In Ray Bradbury’s The Halloween Tree (1972), a group of boys are whisked away on a magical Halloween eve and venture through time to learn the true meaning of Halloween. They encounter many obstacles and a great deal of folklore in the process. Some of it is true and some of it not true. All of it is laced with darkness. But just how sinister is it really? While there are many allegations that the ancient tradition of Samhain is actually a sacrificial party for pagans, there seems to be no first-hand accounts of this fact. In actuality, the folkloric origins of “sacrifice” have more to do with propaganda and less to do with tradition.