Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel

You know what they say, the sequels are almost never as good as the originals. And that's true for this book. Now, I don't know anything about how it was written, but it felt rushed. Some sections took forever to get through (I'm pretty sure the time Poppy took from deciding to go to the Sanderson House to the time they actually got there was 4 chapters long, and all they did was walk and talk about whether or not they should go.) I do appreciate that it is a much more diverse book than the original movie, but reading it felt like Disney just wanted to release the book so people would buy it for nostalgia factor (which, fair, that's part of the reason I bought it). I think the write up of the movie was quite good, and gave some further show more insight into Max's thoughts, but the shift from 3rd person to 1st person when Poppy became the main character was a little jarring. Also, I'm pretty sure sometimes the tenses were mixed up? So some editor didn't really do their job.

In short, this book was fine. It wasn't spectacular, it wasn't horrible. Maybe if I hadn't just read the amazing [book:Cemetery Boys|52339313] right before reading this I would've enjoyed it a little more. show less

Fans have waited 25 years for more Hocus Pocus, and here's what Disney has come up with, publishing this just last week. It's in two parts.

Part One- the story from the movie, based on the screenplay by Mick Garris and Neal Cuthbert. This follows the movie very closely, with a little additional backstory on the characters and the mention of another Sanderson sister who didn't exist at all in the movie. The word "brunette" is misspelled repeatedly, but if you're a fan, you let it pass (even though Disney can certainly afford proof-readers) and you're likely to enjoy this first part of the book. It's 197 pages of the total 521 pages.

Part Two- And, if you're a fan of the movie, and why would anyone buy this book unless they are, you will show more likely be really pissed off by Part Two, which is effing garbage. Why did Disney do this? Why take such beloved characters from a movie that was witty, funny, a little edgy, yet ultimately about good versus bungling evil, and turn it into a platform for Social Issues?
It's 25 years later, teens Max and Allison grew up, married, and had one child, Poppy, who is now a teen herself. She is also a lesbian, which we aren't allowed to forget as the first 100 pages are solidly about her mooning after her friend, popular homecoming queen, Isabella. I'm not exaggerating, the book is written in first person, so we have over 300 pages of inner dialogue teen angst. Poppy's best friend Travis, is black and also gay, and he's the only one who knows her "secret". That is until the end-*Spoiler* (but not really a surprise by now)
Isabella is also gay.
They use the term "BAMF" and say lame things like "...if they call your parents, Travis, you'll be grounded until Cyber Monday." The writing is terrible. It's a "Gossip Girl" book. They have Jay, the skanky blonde burn-out from the movie, as the high school principal.
The Sanderson sisters, the reason for the movie's immense popularity, show up 100 pages in, and by then I was skipping through two and three pages at a time because I couldn't take the narcissistic workings of the teenage mind. When the Sandersons finally appeared, they were flat imitations of their previous selves, lacking the wit and charming deviousness. It felt like they were being used. And the new Sanderson sister, a "good" one who appears from the 1600's, actually says, with her parting breath, "Weed out hate and ignorance and persecution whenever and wherever you can."
My God I hate this book. And the ending was set up for more sequels. 1 star show less

Full disclosure: I’m a HUGE “Hocus Pocus” fan. I was 10 when it came out and saw it in the theatre several times, and of course I had the VHS, I still watch it several times during the month of October, and I even have a replica of Dani’s jacket and several Hocus Pocus decorations and clothing. I’ve always wished for a movie sequel, and when I heard there was a book version out, I was unsure if I was going to ever read it, and reading some unfavorable reviews didn’t help my decision. But after watching the cast perform in an online benefit event, my curiosity won the better of me and I decided to give it a chance. ⁣
The first half of the book is basically a retread of the movie, with a few additions sprinkled throughout show more that hint at events in the sequel. I enjoyed reading the first part, as it was just like watching the movie all over again. The second hand of the book picks up 25 years after Max, Dani, and Allison defeated the Sanderson sisters. Max and Allison have a teenage daughter, Poppy. Poppy doesn’t believe in her family’s story with the witches, but she finds the truth out the hard way on Halloween night when an innocent game with friends resurrects Winifred, Sarah, and Mary. ⁣
I enjoyed the addition to the Sanderson sister lore with the character of Elizabeth, and seeing old favorites like Binx, however briefly. Also, the scene with the witches being baffled by an IPhone made me laugh out loud. There were a few things that I felt could have either been left out or changed though. The character of Dani isn’t given as much attention or updates like other characters, and one of Poppy’s friends is turned into an animal like Binx, and it felt unnecessary. Winifred also came across as more of the focus as opposed to Sarah and Mary, whereas in the movie all 3 shared the spotlight. The battle at the end also seemed to go on for quite a while and almost became repetitive. Speaking of repetitive, Poppy also has a crush on her friend Isabella and her pining after her and some of the comments she made came across as overdramatic. I get it, I was a teenager once too, but still...how many more times do I have to read the same inner monologue? ⁣
If you’re craving some more “Hocus Pocus” until the sequel is released, this is a breezy and silly read that brings back all the nostalgia feels. ⁣ show less

The first half of the book is the story everyone grew up on and loved with a few minor addins to make the sequel make sense. The sequel focuses on Max and Allison's daughter, Poppy, in 2018 growing up embarrassed by her family's belief in the Sanderson sisters until she goes to their house to impress a girl (like father, like daughter). We learn about another Sanderson sister that proves not all witches are bad and are left with a ending that indicates more stories to come. The sequel was entertaining, but feels like it will be dated in a few years because so many current slang and trends were used.

I love Hocus Pocus. It's a cheesey, funny, Halloween movie month must at my house. That being said, I thought the novelization of the movie was okay. Most of the dialogue and scenes matched up, and I wasn't bothered by the book alternating between 1693 and 1993 in the beginning. They changed/omitted some scenes which did annoy me, so overall I'd give the novelization (which takes up the first 1/3 ish of the book) 3*.

As for the sequel... Holy bad writing. Wow. I had to start skimming because I didn't want to DNF this. This is by far the worst written book I've encountered in recent years. I occasionally read juvenile fiction alongside my 8 year old son and even the worst of those are better than this. On top of the bad writing, the show more story is extremely convenient and doesn't have the same charm as its predecessor. Some of the plot points were strange and forced. But I honestly could forgive the plot flaws if the writing wasn't cringe worthy. The only positives I can think of are 1) it was nice getting to see where many of the characters from the original movie ended up, 2) I liked that they made the characters more diverse and inclusive. The sequel gets a 1*.

So overall, 2/5 for the book. My suggestion is read a plot summary of the sequel and skip this one. Not worth it for how long it is. show less

All right. I have a confession to make. I've only seen Hocus Pocus twice. And the first time I saw it, I was in college.


I know, I know. I'm a bit surprised myself.

I couldn't pinpoint why exactly I didn't see this as a kid. I do know that I'm one of the few people among my friends who doesn't have super nostalgic feelings for this movie, because, well, I didn't grow up with it. When I had mentioned in college I had never watched Hocus Pocus, my friends proceeded to rectify this issue. And I thought "It's all right. The witches are wonderful, but the kids are annoying." I didn't see it again until Halloween 2018. And I had the same thoughts. I would join the Sanderson coven & the kids are pretty annoying.

Then, I saw there was a book show more sequel set 25 years after the first movie. A new crop of kids could make me fall in love with the story and characters, right? I was a little bummed I didn't love this movie as much as my friends. I decided to give it a shot. And BOY, was I...disappointed.

Plot- The first part of the book is a novelization of Hocus Pocus. Pretty much all the dialogue is repeated word for word from the movie and it works.

The All New Sequel follows the story of Poppy Dennison, Max and Allison's teenage daughter, who is ashamed & doubtful of her parents and Aunt Dani's story about the Sanderson sisters. She also has a massive crush on Isabella, the most popular girl in school. She is bullied by Katie Taylor, the daughter of the principal, who may have a connection to the events from 25 years ago. On Halloween night 2018, a blood moon is on the rise. Poppy, Isabella and their friend Travis go to the Sanderson sisters' house with a Ouiji Board from the Dollar Tree. To no one's (except the three teenagers') surprise, the Sanderson sisters are resurrected. Poppy and her friends are against a ticking clock to stop the Sanderson sisters from completing their spells and obtaining eternal life.

Sounds familiar? Do you want a book version of one of the late '90's, early 2000's Disney direct to Home Video sequels for a cult classic? Where the child of the protagonist from the first movie learns the same lessons their parents did years ago? If so, The All New Sequel is right up your alley. It did not work for me. The novelization of Hocus Pocus was enjoyable enough to give this book a second star, but...I could also just watch the movie. I may not be the biggest fan of it, but at least in the movie, you get a couple great musical numbers from Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy and a whole lot of wonderfully campy ham in their acting.


I would totally watch a sequel if it was just the Sanderson sisters running amock. Disney, can we get that sequel instead, please, instead of a reboot or this book? show less

We are HUGE, HUGE Hocus Pocus lovers in my household. I have always loved the movie, all 5 of my children love it, heck, even my hubby likes it. One of my daughters is named Danielle, we call her Dani. We watch it every Halloween, and several times throughout the rest of the year too. We own several pieces of Hocus Pocus merch., t- shirts, mugs, plaques, blankets, etc.

So, of course we were thrilled when this book came out. I could not wait to get my hands on it! The first part, the original story, is so nostalgic. I thoroughly enjoyed it and deeply appreciated the little extras that weren't in the movie.

The second part, the sequel......this part was a tad disappointing. I loved the plot and the characters, for the most part, but found show more it disappointing that Max and Allison's daughter was portrayed as less important than her friend in the scheme of things. I realize this is supposed to be a modern sequel, but it's also supposed to take place in a small and history obsessed town, so I wasn't thrilled with the super mod feel of this. The setting, although the same as the first story, didn't feel the same at all. Instead of that nostalgic, here we go again feeling, I was expecting, this almost felt like an entirely different story altogether. I don't foresee the movie version of this being great. I also wish Max, Allison and Dani would have played a bigger role. That said, I did enjoy it. It's made its rounds in our household and I plan to reread it again....its already on my Halloween reading list. show less