The Vault of Horror (comics)

The Vault of Horror is an American bi-monthly horror comic anthology series that was published by EC Comics from 1950 to 1955 created by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein. The magazine began in March 1948 as War Against Crime. It continued under this title for 11 issues before becoming The Vault of Horror with issue #12 (April/May 1950). The comic ran for 29 issues until being discontinued after issue #40 (December/January 1955).

Along with Tales from the Crypt and The Haunt of Fear, it formed a trifecta of popular EC horror anthologies. Publication ceased, however, after horror and crime comics came under scrutiny for an alleged link to juvenile delinquency and the subsequent imposition of a highly restrictive Comics Code.

The Vault of Horror has since been reprinted in single issues and collected volumes. Some of its stories were adapted for the 1972 motion picture Tales from the Crypt and television's Tales from the Crypt, which aired on HBO from 1989 to 1996.

Production history Original run In 1950, EC Comics publisher Bill Gaines and his editor, Al Feldstein, began experimenting with horror tales in their crime titles, War Against Crime and Crime Patrol. With issue #12 (April/May 1950), War Against Crime was replaced with The Vault of Horror. Due to an attempt to save money on second-class postage permits, characteristic of comics publishing in the era, the numbering did not change with the title.

The Vault of Horror continued to run for a total of 29 issues before ceasing publication with issue #40 (December/January 1955). Along with its sister titles, The Haunt of Fear and Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror was popular, but in the late 1940s and early 1950s comic books came under attack from parents, clergymen, schoolteachers, and others who believed the magazines contributed to illiteracy and juvenile delinquency. In April and June 1954, highly publicized congressional subcommittee hearings on the effects of comic books upon children left the industry shaken. With the subsequent imposition of a highly restrictive Comics Code, EC Comics publisher Bill Gaines cancelled The Vault of Horror and its two companion horror titles.

Reprints The Vault of Horror has been reprinted on numerous occasions. Ballantine Books reprinted selected stories in a series of paperback anthologies from 1964 to 1966. Other stories were reprinted in Horror Comics of the 1950s by Nostalgia Press (1971), edited by Bhob Stewart and Ron Barlow. Publisher Russ Cochran released six issues in his EC Portfolio (1971–77). East Coast Comix reprinted issue #26 in the early 1970s. The magazine was fully collected in a series of five black-and-white hardbacks by Cochran as part of The Complete EC Library in the early 1980s. Cochran also reprinted the title in a standard comic book format (out of sequence) during the early 1990s in association with Gladstone Publishing. He eventually reprinted the run in proper sequence during the late 1990s with Gemstone Publishing. This complete run was later rebound, with covers included, in a series of six softcover EC Annuals. In 2007, Cochran and Gemstone began to publish hardcover, re-colored volumes of The Vault of Horror as part of the EC Archives series. One volume (of a projected five) was published by Gemstone before their financial troubles left the project in limbo. A second volume was published by GC Press, a boutique imprint established by Cochran and Grant Geissman, in January 2012. Dark Horse Comics resumed publication of the series in 2014. The complete five-volume series was later republished as over-sized trade paperbacks from 2021 to 2024.

Production Creative team Like its horror companion titles, Tales from the Crypt and The Haunt of Fear, The Vault of Horror had its own distinctive qualities and atmosphere—in this case, created by its main artist, Johnny Craig. Craig illustrated all the covers for the entire run and was responsible for the lead story of all but issues #13 and #33. He also wrote all his own stories (save two) in Vault, something rarely done at EC, and became editor with issue #35 (February/March 1954). Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein wrote almost every other story until late 1953 to early 1954 when outside writers Carl Wessler and Jack Oleck were hired. Other contributing artists to The Vault of Horror were Feldstein, George Evans, Jack Kamen, Wally Wood, Graham Ingels, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Davis, Sid Check, Al Williamson, Joe Orlando, Reed Crandall, Bernard Krigstein, Harry Harrison, and Howard Larsen.

Influences and adaptations As with the other EC comics edited by Feldstein, the stories in this comic were primarily based on Gaines using existing horror stories and films to develop "springboards" from which he and Feldstein could launch new stories. Specific story influences that have been identified include the following:

"Portrait in Wax" (#12): Michael Curtiz's Mystery of the Wax Museum "Doctor of Horror" (#13): Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Body Snatcher" "Island of Death" (#13): Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game" "Rats Have Sharp Teeth" (#14): Henry Kuttner's "The Graveyard Rats" "Fitting Punishment" (#16): H. P. Lovecraft's "In the Vault" "Terror on the Moors" (#17): Clark Ashton Smith's "The Nameless Offspring" "Baby It's Cold Inside" (#17): H. P. Lovecraft's "Cool Air" "Voodoo Horror" (#17): Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray "The Mask of Horror" (#18): Robert Bloch's "The Cloak" "The Jellyfish" (#19): Ray Bradbury's "Skeleton" "Daddy Lost His Head" (#19): Robert Bloch's "Sweets to the Sweet" "Grandma's Ghost" (#20): Stephen Grendon's "Mr. George" "The Monster in the Ice" (#22): Christian Nyby's The Thing from Another World and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein "What the Dog Dragged In" (#22): Ray Bradbury's "The Emissary" "We Ain't Got No Body" (#28): Clark Ashton Smith's "The Return of the Sorcerer" "Star Light, Star Bright" (#34): Carl Theodor Dreyer's Vampyr "Ashes to Ashes" (issue 40): Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

After their unauthorized adaptation of one of Ray Bradbury's stories in another magazine, Bradbury contacted EC about their plagiarism of his work. They reached an agreement for EC to do authorized versions of Bradbury's short fiction. These official adaptations include:

"Let's Play Poison" (#29) "The Lake" (#31)

The Vault-Keeper

Although EC's horror stable consisted of three separate magazines, there was little beyond their titles to distinguish them from one another. Each magazine had its own host, known as a GhouLunatic. The Vault-Keeper was the primary host of The Vault of Horror. Hosting duties for any one magazine were typically shared with the hosts of the other two. For example, a single issue of The Vault of Horror would contain two stories told by the Vault-Keeper, one by the Crypt-Keeper (of Tales from the Crypt) and one by the Old Witch (of The Haunt of Fear). The professional rivalry among these three GhouLunatics was often played for comedic effect in the letter column.

The Vault-Keeper was introduced in War Against Crime #10, and he continued with the magazine after its rebranding. The character began as a frightening presence in the early issues, shown as an ancient inquisitor, hooded and robed, presiding over the empty dungeon of his bloody past. He soon evolved into a more comedic horror host, delivering an irreverent and pun-filled commentary to lighten the horrific tone of the stories he introduced. Occasionally, the Vault-Keeper would appear as a character as well. "Horror Beneath the Streets" (The Haunt of Fear #17) tells how he and his fellow GhouLunatics got their EC publishing contracts.

Drusilla, a mysterious woman with pale complexion and long black hair, was added as a co-host beginning with The Vault of Horror #37.

List of issues +The Vault of Horror issuesIssue #DateStory titleStory artistSummary (GhouLunatic host) 12 Apr/May 1950 Portrait in Wax! Johnny Craig A greedy man murders his roommate and dumps the corpse in a vat of acid in order to profit from his artistic work. A strange old man and his creepy wax museum enter the man's life to exact some vengeance. (The Vault-Keeper) The Werewolf Legend Wally Wood & Harry Harrison Walter Mallory is a rich heir who believes that he is the culprit of several gruesome murders about his estate—murders that only happen on the night of a full moon. (No host) Horror in the Night Harvey Kurtzman Tom Hawkins owns a roadside motel and relates to his friend the story of his strange dream in which a man and his ghoulish wife rent a room and a night of murder ensues. But, is it just a dream? Terror Train Al Feldstein Gloria is convinced her husband, Ralph, is trying to kill her, so she runs off and boards a train. The problem is that Ralph keeps popping up everywhere she looks, even in a lonely cabin that contains a single open coffin. (No host) 13 Jun/July 1950 The Dead Will Return! Al Feldstein Bert and Florence have just done away with the latter's husband and dump his body into the sea next to the lighthouse he used to own hoping to find a hidden stash of money near the place. Too bad that the ever-rotting corpse keeps washing up on the shore. (The Vault-Keeper) The Curse of Harkley Heath Wally Wood & Harry Harrison Charles, Sybil, and Edgar are the last heirs to the crumbling remains of Harkley Heath, which is reported to be cursed. When Charles and Edgar plot to get Sybil out of the way they find out the true power of the curse. (No host) Doctor of Horror Graham Ingels Poor Doctor Lemonet must find a way to bring in more students to his anatomy classes, but there is a shortage in cadavers. So the good physician turns to grave robbing and a little foul play. (No host) Island of Death Harvey Kurtzman Steve and Alec's jet crashes into a lonely island in the Pacific, Alec seeming to have disappeared. Steve then comes upon a castle where a strange count and his manservant live. The count enjoys a good game of sport, especially when it comes to hunting humans. (No host) 14 Aug/Sept 1950 Voodoo Vengeance! Johnny Craig A befuddled old husband realizes his beautiful wife is having an affair with a younger man and turns to a voodoo priest for assistance. He is given a doll in the likeness of his wife, which he uses to inflict a little payback. (The Vault-Keeper) Werewolf Jules Feiffer & Harry Harrison A group of hikers take residence in a mountaintop cabin, but Jan Bodzla, their Romanian guide, believes that one of them is a ravenous werewolf and will do anything to kill the beast. (No host) Rats Have Sharp Teeth! Graham Ingels Abner Tucker uses his position as town historian to rob the graves of the wealthy but is pestered by the filthy rats that scuttle about the tunnels. He sets up traps to slay the rodents, but those furry fiends will chew through anything. (No host) The Strange Couple! Al Feldstein A you-are-the-main-character story in which your car has stalled on a lonely road one dark and stormy night. You decide to seek shelter in a nearby cottage where a vampire husband and his ghoul wife are just dying to let you stay the night. (The Vault-Keeper) 15 Oct/Nov 1950 Horror House! Johnny Craig Henry is a struggling comic book writer whose rowdy friends throw parties every day in his apartment, so he rents a lonely house in the country which is rumored to be haunted. In an attempt to get him back, three of his friends plan to scare him out of the house with smoke and mirrors. If only they knew that something was lurking inside. (The Vault-Keeper) Terror in the Swamp! Al Feldstein An old hermit relates to two travelers the story of a group of scientists who accidentally created an amoeba that devoured anything in its path and grew with each feeding. The travelers should have heeded the tale. Reprinted from The Haunt of Fear #15 (1) (May/Jun 1950) where it appeared as "The Thing in the Swamp!" (The Old Witch) Report from the Grave Jack Kamen