I always do this to myself. I blame it on one too many heated Monopoly nights with my dad who swears religiously that he isn’t competitive, even though it is common knowledge that he is.
Apparently, so am I.
When I saw a video on social media detailing the premise of a horror book, slyly adding that there was a general consensus that even the most die-hard horror fans could not make it past page 40, I took it as the challenge it rightfully was not and scarred myself for life in the process.
Mind you, I am not a horror fan. I get paranoid if I am left home alone for more than an hour and still find the presence of a night light essential for a decent night’s sleep. However, I am never one to back down from a challenge. After reading Aron Beauregard’s horror book “Playground,” I’m not so sure that’s a good thing anymore.
The victims are low-income families who are given an absurd amount of money to let their children test a “state of the art” indoor playground. This part is technically accurate, if one considers horror an art form. The catch is that the families can’t tell anyone about this opportunity, as it would violate the sanctity of the experiment. That, and the old lady who runs the torture show doesn’t want to get 20 to life.
The premise of the playground is simple enough. The children need to get past the human-maiming obstacles in order to reach the neon pink “EXIT” sign at the end of the room. The truly sickening part – besides the overly descriptive torture of little kids – is that their parents are forced to watch the entire thing.
What is really haunting is that each chapter switches between the perspectives of the antagonists, parents and children. This became difficult to stomach when reading about the hope the children displayed in order to overcome the playground, only to discover in the next chapter that it wouldn’t matter because they were all going to be killed in the end, whether or not they made it through. (This is not a spoiler because there is a twist at the end.)
In regards to page 40, it’s not what you think it’s going to be. There is absolutely nothing I can write that will prepare you for the disgusting atrocities described on those pages. I would recommend skipping it all together, but if you are anything like me, you will see it as an even bigger challenge to conquer. Instead, I highly advise that you do not ingest any food while reading it.
Although this was my first time reading a horror book, I found it interesting that the torturing didn’t start until about halfway through. The book didn’t have a slow start by any means, but Bearagard dives deep into the traumatic pasts of the antagonists, as well as the relationships of the families before he begins killing them off. Ultimately, this background helps the reader get attached to the characters before reading an excruciating, detailed description as to how their heads were decapitated. The full-blown illustrations didn’t help either.
If you like horror, don’t get spooked easily or enjoy not being able to sleep at night, read this book. If you jump at the sight of your own reflection, or you don’t want to fall asleep while studying for midterms because of the nightmares that will inevitably haunt your subconscious, I would save this for another time.
If you are competitive, however, I know better than to persuade you one way or another. If you do decide to enter this hideous world, proceed with caution.
