Something Wicked This Way Comes

Bradbury is an acclaimed and prolific American writer. His most popular works include Fahrenheit 451, The Illustrated Man, The Martian Chronicles, and numerous science fiction short stories such as “The Veldt” and “A Sound of Thunder.” Bradbury is most known for his dystopian fiction, which features futuristic civilizations in decline, and speculative fiction, which speculates on the future of humanity as it relates to technology and progress. Something Wicked This Way Comes is Bradbury’s venture into dark fantasy, which blends fantastical elements with horror. It is based on Bradbury’s experience growing up in Waukegan, Illinois, a small town in the American Midwest. This novel highlights Bradbury’s concern with the dark side of human nature and its desire for immortality.

When Bradbury was 14, Jim and Will’s age, he loved going to the carnival. He met a variety of characters who would later be compiled and remade into the novel’s sideshow performers. One of these carnival workers, a real magician named Mr. Electrico, deeply affected Bradbury: “Mr. Electrico was a fantastic creator of marvels. He sat in his electric chair every night and was electrocuted in front of all the people, young and old, of Waukegan, Illinois. He then shouted at me, ‘Live forever!’” (Pappas, Stephanie. “5 Great Ray Bradbury Quotes About Death.” NBCNews.com).

This act inspired Cooger’s transformation into “Mr. Electrico” in the novel. The experience also ignited a childhood “hysteria” in Bradbury, who was constantly afraid he would die: “I was always yelling and running somewhere, because I was afraid life was going to be over that very afternoon” (Bradbury, Ray. “Take Me Home.” NewYorker.com).

The real Mr. Electrico believed Bradbury was the reincarnation of his friend who had died in WWI, which perhaps also inspired notions of immortality in Bradbury. Mr. Electrico shared much philosophical wisdom with young Bradbury, who wondered how he could become immortal. Ever since this experience, Bradbury claims he never stopped writing:

Leaving the carnival grounds that day I stood by the carousel and watched the horses go round and round to the music of “Beautiful Ohio.” Standing there, the tears poured down my face, for I felt that something strange and wonderful had happened to me because of my encounter with Mr. Electrico [...] I have written every single day of my life since that day 69 years ago (McCarthy, Tom. & Barnett, David. ”Ray Bradbury, writer who captivated a generation of sci-fi fans, dies at 91.” TheGuardian.com).

The novel has screenplay origins. Bradbury was friends with actor and performer Gene Kelly and wanted to work with him on a project. In 1955, Bradbury reworked an old short story called “Black Ferris” into a screenplay called Dark Carnival, a story about two boys and a sinister carnival. He sent the project to Kelly, who loved the story and presented it to various production studios. Kelly could not find a studio willing to make the movie, but Bradbury was not discouraged. He kept working on the idea, at one point titling a draft Jamie and Me. He eventually published Something Wicked as a full-length novel in 1962. Bradbury dedicated the novel to Kelly.

Something Wicked This Way Comes has since been adapted into a 1983 Disney movie for which Bradbury wrote the screenplay. The novel has also inspired other horror authors, such as Stephen King and Clive Barker. In 1992, Barker described the effect the novel had on him as a young reader: “I read Something Wicked when I was nine, read it again when I was thirteen, again when I was seventeen, and I still go back to it. I think it is a tremendous piece of fantastical writing” (“Revelations Clive Barker.” Clivebarker.info).