As any magic user worth their ring of salt knows, grimoires are an essential part of magical education and spell casting. These textbooks are filled with guidance on making talismans, conducting divination and contacting supernatural entities. Across fantastic pop culture, such tomes have played key roles in myriad stories. Today, reader, we explore seven of the most powerful grimoires in popular media. Do you dare to see what volumes we have on our shelf?
Grimmerie
First up is the Grimmerie, a grimoire that plays a crucial role in 1995’s Wicked by Gregory Maguire. Interestingly enough, this magical tome does not seem to originate in Oz. Instead, it is implied that it was brought to that world from ours. Substantiating this claim is the fact that Elphaba, who is party Earthling, can decipher portions of the text. In Wicked, the Wizard is desperate to obtain this grimoire for himself. Looks like the all-powerful Oz could use a library card.
RELATED: It’s Gonna Be Popular: First Trailer for Wicked Debuts
The Grimmerie is central to the story of Wicked, and it appears in the 2003 musical adaptation of the story as well. In the musical, it is also known as the Ancient Book of Thaumaturgy and Enchantments. Furthermore, it is the source of the flying monkeys, the Tin Man and Elphaba’s flying broom. At the conclusion of the musical, Elphaba bequeaths the Grimmerie to Glinda. This is so the Good Witch can continue Elphaba’s mission of liberating the oppressed animals of Oz.
Sanderson Sisters’ Spellbook
In 1993’s Hocus Pocus, the Sanderson sisters are in possession of a cursed spellbook. Not only is it bound in human skin, but the cover of this grimoire also possesses a seemingly human eye. This eye opens and responds to the voice of Winifred Sanderson (Bette Midler). According to rumor, the book was given to Winnie by the Devil himself. However, it is more likely that this grimoire was passed down through generations of witches to the Sandersons.
The Sanderson sisters’ spellbook plays a central narrative role throughout Hocus Pocus. It is the catalyst for the resurrection of the three Sanderson sisters, thanks to the “Black Flame Candle Spell.” If a virgin lights the Black Flame Candle on a Halloween with a full moon, this spell revives the sisters for the night. This grimoire also turns Thackery Binx into a cat and allows the Sanderson sisters to consume the life force of children, thus stealing their youth.
Necronomicon Ex-Mortis
Introduced in 1981’s The Evil Dead, the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis is one of the better-known grimoires. The dangerous book, also bound in human skin, originated in ancient times. Written by The Dark Ones, a cabal of demonic entities, it eventually fell into the hands of humanity. This can hardly be considered a good thing, as chaos and nightmares follow the tome wherever it goes.
RELATED: Horror Originals vs. The Remakes: Evil Dead
Reading from the book can summon Deadites. These entities can possess the bodies of the living and the dead, with horrifying (and often gruesomely fatal) consequences. Once summoned, the Deadites are not just a threat to those who have read the book but to anyone in the vicinity (and possibly the world).
After initially encountering the grimoire in The Evil Dead and/or 1987’s The Evil Dead 2, Ashley Joanna WIlliams (Bruce Campbell) spends the rest of his life dealing with the fallout. In 1992’s Army of Darkness, the book sends him back in time. The nightmare continues decades later in 2015’s Ash vs. Evil Dead, in which even Ash’s beloved Oldsmobile 88 becomes possessed.
Spelldrives
In the 2006 Invader Zim episode “Gaz, Taster of Pork,” Dib Membrane (Andy Berman) is revealed to possess the largest collection of Spelldrives in the world. These grimoires look like sci-fi books and, when opened, appear similar to a laptop. In a nod to magical systems like those in TTRPGs and video games, these Spelldrives can only be used when they possess sufficient “power points.”
RELATED: 8 Disabled Horror Films That Dismantle Horrible Tropes
In “Gaz, Taster of Pork,” Dib tests the Spelldrive by casting the Sense of the Shadowhog spell on his sister, Gaz Membrane (Melissa Fahn). While Dib is ignorant of the effect of the spell when he casts it, the spell has a horrible consequence. As a result, everything Gaz eats tastes like pork.
Thus, she is only able to eat hot dogs since their flavor is unchanged. Ultimately, Gaz and Dib use a Spelldrive to transport themselves to the Realm of the Shadowhog. There, they bargain with the Shadowhog himself (Jeffery Jones) to restore Gaz’s sense of taste. However, at the behest of Gaz, the Shadowhog punishes Dib by making him clean his disgusting toilet bowl.
The Handbook for the Recently Deceased
In 1988’s Beetlejuice, the movie opens with the untimely demise of Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara Maitland (Geena Davis). After their deaths due to the collapse of a bridge near their home, the couple find themselves returned to their house. However, they’re confused about what’s transpired. This is clarified when they locate a tome they’ve never seen before on their table: the Handbook for the Recently Deceased.
RELATED: The Juice is Loose in Official Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Trailer
Using the Handbook for the Recently Deceased, the Maitlands can visit the Netherworld. However, when the book falls into the hands of Otho Fenlock (Glenn Shadix), the dark potential of the book becomes clear. Using the Handbook, Otho can summon the spirits of the Maitlands in a seance.
However, it turns out to be more of an exorcism, and the ghosts are nearly destroyed in the process. In order to rescue them, Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) must summon the bio-exorcist Betelgeuse. Although Betelgeuse is able to rescue the Maitlands, this is one demon to whom you don’t want to owe a debt.
The Book of Bill
In 2012’s Gravity Falls, the catalyst for the central narrative is Journal 3, an enigmatic book that Dipper Pines (Jason Ritter) locates in the Oregon woods. Written by Dipper’s great uncle Stanford Pines (J.K. Simmons), Journal 3 is essential in Dipper’s fight against the forces of Bill (Alex Hirsch).
But as revealed in 2024’s The Book of Bill, there’s a dark grimoire associated with the story, too. This tome was discovered by Stanford after the events of “Weirdmageddon.” While Bill had supposedly been vanquished by the Pines family during that event, The Book of Bill suggests otherwise.
RELATED: Alterna-Treks: 5 Star Trek Homages
According to the opening pages by Stanford, this grimoire should not be stored on a bookshelf. That’s because its corrosive magic will infect any nearby tomes, corrupting them. However, continuing to read the book against Standford’s advisement connects the reader with Bill himself. Bill only asks for a little bit of your blood in order to fill the book with his questionable guidance. Then, he asks for a little more. Are you getting lightheaded from the acquisition of knowledge or from the blood loss? The demonic triangle will never tell!
The most surprising thing about The Book of Bill is that should you survive through all its pages, you’ll see a side of Bill you never expected. It turns out Bill is more of a character foil for Stanford than one might expect. In fact, he might even be considered a sympathetic character (to a certain degree). How’s that for disturbing?
The Darkhold
The Darkhold. That’s the Book of the Damned, Wanda. This powerful and corrosive book was introduced onscreen in the antepenultimate episode of 2021’s WandaVision, where it is first seen in the impossibly expansive basement of Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn). Among many other entries, the Darkhold contains a prophecy about the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen).
According to the Darkhold, the Scarlet Witch has power that exceeds the Sorcerer Supreme. At the conclusion of WandaVision, Wanda secures the book for herself. However, as seen in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the powerful grimoire corrupts her. This endangers myriad multiversal timelines.
RELATED: Movie Review: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
In the panels of Marvel Comics, The Darkhold might be even more corrosive than it is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Darkhold was first introduced in 1972’s Marvel Spotlight #4 by Gerry Conway, Mike Ploog and Sam Rosen. In that story, Jack Russell reads from the Darkhold … which is sufficient to transform him into Werewolf by Night.
In the 2021 Darkhold miniseries, the Scarlet Witch invites several high-profile Avengers to read from the grimoire. This is so as to “temper their madness.” Instead, it corrupts each of them. For example, Iron Man’s physical form is liquified, making his suit a necessity rather than an accessory. Still, let’s admit it. Given the chance, you’d take a peek inside, too. Would you survive the experience?
- Book Review: MARVEL SUPER STORIES: AMAZING ADVENTURES BOOK 2 - October 9, 2024
- Game Review: STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS: BUFFER TIME: THE CARD GAME - October 7, 2024
- STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS: 9 Required Rutherford Episodes - October 7, 2024
