Only Gris Grimly's name appears on the cover, but the inside pages reveal that Hocus Pocus is written by someone named A. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I was still drawn into the story because of the great writing and word choice. It just isn't anything new or improved, and I don't think that reading it added any value to my day! The written format often allows for such things more easily than the visual, and it would not have been hard to push things a bit without overly impacting the established plot. The book is actually a novelization of a screenplay from a live-action movie produced by Disney that came out way back in 1993.

By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. Between these, I would have liked to have seen more smaller illustrations, as there are times when it seems that you turn quite a few pages before you come across the next one. 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.

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. At several points, an editor could have been utilized to clean up portions that were poorly conveyed — things that were written to capture an image from the film (leading to confusion or redundancy in the writing) or oddly placed breaks that only make sense as scene changes on screen (but not so much on paper). 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. Some of the illustrations also left much to be desired and could’ve been more detailed in my opinion. 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.

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? The story really doesn’t age well, but I’m giving it 4 stars because I absolutely LOVE the illustrations by Gris Grimly.

This illustrated novelization of HOCUS POCUS delivers exactly what I was expecting and then offers a little more. Max Dennison has moved from LA to Salem, and he just doesn’t believe in the parts of Salem’s history that revolves around witches.

In an attempt to impress Allison, Max talks about visiting the creepy museum that has been made from the old cottage that used to belong to the Sanderson witches. GRIS GRIMLY is an award-winning illustrator best known for his “macabre” yet humorous books for children and young adults. 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. Read more about the condition New: A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. The bottom line: Funny, beautifully illustrated, and full of soul, I loved Hocus Pocus: The Illustrated Novelization!They consult their evil spellbook, and concoct a potion in a boiling cauldron - add oil to make it boil, mix in blood of owl and an herb that's red, a dash of pox and a dead man's toe - the potion allows the evil witches to steal Emily's life force, making them young while Emily perishes. We all enjoyed it, but as with most books that start out as movies, it reads more like a movie than a book. Honestly, I spent almost the entirety replaying the movie line by line as I was reading the words of the book. With dozens of original illustrations throughout, this Novelization is sure to become an automatic must-have among collectors and avid fans of the film.

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. Grimly is famous for his mix of macabre with zaniness - he depicts monsters, witches, the undead - but it isn't scary, it is fun (I think the shambling zombie Billy Butcherson deliberately looks a little bit like Alice Cooper).I really loved this illustrated take on a classic; it was the perfect shot of nostalgia to prepare for Halloween! Inside the museum/cottage on Halloween is a creepy experience, but Max wants to show Allison that he is not scared.