), sets some particularly nasty witches loose on the town and has to work with crush girl, annoying sister, and a talking cat try to fix his macho boy mistake.

[Zach Beard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super cute novelization of the film!

[lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

such a cute halloween read 💗💗 hocus pocus is my fav halloween film so ofc i had to read the book and it didnt disappoint. the art was also amazing!!

[Lacey Hoffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d give this a 3.5 if I could because it has so much of the movie in it but I wouldn’t say it adds or brings much to the story. It’s essentially the screenplay but with the stage directions and other notes switched for descriptions. The writing is okay but it wouldn’t be a great story independent of the movie. Also, there are some weird lines about Allison and Max that are pretty cheesy and unnecessary, such as the line about him feeling able to conquer the world with her beside him. That and the making out scene with Dani just there was pretty awkward. It was just very “guy gets the girl and everything along with it” and it was awkward how it centered the relationship in the final moments.

There are a few charming moments but overall I wouldn’t say it’s brimming with the magic or charm of a great story.

[Ronald Fink · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter was a huge fan of this movie back in 1993. It became a Halloween staple each year and the VHS copy finally wore out to be replaced by a DVD. I recently saw the book in a local Target and decided to give it a go because of my memories watching the movie with my daughter.

As others have already mentioned in their reviews, the book for the most part is exactly like the movie, with the characters using the same dialog. Nothing new added to make the reading experience more interesting, but it still was an enjoyable read.

The main reasons I picked up the book was that it would be a nice addition to my personal library and for the illustrations by Gris Grimly. His wraparound dust cover illustration is nicely done and made my decision to buy it much easier.