''The Vault of Horror'' was an American bi-monthly

horror comic Horror comics are comic books, graphic novels, black-and-white comics magazines, and manga focusing on horror fiction. In the US market, horror comic books reached a peak in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s, when concern over content and the ...

anthology series published by

EC Comics Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books, which specialized in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction, dark fantasy, and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-195 ...

in the early 1950s. Along with ''

Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

'' and ''

The Haunt of Fear ''The Haunt of Fear'' was an American bi-monthly horror comic anthology series published by EC Comics, starting in 1950. Along with ''Tales from the Crypt'' and '' The Vault of Horror'', it formed a trifecta of popular EC horror anthologies. ''Th ...

'', it formed a trifecta of popular EC horror anthologies. ''The Vault of Horror'' hit newsstands with its April/May 1950 issue and ceased publication with its December/January 1955 issue, producing a total of 40 issues.

Origin

In 1950,

William Gaines William Maxwell Gaines (; March 1, 1922 – June 3, 1992), was an American publisher and co-editor of EC Comics. Following a shift in EC's direction in 1950, Gaines presided over what became an artistically influential and historically import ...

and his editor

Al Feldstein Albert Bernard Feldstein ( ; October 24, 1925 – April 29, 2014) was an American writer, editor, and artist, best known for his work at EC Comics and, from 1956 to 1985, as the editor of the satire, satirical magazine ''Mad (magazine), Mad''. Aft ...

discovered they shared similar tastes in horror and began experimenting with such stories in EC's

crime comic Crime comics is a genre of American comic books and format of crime fiction. The genre was originally popular in the late 1940s and early 1950s and is marked by a moralistic editorial tone and graphic depictions of violence and criminal activity. ...

''War Against Crime'' and its companion title, ''Crime Patrol''. With issue #12 the ''War Against Crime'' title was replaced with ''The Vault of Horror''. Due to an attempt to save money on second-class postage permits, characteristic of comics publishing of the era, the numbering did not change with the title; the first issue of ''The Vault of Horror'' was thus labelled "No. 12". There is, however, evidence of an intention to reset the series' numbering with the fourth issue (#15), as was done with ''

'' (the numbering of which was reset, yet also "continued" by ''

Two-Fisted Tales ''Two-Fisted Tales'' is an anthology war comic published bi-monthly by EC Comics in the early 1950s. The title originated in 1950 when Harvey Kurtzman suggested to William Gaines that they publish an adventure comic. Kurtzman became the editor of ...

'': a few copies survive of the first issue of ''

Crime SuspenStories ''Crime SuspenStories'' was a bi-monthly anthology crime comic published by EC Comics in the early 1950s. The title first arrived on newsstands with its October/November 1950 issue and ceased publication with its February/March 1955 issue, produc ...

'' with a different indicia on the inside front cover. As the

Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide ''The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide'' (or ''Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide'') is an annually published comic book price guide widely considered the primary authority on the subject of American comic book grading and pricing in the ...

explains: ''"#15 (formerly ''The Vault of Horror'')" printed and blackened out on inside front cover with "Vol.1, No.1" printed over it. Evidently, several of No.15 were printed before a decision was made not to drop the ''Vault of Horror'' and ''Haunt of Fear'' series. The print run was stopped on No.15 and continued on No.1. All of the No.15 issues were changed as described above.''"

Artists and writers

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 John Thomas Alexis Craig (April 25, 1926 – September 13, 2001),John T. Craig
at the ...

. 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, 1954). Gaines and Feldstein wrote almost every other story until late 1953/early 1954 when outside writers

Carl Wessler Carroll O. Wessler (May 25, 1913 – April 9, 1989),Carroll O. Wessler
Social Sec ...

and

Jack Oleck Jack Oleck (March 1, 1914 – March 10, 1981)Social Security Death Index, SS# 115-01-6988. was an American novelist and comic book writer particularly known for his work in the horror genre. The brother-in-law of comics pioneer Joe Simon, Oleck' ...

were brought in. Other contributing artists to ''The Vault of Horror'' were Feldstein, George Evans,

Jack Kamen Jack Kamen (; May 29, 1920 – August 5, 2008) was an American illustrator for books, magazines, comic books and advertising, known for his work illustrating crime, horror, humour, suspense and science fiction stories for EC Comics, for his work in ...

Wally Wood Wallace Allan Wood (June 17, 1927 – November 2, 1981) was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, widely known for his work on EC Comics's titles such as ''Weird Science (comic), Weird Science'', ''Weird Fantasy'', an ...

Graham Ingels Graham J. Ingels (; June 7, 1915April 4, 1991) was a comic book and magazine illustrator best known for his work in EC Comics during the 1950s, notably on ''The Haunt of Fear'' and ''Tales from the Crypt'', horror titles written and edited by Al ...

Harvey Kurtzman Harvey Kurtzman (; October 3, 1924 – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and editor. His best-known work includes writing and editing the parodic comic book '' Mad'' from 1952 until 1956, and writing the ''Little Ann ...

, Jack Davis, Sid Check,

Al Williamson Alfonso Williamson (March 21, 1931 – June 12, 2010) was an American cartoonist, comic book artist and illustrator specializing in adventure, Western, science fiction and fantasy. Born in New York City, he spent much of his early childhood in ...

Joe Orlando Joseph Orlando (April 4, 1927 – December 23, 1998) was an Italian American illustrator, writer, editor and cartoonist during a lengthy career spanning six decades. He was the associate publisher of '' Mad'' and the vice president of DC Comics, ...

Reed Crandall Reed Leonard Crandall (February 22, 1917 – September 13, 1982) Reed Crandall
at ...

Bernard Krigstein Bernard Krigstein (; March 22, 1919 – January 8, 1990), was an American illustrator and gallery artist who received acclaim for his innovative and influential approach to comic book art, notably in EC Comics. His artwork usually displayed the s ...

, 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" (issue 12) –

Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed cla ...

's ''

The Mystery of the Wax Museum ''Mystery of the Wax Museum'' is a 1933 American pre-Code mystery- horror film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Glenda Farrell, and Frank McHugh. It was produced and released by Warner Bros. and filmed in two-color ...

'' *"Doctor of Horror" (issue 13)-

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...

's "

The Body Snatcher "The Body Snatcher" is a short story by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894). First published in ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' in December 1884, its characters were based on criminals in the employ of real-life surgeon Robert K ...

" *"Island of Death" (issue 13) –

Richard Connell Richard Edward Connell Jr. (October 17, 1893 – November 22, 1949) was an American author and journalist. He is best remembered for his short story "The Most Dangerous Game" (1924). Connell was one of the most popular American short story wr ...

's "

The Most Dangerous Game "The Most Dangerous Game", also published as "The Hounds of Zaroff", is a short story by Richard Connell, first published in ''Collier's'' on January 19, 1924, with illustrations by Wilmot Emerton Heitland. The story features a big-game hunter ...

" *"Fitting Punishment" (issue 16) – H. P. Lovecraft's " In the Vault" *"Terror on the Moors" (issue 17) –

Clark Ashton Smith Clark Ashton Smith (January 13, 1893 – August 14, 1961) was an American writer and artist. He achieved early local recognition, largely through the enthusiasm of George Sterling, for traditional verse in the vein of Algernon Charles Swinburne ...

's "The Nameless Offspring" *"Baby It's Cold Inside" (issue 17) – H. P. Lovecraft's "

Cool Air "Cool Air" is a short story by the American horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft, written in March 1926 and published in the March 1928 issue of ''Tales of Magic and Mystery (magazine), Tales of Magic and Mystery''. Plot The narrator offers a ...

" *"Voodoo Horror" (issue 17) –

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

's "

The Picture of Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a philosophical fiction, philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine''.''Th ...

" *"The Mask of Horror" (issue 18) –

Robert Bloch Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime, psychological horror and fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and television. He also wrote a relatively small ...

's " The Cloak" *"The Jellyfish" (issue 19) –

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and r ...

's "Skeleton" *"Daddy Lost His Head" (issue 19) – Robert Bloch's "Sweets to the Sweet" *"Grandma's Ghost" (issue 20) – Stephen Grendon's "Mr. George" *"The Monster in the Ice" (issue 22) –

Christian Nyby Christian Nyby (September 1, 1913 – September 17, 1993) was an American television and film director and editor. As an editor, he had seventeen feature film credits from 1943 to 1952, including ''The Big Sleep'' (1946) and '' Red River'' (194 ...

's ''

The Thing from Another World ''The Thing from Another World'', sometimes referred to as just ''The Thing'', is a 1951 American black-and-white science fiction-horror film, directed by Christian Nyby, produced by Edward Lasker for Howard Hawks' Winchester Pictures Corporati ...

'' *"What the Dog Dragged In" (issue 22) – Ray Bradbury's "The Emissary" *"We Ain't Got No Body" (issue 28) – Clark Ashton Smith's "

The Return of the Sorcerer "The Return of the Sorcerer" is a horror short story by American writer Clark Ashton Smith, first published in '' Strange Tales of Mystery and Terror'' in September 1931. The story ties into H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos due to its references ...

" *"Star Light, Star Bright" (issue 34) –

Carl Theodor Dreyer Carl Theodor Dreyer (; 3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968), commonly known as Carl Th. Dreyer, was a Danish film director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his movies are noted for their emotional aus ...

's ''

Vampyr ''Vampyr'' (german: Vampyr – Der Traum des Allan Gray, lit=Vampyr: The Dream of Allan Gray) is a 1932 horror film directed by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. The film was written by Dreyer and Christen Jul based on elements from J. Sheri ...

'' After their unauthorized adaptation of one of Ray Bradbury's stories in another magazine, Bradbury contacted EC about their

plagiarism Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thought ...

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" (issue 29) *"The Lake" (issue 31)

The Vault-Keeper

Although EC's horror stable consisted of three separate magazines, there was little beyond their titles to distinguish them. Each magazine had its titular host, but the hosting duties for any one issue were typically shared with the hosts of the other two. Thus, 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 ''The Haunt of Fear'' was an American bi-monthly horror comic anthology series published by EC Comics, starting in 1950. Along with ''Tales from the Crypt'' and '' The Vault of Horror'', it formed a trifecta of popular EC horror anthologies. ''Th ...

(of ''The Haunt of Fear''). The professional rivalry between these three GhoulLunatics was often played for comic effect. The Vault-Keeper was the primary host of ''The Vault of Horror''. He was introduced to the public in ''War against Crime'' #10, and he continued in that magazine through its change in title and format. He was a frightening presence in those early issues, an ancient inquisitor, hooded and robed, presiding over the empty dungeon of his bloody past. But he soon evolved into a more comedic

horror host A horror host is a person who acts as the host or presenter of a program where horror films and low-budget B movies are shown on television or the Internet. Usually the host assumes a horror-themed persona, often a campy or humorous one. General ...

, delivering an irreverent and pun-filled commentary to lighten the horrific tone of the stories he introduced.

Demise

Reprints

''The Vault of Horror'' has been reprinted on numerous occasions.

Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1998 and remains ...

reprinted selected ''Vault'' stories in a series of paperback EC anthologies in 1964–66. Other ''Vault'' stories were reprinted in ''Horror Comics of the 1950s'' by

Nostalgia Press Woodrow Gelman (1915 – February 9, 1978) was a publisher, cartoonist, novelist and an artist-writer for both animation and comic books. As the publisher of Nostalgia Press, he pioneered the reprinting of vintage comic strips in quality hardcov ...

(1971), edited by

Bhob Stewart Robert Marion Stewart, known as Bhob Stewart (November 12, 1937 – February 24, 2014) was an American writer, editor, cartoonist, filmmaker, and active fan who contributed to a variety of publications over a span of five decades. His articles a ...

and Ron Barlow. Publisher

Russ Cochran Russell Earl Cochran (born October 31, 1958) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour Champions, having previously been a member on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. He is one of the few natural left-handed players to wi ...

released six issues of 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 Gladstone Publishing was an American company that published Disney comics from 1986 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1998. The company had its origins as a subsidiary of Another Rainbow Publishing, a company formed by Bruce Hamilton and Russ Cochran to ...

. Cochran eventually reprinted the run in proper sequence during the later 1990s with

Gemstone Publishing Gemstone Publishing is an American company that publishes comic book price guides. The company was formed by Diamond Comic Distributors President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Geppi in 1994 when he bought Overstreet. Gemstone published licens ...

. 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 The ''EC Archives'' are an ongoing series of American hardcover collections of full-color comic book reprints of EC Comics, published by Russ Cochran and Gemstone Publishing from 2006 to 2008, and then continued by Cochran and Grant Geissman's G ...

'' 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 LLC, a boutique imprint established by Russ Cochran and

Grant Geissman Grant Geissman (born April 13, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist and Emmy Award, Emmy-nominated composer. He has recorded extensively for several Record label, labels since 1976 and played guitar on the theme for ''Monk (TV series), Monk'' and ...

, in January 2012. But the project may soon be revived under a new publisher, since

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

has announced plans to resume it with the release of ''The Vault of Horror Volume 3'' in January 2014.

Media adaptations

''The Vault of Horror'' story ''And All Through the House'' (#35) was adapted to motion picture in

Freddie Francis Frederick William Francis (22 December 1917 – 17 March 2007) was an English cinematographer and film director. He achieved his greatest successes as a cinematographer. He started his career with British films such as Jack Cardiff's ''Sons and L ...

' ''Tales from the Crypt'' (1972). The 1973 film ''The Vault of Horror'' is titled after this comic, but no stories from this comic were actually adapted for this film. ''Vault'' stories were also adapted for the ''Tales from the Crypt'' television series that aired on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

(1989). The following stories were used in the television series: ''Horror in the Night'' (Issue #12), ''Doctor of Horror'' (#13), ''Report from the Grave'' (#15), ''Fitting Punishment'' (#16), ''Werewolf Concerto'' (#16), ''Revenge Is the Nuts'' (#20), ''The Reluctant Vampire'' (#20), ''Dead Wait'' (#23), ''Staired in Horror'' (#23), ''99 & 44/100% Pure Horror'' (#23), ''Collection Completed'' (#25), ''Seance'' (#25), ''Half-Way Horrible'' (#26), ''People Who Live in Brass Hearses'' (#27), '' 'Til Death'' (#28), ''Split Personality'' (#30), ''Easel Kill Ya'' (#31), ''Whirlpool'' (#32), ''Strung Along'' (#33), ''Let The Punishment Fit The Crime'' (#33), ''A Slight Case of Murder'' (#33), ''Smoke Wrings'' (#34), ''And All Through the House'' (#35), ''Beauty Rest'' (#35), ''Surprise Party'' (#37), ''Top Billing'' (#39) and ''The Pit'' (#40). The Vault-Keeper appeared as a character in the 1993 animated series ''

Tales from the Cryptkeeper ''Tales from the Cryptkeeper'' is an animated horror children's television series made by Canadian studio Nelvana. The series was broadcast on YTV in Canada and on ABC in the United States, and on ITV in the United Kingdom. It was based on th ...

'' and was voiced by

David Hemblen David Hemblen (16 September 1941 – 16 November 2020) was an English actor who frequently worked in Canadian film, television and theatre who grew up in Toronto, Ontario. He is known for his role as George in '' La Femme Nikita'', Customs insp ...

. In 2019, American audio production company Pocket Universe Productions, of which the

AudioComics Company AudioComics Company is an audio production company that adapts comic books, graphic novels, and original works. It was founded in 2010, and expanded under the producers William Dufris, Lance Roger Axt, and Elaine Lee. Their productions have earned ...

(producers of the ''

Locke & Key ''Locke & Key'' is an American comic book series written by Joe Hill, illustrated by Gabriel Rodríguez, and published by IDW Publishing. Plot summary This plot is presented in chronological order. During the American Revolution, a group of ...

'' and ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...

'' audio dramas for

Audible Audible may refer to: * Audible (service), an online audiobook store * Audible (American football), a tactic used by quarterbacks * ''Audible'' (film), a short documentary film featuring a deaf high school football player * Audible finish or rush ...

Studios) is a division, released the first season of "

Presents ''The Vault of Horror''", a full-cast audio drama adapting the first 24 stories from the first six issues of the original comics (issues 12 – 17). Featuring a cast of more than 60 actors, including

Philip Proctor Philip Proctor (born 1940) is an American actor, comedian and a member of the Firesign Theatre. He has performed voice-over work for video games, films and television series. Career Of the four members of Firesign Theatre, Proctor has had t ...

, co-founder of

the Firesign Theatre The Firesign Theatre (also known as the Firesigns) was an American surreal humour, surreal comedy troupe who first appeared on November 17, 1966, in a live performance on the Los Angeles radio program ''Radio Free Oz'' on station KPFK FM broad ...

and

Denise Poirier Denise Poirier is an American actress. She is best known for playing the character of Æon Flux in the MTV animated series of Æon Flux, the same name. She also had prominent roles in Reign (anime), ''Reign: The Conqueror'', HBO's Spawn (TV ser ...

, best known for playing the character of

Æon Flux ''Æon Flux'' is an American avant-garde science fiction adventure animated television series that aired on MTV from November 30, 1991, until October 10, 1995, with film, comic book, and video game adaptations following thereafter. It premiered ...

in the

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

animated series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have either ...

, the role of the Vault-Keeper was voiced by

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

, and

comic book writer A script is a document describing the narrative and dialogue of a comic book in detail. It is the comic book equivalent of a television program teleplay or a film screenplay. In comics, a script may be preceded by a plot outline, and is almost ...

Kevin Grevioux Kevin Grevioux (; born September 9, 1962) is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and comic book writer. He is best known for his role as Raze in the ''Underworld'' film series, which he co-created, as well as his voicework in the cartoon '' ...

, creator of the ''Underworld'' film series. The complete 8+ hour audio drama was released in audiobook format on October 25, 2019, then as a podcast in March of 2020, and was adapted by Lance Roger Axt and Butch D'Ambrosio, and produced by Axt, Jonathan Woodward, and William Dufris, who also directed (the production being Dufris' final audio drama production before his death from cancer).

Issue guide

References

Sources

*Goulart, Ron. ''Great American Comic Books''. Publications International, Ltd., 2001. . *Overstreet, Robert L. ''Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide''. House of Collectibles, 2004. {{DEFAULTSORT:Vault of Horror, The Comics magazines published in the United States EC Comics publications 1950 comics debuts 1955 comics endings Fantasy comics Horror comics Tales from the Crypt American comics adapted into films Comics adapted into television series Comics about magic Comics by Carl Wessler Comics by Gardner Fox Vampires in comics Werewolf comics Zombies in comics Magazines established in 1950 Magazines disestablished in 1955