The October Game by Ray Bradbury

Bones, bones, rattlin' dem bones!

October is almost over and my Spooktacular reading challenge is on the verge of becoming a total bust. Granted, I did end up reading a few scary short-stories this month but lacked the mental capacity to write any reflections about them. if there is one author that might help me get out of this slump, it is Ray Bradbury. "The October Game" seemed like the perfect fit in terms of the title and taking place on Halloween. 

The author should be commended on slowly building up the sense of dread and creating a palpable tension until the sinister finale. Bradbury doesn’t rely on overt scares or cheap thrills; instead, he skillfully uses atmosphere and psychological paranoia to drive the narrative. What starts off as an innocent Halloween night in the suburbs, becomes increasingly unsettling, especially once the father figure takes everyone down into the dark cellar to play a game called "The Witch is Dead."

Bradbury peels back the layers of an unhappy nuclear family, revealing a darkness simmering beneath their carefully constructed facades, particularly in the intense dynamic between husband and wife. His ability to expose the sinister within the ordinary is quintessential Bradbury. Years of unhappiness and avoidance boils over into shocking rage that is quite disturbing. This story reminds us that the most scary monsters aren’t lurking in dark corners—they may be seated right at the family dinner table. Bradbury doesn’t rely on supernatural horror but on a more visceral, psychological dread manifesting into unspeakable madness. 

And that bone-chilling final line...

Well played Mr. Bradbury, well played.