We all know the story of Hansel and Gretel. Two children use breadcrumbs to navigate a treacherous forest, only to stumble into the clutches of a bloodthirsty witch. While trapped in the cackling woman’s gingerbread house, they outwit the ostensibly friendly cannibal and leave her to bake in her own oven. First collected by the Brothers Grimm, the story has become canon in Western culture, with elements filtering through our popular lexicon. Award-winning children’s author and illustrator Maurice Sendak muses, “It’s the toughest story in the world and people are afraid of it, yet it’s famous because it’s so truthful.” In 1997, the author created a series of illustrations designed to be used as set and costume designs for a new production with the Humperdinck Opera. Though a televised production premiered in 1998, Sendak’s undeniably eerie work has now caught the attention of another creator.
Master of Horror Stephen King has always had a fascination with heroic children. His second novel, Salem’s Lot, follows an intrepid tween who squares off against a clan of vampires, while his third, The Shining, matches a little boy’s psychic powers against a nexus of impenetrable evil. Mark Petrie and Danny Torrance would fit right into Sendak’s stories while arguably beginning a long line of young adventurers who continue to populate King’s literary universe. Clearly fascinated by the Grimm Brothers’ story, the author has incorporated elements into his own work, employing the ubiquitous fable as an object lesson in his 2000 memoir On Writing and drawing from Hansel’s ingenious breadcrumb trail for his 2022 fantasy novel Fairy Tale. King’s latest publication ties together Sendak’s haunting imagery in a retelling of the classic yarn. Hansel and Gretel is a colorful, yet frightening children’s book blending Sendak’s award-winning visual style with King’s knack for chilling readers to the bone.
From “Hansel and Gretel.”Credit…Copyright © The Maurice Sendak Foundation, Inc.
In a candid introduction to the story, the horror connoisseur describes the image that first caught his eye. Sendak’s reimagining of the infamous gingerbread house is a jovial structure decked out in treats. Gumdrops line the cobblestone walls while rows of smiling gingerbread cookies invite unsuspecting children to step inside. Yet, the minute they cross the sugary threshold, the house transforms into a snarling face set to devour its unsuspecting guests. King explains, “I thought, This is what the house really looks like, a devil sick with sin, and it only shows that face when the kids turn their backs. I wanted to write that!”
Sendak’s illustrations set an ominous tone, presenting a hostile and dangerous world. We’re introduced to our two blond protagonists gazing in wonder at an angelic figure hovering in the midst of a darkened wood. They gravitate towards this vision of safety while crouching lions and cackling witches hide among the vine-like branches. King names another of the story’s sinister figures as his favorite of Sendak’s illustrations. Early in the story, Hansel dreams of a bulbous witch who rides her broom through the cloudy sky while frightened children scream from a sack slung casually over her shoulder. Another witch seems to break through the page to stare directly at the reader. Presented in shades of ominous gray, her eyes glow a disturbing pale yellow while her bony, claw-like fingers cross in front of her mouth, as if to keep a deadly secret. Readers bold enough to remove the book’s stunning dust jacket will meet this fanged creature gazing back at them from the front cover.
Though suitable for younger children, King leans into terror when describing this brutal fairy tale world. He pairs Sendak’s image of the family’s dilapidated shack with damning descriptions of the children’s wicked stepmother. Not only does she hound her husband to murder his kids, but she also steals food away from the rest of the family to keep her private pantry full. Hansel’s famous trail of pebbles is set against creepy images of a darkened forest where wailing faces emerge from the trees. King seems to enjoy building out this legendary world filled with child abuse, murder, and cannibalism. Yet his characters feel relatable and fresh, straddling the centuries of this story’s existence.
From “Hansel and Gretel.”Credit…Copyright © The Maurice Sendak Foundation, Inc.
While King doesn’t change much of the Grimm brothers’ tale, he does make a shocking connection to his own literary universe. The witch Hansel and Gretel meet in the forest is none other than Rhea of the Cöos, a major antagonist in Wizard and Glass. Fourth in King’s legendary Dark Tower series, this fan-favorite entry follows the powerful sorceress as she torments Roland and his love Susannah in a relentless quest for power. Also seen briefly in the YA fantasy novel Eyes of the Dragon, here Rhea uses a plump, white bird as a duplicitous servant—contrasting the black crow that symbolizes stalwart villain Randall Flagg.
In a heartwarming introduction to this creepy tale, King reminisces about reading Sendak’s beloved stories to his own young children, specifically naming Higglety Pigglety Pop! Or There Must Be More to Life and the iconic Where the Wild Things Are. By bringing to life the late creator’s illustrations, he’s given Constant Readers a similar gift. Those who grew up with King’s longer works will delight in introducing the next generation to the Master of Horror’s treacherous world in a deceptively terrifying yet simple story specifically geared towards a younger audience. True gateway horror, Hansel and Gretel combines the talents of two literary giants to create a bridge between childhood frights and the adult world of narrative horror.
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