Full Video Review Here: https://youtu.be/8SOSrH7mUNg

Imagine a Stephen King Castle Rock story crafted by one of the most gifted authors of the past 100 years, and Something Wicked This Way Comes is precisely what you'll encounter. It's effortless to observe the profound influence this story had on King, given the striking similarities between Castle Rock and Green Town, along with the coming-of-age narrative set within supernatural and terrifying circumstances.

What Bradbury accomplishes in penning a horrific scene, making it simultaneously terrifying and beautiful, is a truly transcendent talent. I've always likened his style to that of Thomas Wolfe, and it's fully evident in his sweeping prose within this dark and twisted tale.

Speaking of dark, Mr. Dark is undoubtedly one of the greatest horror villains of all time, having haunted my dreams during my childhood. However, reading it as an adult with young children provides a different perspective. As a child, I was simply scared of Mr. Dark. But as a parent, I can more closely relate to Charles' desire to safeguard his child. This remarkable tale is rich with numerous thematic layers that will endure forever. It's an immaculate horror story.

By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes--MacBeth Act 4, Scene 1

When we are young, a carnival is a place full of excitement and wonder. It is a world of fantasy, with music, bright lights, and thrilling rides. The smell of cotton candy fills the air, and there are countless opportunities to win a stuffed bear. However, as we grow older, our parents begin to warn us of the potential dangers that lurk within the carnival. The once-hilarious hall of mirrors now seems like a surreal and terrifying nightmare.

In Scotland, PA, a parody based on Macbeth, the three witches use the carousel and merry-go-round to further confuse Macbeth. In Bradbury's tale, the Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show arrives in Green Town, Illinois, with the intention of destroying all those who come into contact with its strange and sinister mystery.

The story of James and William takes place in the 1920s in Waukegan, Illinois. They are typical American boys, playing baseball and using phrases like "gosh" and "darn." However, their innocent world is about to be shattered by the events of the 1960s, or perhaps it has already been affected by the horrors of the Holocaust and Hiroshima.

While Something Wicked This Way Comes is a scary book about the embodiment of evil in the form of Mr. Dark, it is also a story about moral reflection. Bradbury encourages us to examine our own propensity for wrong-doing and to question whether being good always leads to happiness.

Although I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did when I first read it in my teens, the speeches by Dad and Mr. Dark still hold a certain power. Bradbury's ability to blend poetry and philosophy is on full display, whether he is writing science fiction or teen horror.

"Oh, yes," said Dad. "We got to watch out the rest of our lives. The fight's just begun." They moved around the carousel slowly. "What will they look like? How will we know them?" "Why," said Dad, quietly, "maybe they're already here."

Once, when I was just 19 years old, I found myself standing outside a stage door for a whole hour. I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the great Ray Bradbury.

Bradbury was 70 at that time, and he was scheduled to give a lecture at my school. I was absolutely determined that we were going to have a talk.

If this might sound a bit stalker-ish to you, let me put your mind at ease. It wasn't really stalker-ish. It was more like being Hermione Granger-ish.

I had my best pen and a special notebook with me, and I had carefully written down my questions. I just couldn't believe it. I was going to meet Ray Bradbury!

After an hour or so of this intense anticipation and pacing alone in front of the stage door, a guy walked over from the box office. He informed me that no one was going to meet or hear Mr. Bradbury on that night. Apparently, someone had just contacted the school to announce that Bradbury was ill and would not be appearing. (Thankfully, he rallied and went on to live 21 more years.)

I was terribly deflated. I had thought that we were going to meet and talk about his writing process. Maybe we would even grab a cup of coffee afterwards? It all seemed perfectly reasonable to me.

I had wanted to ask him why he felt he was often lumped as a writer of sci-fi and horror when he was so clearly the Father of Fantasy. And, where on earth did he come up with all of these amazing words?

I wanted to tell him that I had forgiven him for what some might consider weak dialogue and character development, because, well, you know... HE CREATED A GENRE! (I'm sure this is when he would have invited me for coffee.)

Alas, I did not have my opportunity. And it took me a long time to get over my disappointment. But, I prevailed. I determined that I would continue to honor Mr. Bradbury from afar, by reading and rereading his works. And I've devoured many of them. "Something Wicked This Way Comes" was a new one for me.

It's truly fantastic, Mr. Fantasy. You've done it again. As usual, dialogue and character development just aren't the strong parts of his stories, but Mr. Bradbury was a wordsmith, an inventor, a man of ideas. And, he was a philosopher who possessed an uncanny knack of nailing the human condition. His words paint a vivid picture of the early morning hours, when the body and soul seem to be at their lowest ebb.