The Vault of Horror (comics)

This article is about the comic. For the film, see The Vault of Horror (film).

The Vault of Horror was part of Bill Gaines' EC Comics line during the early 1950s. The bi-monthly horror comic, edited by Al Feldstein, began with an issue cover-dated April – May 1950. Over a four-year span, it ran for 29 issues, ending with the December 1954 – January 1955 issue. Johnny Craig was promoted to editor of the comic with issue 35 in February, 1954.

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The Vault of Horror originated through the crime comic War Against Crime published by EC in the late 1940s. In 1950, Gaines and Feldstein experimented with horror stories in that title and its companion, Crime Patrol. The Vault Keeper made his first appearance in this title. With issue 12 of War Against Crime, the title was changed to The Vault of Horror, and it became a full fledged horror comic for the remainder of its run. Due to an attempt to save money on second-class postage permits, the numbering did not change with the title change, so the first issue of The Vault of Horror was #12.

As with its companions, Tales From the Crypt and The Haunt of Fear, The Vault of Horror had its own distinctive qualities and atmosphere due to its main artist, Johnny Craig. The front covers were illustrated by Craig for the entire run. Craig also did the lead story for all but two issues (13 and 33). Interesting of note is that except for his stories in issues 38 and 39, Craig also wrote all his own stories for this title, something quite rare at EC comics. Gaines and Feldstein wrote almost every other story until late 1953/early 1954 when outside writers like Carl Wessler and Jack Oleck were brought in. 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.

As with Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror was voluntarily killed by publisher Bill Gaines in September 1954 due to the increasing outcry over horror comics.

Stories from The Vault of Horror were adapted to motion pictures in Freddie Francis' Tales from the Crypt (1972) and Roy Ward Baker's The Vault of Horror (1973). Stories were also adapted in the Tales from the Crypt television series that aired on HBO starting in 1989.

Issue Guide

#	Date	Cover Artist	Story	Story Artist	Story Host
12	April/May 1950	Johnny Craig	Portrait in Wax!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			The Werewolf Legend	Wally Wood & Harry Harrison	None
			Horror in the Night	Harvey Kurtzman	None
			Terror Train	Al Feldstein	None
13	June/July 1950	Johnny Craig	The Dead Will Return!	Al Feldstein	Vault Keeper
			The Curse of Harkley Heath	Wally Wood & Harry Harrison	None
			Doctor of Horror	Graham Ingels	None
			Island of Death	Harvey Kurtzman	None
14	Aug/Sept 1950	Johnny Craig	Voodoo Vengeance!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			Werewolf	Jules Feiffer & Harry Harrison	None
			Rats Have Sharp Teeth!	Graham Ingels	None
			The Strange Couple!	Al Feldstein	None
15	Oct/Nov 1950	Johnny Craig	Horror House!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			Terror in the Swamp!	Al Feldstein	Old Witch
			Report from the Grave	Jack Kamen	None
			Buried Alive!	Graham Ingels	None
16	Dec/Jan 1951	Johnny Craig	Werewolf Concerto	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			Fitting Punishment	Graham Ingels	None
			The Grave Wager	Jack Kamen	None
			Escape!	Al Feldstein	Old Witch
17	Feb/March 1951	Johnny Craig	Terror on the Moors!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			Baby... It's Cold Inside!	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
			The Beast of the Full Moon!	Jack Davis	Vault Keeper
			Voodoo Horror!	Jack Kamen	Crypt Keeper
18	April/May 1951	Johnny Craig	Sink-Hole!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			Lend Me a Hand!	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
			The Mask of Horror	Jack Kamen	Vault Keeper
			Dying to Lose Weight!	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
19	June/July 1951	Johnny Craig	Southern Hospitality	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			The Jellyfish!	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
			Daddy Lost His Head!!	Jack Kamen	Vault Keeper
			Reunion!	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
20	Aug/Sept 1951	Johnny Craig	About Face!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			The Reluctant Vampire!	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
			Grandma's Ghost!	Jack Kamen	Vault Keeper
			Revenge is the Nuts'!	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
21	Oct/Nov 1951	Johnny Craig	One Last Fling!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			Thats A 'Croc'!	Howard Larsen	Old Witch
			Child's Play	Jack Kamen	Vault Keeper
			Trapped!	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
22	Dec/Jan 1952	Johnny Craig	Fountains of Youth!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			The Monster in the Ice!!	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
			Gone... Fishing!	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
			What the Dog Dragged In!	Jack Kamen	Vault Keeper
23	Feb/March 1952	Johnny Craig	A Stitch in Time!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			99 44/100% Pure Horror!	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
			Dead Wait!	Jack Davis	Vault Keeper
			Staired... In Horror!	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
24	April/May 1952	Johnny Craig	A Bloody Undertaking!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			...With All the Trappings!	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
			Impressed by A Nightmare!	Joe Orlando	Vault Keeper
			The Death Wagon!	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
25	June/July 1952	Johnny Craig	Seance!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			Kickin' The Gong A Round!	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
			Practical Yolk!	Jack Kamen	Vault Keeper
			Collection Completed!	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
26	Aug/Sept 1952	Johnny Craig	Two of a Kind!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			Graft in Concrete!	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
			Half-Way Horrible!	Sid Check	Vault Keeper
			Hook, Line and Stinker!	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
27	Oct/Nov 1952	Johnny Craig	Silver Threads Among the Mold!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			People Who Live in Brass Hearses...	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
			Strictly From Hunger!	George Evans	Vault Keeper
			A Grim Fairy Tale!	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
28	Dec/Jan 1953	Johnny Craig	Till Death...	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			The Chips Are Down!	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
			For How the Bell Tolls!	George Evans	Vault Keeper
			We Ain't Got No Body!	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
29	Feb/March 1953	Johnny Craig	The Mausoleum!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			Let's Play Poison!	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
			A Sock For Christmas	Jack Kamen	Vault Keeper
			Pickled Pints!	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
30	April/May 1953	Johnny Craig	Split Personality!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			Who Doughnut?	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
			Practical Choke!	George Evans	Vault Keeper
			Notes to You!	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
31	June/July 1953	Johnny Craig	Easel Kill Ya!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			A Peach of a Plot!	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
			The Lake	Joe Orlando	Vault Keeper
			One Good Turn...	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
32	Aug/Sept 1953	Johnny Craig	Whirlpool	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			Out of His Head!	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
			An Ample Sample	George Evans	Vault Keeper
			Funeral Disease!	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
33	Oct/Nov 1953	Johnny Craig	Together They Lie!	Reed Crandall	Vault Keeper
			Let the Punishment Fit the Crime!	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
			A Slight Case of Murder!	George Evans	Vault Keeper
			Strung Along!	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
34	Dec/Jan 1954	Johnny Craig	Star Light, Star Bright!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			While the Cat's Away...	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
			Smoke Wrings	Reed Crandall	Vault Keeper
			Where There's A Will...	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
35	February/March 1954	Johnny Craig	...And All Through the House...	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			Tombs-Day!	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
			Beauty Rest	Jack Kamen	Vault Keeper
			Shoe-Button Eyes!	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
36	April/May 1954	Johnny Craig	Twin Bill!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			Witch Witch's Witch!	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
			Pipe Dream	Bernard Krigstein	Vault Keeper
			Two-Timed!	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
37	June/July 1954	Johnny Craig	Surprise Party!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			Chop Talk!	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
			Take Care	Al Williamson	Vault Keeper
			Oh! Henry!	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
38	Aug/Sept 1954	Johnny Craig	Any Sport in a Storm	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			Coffin Spell!	Jack Davis	Crypt Keeper
			The Catacombs	Bernard Krigstein	Vault Keeper
			Out of Sight...	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
39	Oct/Nov 1954	Johnny Craig	Deadly Beloved!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			Top Billing	Reed Crandall	Crypt Keeper
			The Purge	Bernard Krigstein	Vault Keeper
			All for Gnawt	Graham Ingels	Old Witch
40	Dec/Jan 1955	Johnny Craig	Old Man Mose!	Johnny Craig	Vault Keeper
			An Harrow Escape!	Joe Orlando	Crypt Keeper
			The Pit!	Bernard Krigstein	Vault Keeper
			Ashes to Ashes!	Graham Ingels	Old Witch

Trivia and famous stories

• And All Through the House from issue 35 is probably this comic's most famous story. It was adapted for both the movie version of Tales From the Crypt and the first episode of the television series.
• The following stories were used in HBO's Tales From The Crypt television series: Horror In The Night (Issue 12), Doctor of Horror (Issue 13), 99 & 44/100% Pure Horror (Issue 23), Report From The Grave (Issue 15), FItting Punishment (Issue 16), Werewolf Concerto (Issue 16), Revenge Is The Nuts (Issue 20), The Reluctant Vampire (Issue 20), Dead Wait (Issue 23), Staired in Horror (Issue 23), Collection Completed (Issue 25), Seance (Issue 25), Half-Way Horrible (Issue 26), People Who Live In Brass Hearses (Issue 27), 'Til Death (Issue 28), Split Personality (Issue 30), Easel Kill Ya (Issue 31), Whirlpool (Issue 32), Strung Along (Issue 33), Let The Punishment Fit The Crime (Issue 33), A Slight Case of Murder (Issue 33), Smoke Wrings (Issue 34), And All Through The House (Issue 35), Beauty Rest (Issue 35), Surprise Party (Issue 37), Top Billing (Issue 39), and The Pit (Issue 40).
• The story What the Dog Dragged In from issue 22 was an unauthorized adaptation of "The Emissary" by Ray Bradbury. Bradbury and EC eventually reached an agreement due to an unauthorized story in Weird Fantasy and two official adaptations appeared in The Vault of Horror, "Let's Play Poison" (#29) and "The Lake" (# 31).
• The early issues featured a couple of H. P. Lovecraft adaptations. The story Fitting Punishment in issue 16 was based on Lovecraft's In the Vault. The story Baby... It's Cold Inside in issue 17 was based on Lovecraft's Cool Air.
• R. L. Stine's collection Beware! R. L. Stine Picks His Favorite Scary Stories had "A Sock for Christmas" from issue 29.
• "A Grim Fairy Tale" (#27) was the first of many Grim Fairy Tales featured in EC's three horror comics over the last years of their existence. These stories were primarily either horror tales told in a medieval setting, or retellings of classic fairy tales, with a horror twist.
• The cover of issue 32, which featured a corpse with a cleaver stuck in its head was censored prior to publication in order to remove the cleaver. The corresponding story Out of His Head was also censored to remove the cleaver. The cover and story would eventually appear uncensored decades later when this issue was reprinted.
• Drusilla, hostess of The Vault of Horror made her first appearance in issue 37's Surprise Party. She appeared with the Vault Keeper for the remainder of the lead stories until the final issue.
• The story Portrait in Wax is a rip-off of the film Mystery of The Wax Museum.

Reprint History

Stories from The Vault of Horror were first reprinted in 1964 in the Tales From the Crypt paperback published by Ballantine Books. Featuring reprints of eight EC horror stories, this book reprinted three stories from The Vault of Horror, Let the Punishment Fit the Crime from issue 33, Whirlpool from issue 32 and And All Through the House from issue 35. Ballantine would print a similarly themed book titled The Vault of Horror in 1965 which again reprinted eight original EC horror stories, although only one, Star Light, Star Bright (issue 34) was from the comic of the same name. Finally, later in 1965 Ballantine published another book in the series featuring only Ray Bradbury adaptions which included the stories The Lake from issue 31 and Let's Play Poison from issue 29.

Stories would later be reprinted in the book Horror Comics of the 1950's. This book, published by Nostalgia Press in 1971, featured approximately 20 well known EC horror stories. The stories Pipe Dream (issue 36), Shoe Button Eyes (issue 35), and Star Light Star Bright were those from the Vault of Horror that were included in this book.

The 6 issues of EC Portfolio, published by Russ Cochran from 1971-1977 included reprints of many well known EC stories and covers. Content from the Vault of Horror included Let's Play Poison, and Shoe Button Eyes again, as well as issue 24's With All the Trappings. East Coast Comix reprinted the entire issue 26 in the early 1970's.

After years of only small portions of this comic being reprinted, Russ Cochran decided to reprint the entire comic from start to finish in The Complete EC Library. The Vault of Horror was reproduced in black in white in 5 hardbound volumes that were printed in the early 1980's. Cochran would eventually reprint the title in comic form, first jumping from issue to issue during the 1980's and early 90's and eventually doing them from start to finish later on in the 1990's.