Dead Children’s playground - a review
Before we get into the meat of today’s post, I wanted to share a little bit of an update. First off, my schedule in the subscriber email has been shifted around (or at least I’m fairly certain it has been). I’m not that big a fan of only really including the schedule in the emails anyway, so I’m trying to rework what the point of the subscription is. I’ll have my new plan in place for this month’s email, so keep an eye out for it if you’re subscribed (and if you’re not, subscribe at the bottom of this page).
******
On April 4th, I had a wonderful conversation with horror author James Kaine.
As everyone here knows, we at GHPR are very much so in the middle of making a paranormal show. Living in Huntsville, we’d be remiss to not include something about Dead Children’s Playground. While we were in the middle of principle photography for that episode, I started getting ads for a book called Dead Children's Playground. At the time, I didn't think too much about it.
I don't mean anything bad when I say this, but I really wasn't too excited by the idea at first. Again, no dig against the author intended, it just seems that whenever an urban legend or paranormal encounter gets turned into a novel it just doesn't really work out too well. For once, I think I've been proven wrong!
****
Just a note, if you want to read the book and care about spoilers, now's the point where you should leave.
***
If you know anything about Dead Children's Playground, you probably know that there used to be a quarry where the playground now sits. If you didn't, that's why the playground is so low relative to the cemetery (and why it has that big rock wall surrounding part of it). If you've heard the story before, you'll know that the most popular explanation as to how it became haunted has to do with a serial killer that supposedly operated out of, or at least used the quarry as a disposal site, as he abducted and murdered local children in the early ‘60s. As I was digging into the story for Signal & Noise I wasn't that surprised to find that there's no historical evidence for anything like that (this comes from searches, both through our library’s archives and what's available on the internet, alongside a conversation with local historian Jacque Reeves). You hear a lot from people online saying that, just because there's no evidence that doesn't mean it didn't happen — in this case it does, I think. In the end, though, that doesn't really matter.
What's important here is the story (this is something Signal & Noise will explore to a degree).
After picking up the novel, it's not surprising that Mr. Kaine decided to adapt the serial killer story for his fictionalized account of the playground. He does so very well, too! The opening pages of the novel are centered around Abel, the apparent killer, as he's been cornered in the quarry by the revenge-driven parents of the, well, dead children.
As the story progresses, we meet the Macklin sisters, Kayla (19) and Kylie (9) — our main characters. We find them in the middle of a move, alongside their parents, relocating to Huntsville from Florida. Kylie has spent a large portion of her young life struggling with cancer. This has left Kylie immunocompromised, her mother Gretchen has become overbearing and obsessed with her health, and Kayla has been left in the lurch, often feeling somewhat forgotten. We find them amidst a period of turmoil that's rather convincingly written. It's obvious that, to some degree, the author is writing from experience (at least when it comes to the medical trauma afflicting the Macklins). This, the relationships and struggles shared between the Macklin family, is where the book really shines. Not every author is very good at portraying a family that, despite their flaws, obviously still cares about each other. It's refreshing to see it done so well here.
Not long after moving in, Kylie is led to Maple Hill Cemetery (and the eponymous playground) by a strange girl named Emily. Through dream sequences and nightly excursions, we're introduced to another piece of Huntsville's haunted folklore through the character of Eunice who appears, watching over the playing spirits, seated in her beloved rocking chair. As we see the older Macklin sister explore Huntsville, make friends, and get a job, we’re led to the mausoleum that I'm sure every Huntsville native is familiar with — there, entombed with its occupants, the rocking chair of Eunice.
Making use of some well-placed symbolism and unexpected foreshadowing, James Kaine weaves an unexpectedly enticing, though somewhat short, web of suspense and fear. If you're looking for a gory, slasher-style horror story, you're looking in the wrong place (although Mr. Kaine has definitely explored this subgenre, and explored it well at that). Instead, what we've been given is a classic ghost story that exceeds at just about everything it sets out to do.
I've heard from some locals who were bothered by the author’s decision to not entirely rely on existing locations within Huntsville. Although I think I see where they're coming from (I mean, it's always cool to see places you drive by everyday in a story like this), I'd argue that the story is better for it. At a certain point I could see the story devolving into something akin to, “See, I read about Huntsville! There's Calhoun and there's the exact street corner that leads up to the playground!” and in the process losing some of it's oomph. Beyond that, it feels a little disrespectful (to me at least) to use real names and places too extensively in a work of fiction.
If you get the chance, this is definitely a book worth picking up! James Kaine does a great job in making us care about the Macklin’s and the supernatural horrors they unexpectedly face in their new home. In this book packed with local easter eggs and slow-burn thrills, there's something for any fan of horror or the paranormal.
Make sure you stop by the author's website (jameskaine.net)! He's also just an all-around cool guy!
Stay weird!
-Scott