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73-493: (Redirected from Crypt Keeper ) Cryptkeeper or Crypt Keeper may refer to: The Crypt-Keeper , a narrator from the comic Tales from the Crypt Euderus set , the crypt-keeper wasp Crypt Keeper (wrestler) , ring name of José Estrada Jr., a Puerto Rican professional wrestler See also [ edit ] The Cryptkeeper Five , an American band Topics referred to by

146-640: A GhouLunatic. The Old Witch was the primary host of The Haunt of Fear . Hosting duties for any one magazine were typically shared with the hosts of the other two. For example, a single issue of The Haunt of Fear would contain two stories told by the Old Witch, one by the Crypt-Keeper (of Tales from the Crypt ) and one by the Vault-Keeper (of The Vault of Horror ). The professional rivalry among these three GhouLunatics

219-434: A car accident. Jean needs a blood transfusion but no one at the scene is a match until a mysterious stranger appears and volunteers his help. Shortly afterwards, bodies begin turning up in town—drained of their blood. (The Crypt-Keeper) The owners of a failing amusement park find themselves in luck when a newcomer agrees to sell them the rights to an amazing new rollercoaster. They decide to save on further costs by not testing

292-487: A cover drawn by Kyle Baker . All three of EC Comics' horror hosts (the GhouLunatics) appear in the issue, drawn by Rick Parker . Contributors to subsequent issues included brothers Joe R. Lansdale and John L. Lansdale, Don McGregor , husband and wife team James Romberger and Marguerite Van Cook , Mort Todd , and Chris Noeth. The new version had a smaller digest size with a graphic novel style bookbinding . In all,

365-401: A hand in the garbage at the city dump, a hand that belonged to an abusive man who murdered his wife's hired farmhand. (The Vault-Keeper) Ezra, a vengeful caretaker decides to get back at his enemies when they die and are brought to his cemetery by desecrating their bodies and refusing to bury them until spring... but not if the dead have anything to say about it. (The Old Witch) A man moves to

438-466: A handful of single issues in color from 1990 to 1991. Between 1992 and 1999, Cochran and Gemstone Publishing reprinted the full 30 individual issues. 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 Tales from the Crypt as part of the EC Archives series. Three volumes (of

511-532: A highly restrictive Comics Code , EC Comics publisher Bill Gaines cancelled Tales from the Crypt and its two companion horror titles. Tales from the Crypt has been reprinted on numerous occasions. Ballantine Books reprinted selected stories in a series of paperback anthologies from 1964 to 1966. The magazine was fully collected in a series of five black-and-white hardbacks by publisher Russ Cochran as part of The Complete EC Library in 1979. Cochran (in association with Gladstone Publishing and solo) reprinted

584-421: A horror story about a ghoul , and when he wakes up, he finds he has a strange new taste in food. (The Vault-Keeper) Ralph wants to give his fragile, sickly wife such a fright that it will cause her fatal heart failure, and he can inherit her money, the money she gained when they murdered her wealthy old uncle together. He decides that making her uncle "reappear" will be just the shock to kill her, not knowing that

657-556: A letter column, "The Old Witch's Niche." Thereafter, the Old Witch presided over the magazine as its comedic horror host , delivering an irreverent and pun-filled commentary to lighten the horrific tone of the stories she introduced. In spite of her late start, the Old Witch would prove to be the most visible of the GhoulLunatics in their initial run. Not only did she appear in virtually every issue of The Haunt of Fear , Tales From The Crypt , and The Vault of Horror , she also appeared in

730-403: A long drive. While driving, Carl falls asleep at the wheel and crashes the car. You wake up, glad to have survived. But why does everyone you meet run away from you? (The Crypt-Keeper) Tony decides to pay his "last respects" to his newly deceased wife but finds himself trapped in the crypt with her body. He is forced to turn to a shocking method of survival. (The Old Witch) A man skeptical about

803-408: A man on a sea crossing, forced to take a cabin that is supposedly cursed: everyone who slept in it has either gone crazy or mysteriously left the ship. (The Crypt-Keeper) Four wealthy, arrogant college students come to bitterly regret playing around with a book of voodoo spells. (No host) Janet is worried that her workaholic brother is ruining his health, so she calls in the family doctor to give him

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876-441: A mausoleum with just one more coffin, which Rodney is saving for himself at any cost. (The Old Witch) A town is full of curiosity at a strange man who always carries a basket on his shoulder. The townspeople get the answers they have been searching for when they break into his house. (The Crypt-Keeper) A young boy's teacher does not believe the stories he comes up with about traveling with an imaginary monster named Magog, even when

949-429: A mummy back to life actually revive it, only to learn the true horror of the pharaoh's curse. (The Old Witch) Jon Wayland, a painter, returns from the grave to keep on painting for all of eternity after committing a crime against his friend. (The Crypt-Keeper) A jealous man murders another man over a girl and buries him in an old graveyard. His secret soon comes out, and he is forced to hide in an old Civil War tunnel,

1022-444: A native tribe. When they are caught stealing, they learn a startling punishment. (No host) Ernest Parker grows tired of his nagging wife, Nan, and meets a younger woman named Faye. Together, they plan going away and getting married, but they have to get Nan out of the picture, so Ernest coughs up a plan to fake his death. (No host) Over a thousand years ago, a jealous pharaoh had one of his servants mummified after he fell in love with

1095-504: A new town, meets a beautiful girl, and moves in with her. After being "drugged" by her and having severe blackouts, he sets out to get revenge. However, whenever he blackouts, a woman ends up dead. (The Vault-Keeper) Jonah Westlake, the black sheep of the Westlake family, gets his kicks by playing practical jokes on his own kin, especially at funerals, but his latest joke may be his last. (The Old Witch) Bradbury Prince assists Henrick Villhem,

1168-495: A pair of young boys who have gone to a graveyard to test out an old wives' remedy for removing warts—but is it just magic or can the boys really believe their eyes? (The Old Witch) A man and his secretary are marooned on a deserted island following a plane crash. They ignore a warning not to eat any fruit from the trees growing on the island, with consequences neither of them could have foreseen. (The Vault-Keeper) Gold-digging Harriet plans to ditch her elderly husband to move in with

1241-522: A parting shot is determined to marry John's wife wearing the same tuxedo that John wore at the wedding. Unfortunately, this is what John was buried in, and now Larry has to dig up the body to retrieve it. (The Old Witch) Bill is in love with Laura, but Laura loves only Jim. Bill kills Jim and decides he must kill Laura because she knows about the murder. What Bill does not know is that when Jim promised to always protect Laura, he really meant it. (The Crypt-Keeper) Jean and her lover, Freddie, are involved in

1314-399: A professor who claims to be able to revive him after his death. The prisoner is executed in the electric chair, and the professor brings him back to life. He shoots the professor and goes to take his revenge on the judge who sentenced him to death but finds that he should not have been so hasty. (The Crypt-Keeper) A couple on their honeymoon come across a deserted amusement park. Only one ride

1387-426: A projected five) was released in 2012. Dark Horse Comics took over publication of the remainder of the series from 2015 to 2018. The complete five-volume series was later republished as over-sized trade paperbacks from 2021 to 2025. Gaines and Feldstein were responsible for writing all the stories until the end of 1953. An unauthorized adaptation of Ray Bradbury 's work in another of EC's comics eventually led to

1460-468: A projected five) were published before Gemstone's financial troubles left the project in limbo. The series was revived by Dark Horse Comics , which published the last two volumes in 2013 and 2014. These were later republished as over-sized trade paperbacks from 2021 to 2025. Papercutz began running a new series of original Tales from the Crypt comics in 2007. The first issue was published in June 2007 with

1533-404: A reviving tonic. When he begins going through a monstrous transformation, it is a race against time to find out what was in the tonic. (No host) Theodore Warren goes into a trance and draws the face of a terrified-looking man. He is shocked but not as much as when he meets the man in real life—a man who is carving Warren's own name into a tombstone. (No host) A prisoner on death row is visited by

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1606-423: A series of authorized Bradbury adaptations. Features included "Grim Fairy Tales", horror-based parodies of well-known fairy tales such as " Sleeping Beauty " and " Hansel and Gretel ". The parodies began appearing in issue #15 (September/October 1952). Artist Graham Ingels took over the art duties of The Haunt of Fear starting with issue #4 (November/December 1950). He became the Old Witch's primary artist for

1679-448: A series of paperback anthologies from 1964 to 1966. The magazine was fully collected in a series of five black-and-white hardbacks by publisher Russ Cochran as part of The Complete EC Library in 1985. Cochran also reprinted several issues in a standard comic book format during the early 1990s in association with Gladstone Publishing . He eventually reprinted the entire series with Gemstone Publishing from 1992 to 1998. This complete run

1752-404: A skeleton tied to the helm. (The Crypt-Keeper) Ida and Jim are plotting to murder Ida's stingy, drunken husband so they can be together. He proves a little harder to kill than they would like. (No host) The young sub-curator of a museum is angry that his own invention is being ignored in favor of a new exhibit: the frozen body of a Neanderthal . The enraged man decides to get even by thawing out

1825-492: A tale of a group of scientists that fed an amoeba that ate everything in its path to two boaters. It is just a myth... right? (No host) A doctor insists that the body he examined was killed by a vampire, but no one in town will believe him. So, he goes to the mansion where the body came from and finds that there is a vampire, but who is the vampire? (No host) A shopkeeper tells a customer a story about his quest with his assistant to Africa to collect some real shrunken heads from

1898-489: A total of 28 issues before ceasing publication with issue #28 (November/December 1954). Along with its sister titles, Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror , The Haunt of Fear 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

1971-441: A tunnel that leads him straight to a "biting finish". (The Old Witch) A crude, malicious circus owner mistreats and sabotages his circus freaks and employees until he blinds one of his famed attractions, then the tables are turned... (The Crypt-Keeper) You are a traveler seeking shelter in a commodious inn owned by an old, ugly man and find out he has a little secret that is just dying to come out. (The Old Witch) A hobo finds

2044-454: A turn for the worse when he damages the corpse's brain and has to make a last-minute substitution. (No host) The story of how Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein met the Crypt-Keeper, Vault-Keeper, and Old Witch in a sewer and were "persuaded" into giving them a publishing deal. (The Old Witch) Roger Compton goes to a small town to visit his old college friend, Peter, but finds that his old pal

2117-408: A younger lover, but her husband has one final surprise for her before she goes. (The Old Witch) A man acquires a gorilla's mummified paw and discovers it can grant him anything he wishes. Unfortunately, he does not always think before he wishes aloud. (The Crypt-Keeper) A greedy undertaker extorts money from the families of the dead by charging them for the most overpriced funerals possible. He finds

2190-408: Is all in the mind but can you tell when your nightmares will begin to spill over into reality? (No host) An arrogant reporter does a story on a famous haunted house and learns the hard way that some things should just be left alone. (No host) Dr. Ravenscar, a disgraced surgeon, retreats to his family castle to plan his comeback. He wants to prove he can bring a man back from the dead, but things take

2263-542: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages The Crypt-Keeper Tales from the Crypt 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 1947 as International Comics . It continued under this title for five issues before becoming International Crime Patrol (#6) and Crime Patrol (#7–16). It

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2336-477: Is his own involvement? (No host) A woman becomes mute with shock after witnessing a doctor murdering his wife. He commits the witness to an insane asylum but then decides he must kill her before she regains her voice. (No host) A couple whose plane went down over the Bermuda Triangle are trapped on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean. They think they are in luck when they come across a ship; until they find

2409-414: Is now a feared recluse with a peculiar hump on his back and an even more peculiar taste for human flesh. (The Old Witch) A young woman takes her alcoholic, partying brother to Mexico for a relaxing vacation. When he disappears into an underground club and numerous bodies are found partially eaten, she decides to find him on her own. (The Vault-Keeper) A group of scientists working on an experiment to raise

2482-494: Is open, and as they discover, the owner is a little too obsessed with making sure that his "dummies" look perfectly real. (No host) A fraternity boy is determined to terrify the new pledges going through a hazing ritual and makes them go to the top floor of an old house rumoured to be haunted. He gets his comeuppance when the boys disappear and he is sent to find them. Reprinted from The Haunt of Fear #15 (1) (May/Jun 1950). (No host) Larry kills his love rival, John, and as

2555-556: 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 Crypt-Keeper was introduced in Crime Patrol #15, and he continued with the magazine through its rebrandings. The character began as a frightening presence in the early issues, shown as a sinister hermit sitting framed in the lightless crypt's half-open door, his face all but hidden by

2628-665: The Tales from the Crypt cover remained censored. "Kamen's Kalamity" (#31) starred many members of the EC staff, including Gaines, Feldstein, and the story's artist, Kamen. Ingels, Davis, and Craig also made cameo appearances in the story in single panels which they drew themselves. 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

2701-421: The 1972 film and voiced by John Kassir in the 1989 television series. Freddy has managed to cheat death for many decades by having his old friend, a surgeon, perform transplants on him to replace his organs with those from a younger man. But he has to steal them from corpses, and now he is finding he has less and less time before he needs another operation. (The Crypt-Keeper) A public executioner decides to take

2774-495: The Cat's Away" ( The Vault of Horror #34) conducts a tour of his house above and below ground. "Horror Beneath the Streets" ( The Haunt of Fear #17) tells how he and his fellow GhouLunatics got their EC publishing contracts. The Crypt-Keeper also served as the host of EC's 3-D comic book, Three Dimensional Tales from the Crypt of Terror (1954). He was portrayed by Ralph Richardson in

2847-450: The Crypt traces its origin to a Feldstein story, "Return from the Grave!", in EC's Crime Patrol #15 (December 1949/January 1950) with the Crypt-Keeper making his debut as teller of the tale. Issue #16 featured more horror tales than crime stories, and, with issue #17, the title changed from Crime Patrol to The Crypt of Terror . Due to an attempt to save money on second-class postage permits,

2920-408: The Crypt 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

2993-693: The Horror Comics, and Dr. Wertham". He described it as "the outer limits of... 'good taste'." It was also one of many examples used by Fredric Wertham in his book Seduction of the Innocent . Author Grant Geissman used the title of the story for his book on EC artists, Foul Play (2005). 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

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3066-479: The art for the Crypt-Keeper's stories with #24 (June/July 1951) and continued as the title's lead artist for the rest of the run. Feldstein devised the Crypt-Keeper's origin story, "Lower Berth!" (#33), which was illustrated by Davis. Issue #38 was one of two covers from EC's horror comics censored prior to publication. While The Vault of Horror cover for issue #32 was restored in Russ Cochran's EC Library reprints,

3139-403: The best of him. (No host) A fraternity initiation goes eerily wrong, when the initiates are told to walk through a supposedly haunted house... but never come out. (No host) Boris Petaja, a skilled magician, begins to kidnap innocent townspeople to use in his experiments on a real "saw a man in two" trick but finally meets his match in a young couple he kidnaps. (No host) A swamp hermit relates

3212-460: The body and leaving it to decompose in the sun, but he does not think to check that the caveman is really dead. (No host) Daniel Richards is staying in Haiti with his wealthy plantation-owner friend. He ignores instructions not to spy on a native voodoo ritual but then notices something very interesting about the photo he took of the event. (No host) A you-are-the-main-character story in which you are

3285-426: The boy tells him Magog will gobble him up for whipping him. The teacher should have heeded the warning. (The Old Witch) A retired mobster marries a superstitious Irish family who are convinced that a banshee wails prior to the death of one of their kin. (The Vault-Keeper) A jealous husband keeps his wife locked up in their mansion like one of the numerous hounds he uses to hunt foxes. When she falls for another man,

3358-546: The comedy Fat & Slat , became The Haunt of Fear with issue #15 (1) (May/June 1950). Due to an attempt to save money on second-class postage permits, characteristic of comics publishing in the era, the numbering did not change along with the titles. However, numbering for the magazine was reset after #17 (3) due to a request by the United States Post Office that the fourth issue under the new title be numbered accordingly. The Haunt of Fear continued to run for

3431-459: The corpse is already ahead of him. (The Crypt-Keeper) A man who loves to collect hunting "trophies" discovers that it is not just animals that can be hunted. (The Crypt-Keeper) The Haunt of Fear Along with Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror , 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

3504-451: The direction of a man who may be able to help by giving Harry a hearing transplant from a bat. (The Crypt-Keeper) Two old friends are doctors who ca not agree whether illness is physical or just in the mind. When one of them is close to death, the other is convinced he can save his old friend through hypnosis, a technique so successful it keeps the patient's heart beating even after his death. (The Old Witch) Duncan falls asleep while reading

3577-438: The double curtain of his long white hair. 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 Crypt-Keeper would appear as a character as well, often providing the reader a glimpse of his life. "The Lower Berth" ( Tales from the Crypt #33) gives an account of the circumstances surrounding his birth. "While

3650-600: The effects of comic books upon children left the industry shaken. With the subsequent imposition of a highly restrictive Comics Code , which placed severe restrictions on violent comic book genres, including forbidding publishers from using the words "terror" and "horror" in titles and from depicting zombies , werewolves , gruesome characters, and outrè horror fiction trappings, EC Comics publisher Bill Gaines cancelled The Haunt of Fear and its two companion horror titles. The Haunt of Fear has been reprinted on numerous occasions. Ballantine Books reprinted selected stories in

3723-445: The eight-page lead stories and his splash pages, particularly on issues #14 and #17, set a new standard for horror illustration. Among the title's most controversial stories was "Foul Play" (#19, May/June 1953), written by Feldstein and drawn by Davis. It featured a crooked baseball player being dismembered, with his body parts used to play baseball by his murderers. The story was singled out by Robert Warshow in his 1954 essay "Paul,

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3796-417: The final story in each issue of Crime SuspenStories from #3 through #16. Occasionally, the Old Witch would appear as a character as well. A personal account of the circumstances surrounding her birth are related in "A Little Stranger!" ( The Haunt of Fear #14), and "Horror Beneath the Streets" ( The Haunt of Fear #17) tells how she and her fellow GhouLunatics got their EC publishing contracts. The character

3869-477: The following: 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: 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

3942-536: The following: Anecdotes from Bennett Cerf 's Try and Stop Me were sources for stories, including "House of Horror" (#21), "Death Suited Him!" (#21), and "Death's Turn!" (#22). 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: Although EC's horror stable consisted of three separate magazines, there

4015-519: The gem. When they are caught by the tribe themselves, he gives up his "friend" to the vengeful tribalmen only to find he must face the ultimate consequence! (The Old Witch) Jeff Slag, a conniving young man working at an ironworks , marries his boss's daughter and then murders his boss in order to take over the plant only to find that there really is irony in death. (The Crypt-Keeper) Two men attempt to rob their wealthy uncle's grave as revenge for his not leaving them any of his money. They are witnessed by

4088-417: The girl the pharaoh loved. However, the girl discovered his plot and tried to revive him with a scribe, only to be offed by the king. In the present, three friends stumble upon the crypt and find that history has a nasty way of repeating itself. (The Old Witch) A you-are-the-main-character story in which you are a man afflicted with recurring nightmares about being buried alive. Your psychiatrist assures you it

4161-451: The head owner of a cheese company, but when he refuses to tell Bradbury the secret ingredient, he decides to do away with Henrick. (The Crypt-Keeper) Rodney Whitman was just a young boy when his parents died and he was sent to live with his uncaring aunt and uncle and their two mean sons. The only thing that kept him going was the thought of being buried with his family in the Whitman mausoleum,

4234-463: The husband decides to take care of the problem, only to find he is barking up the wrong tree. (The Old Witch) Three explorers travel to a cursed crypt rumored to hold an evil being, but when they venture inside they find a perfectly preserved mummy and soon find that he is not the only monster lurking about. (The Vault-Keeper) Vincent Beardsley, a greedy New Yorker seeking the fourth tribal diamond for his collection, takes his friend to Ecuador to claim

4307-610: The law into his own hands. (No host) A private detective finds himself with a new case to solve when he and his wife rent a hotel room and find an unidentifiable body hidden inside. (No host) Convinced that he became a werewolf after a mysterious incident during a trip to Europe, Ralph goes to visit his old friend George for help. However, with the full moon rising, he is closer to the truth than he knows. (No host) A surgeon, furious that his fiancee has left him to marry an artistically gifted man, decides to take his revenge by cutting off his love rival's hand. The artist commits suicide, but

4380-457: The numbering did not change with the title and continued as The Crypt of Terror for the next two issues. Tales from the Crypt debuted with issue #20 (October/November 1950) and continued to run for a total of 27 issues (excluding the initial three, #17–19, published as The Crypt of Terror ) before ceasing publication with issue #46 (February/March 1955). Along with its sister titles, The Haunt of Fear and The Vault of Horror , Tales from

4453-444: The remainder of the comic's run, though his art had been appearing since the second issue. Ingels later took over cover art duty with issue #11 (January/February 1952). Other artists who contributed to the title were Feldstein, Johnny Craig , Wally Wood , Harvey Kurtzman , Jack Davis , George Roussos , Harry Harrison , Joe Orlando , Sid Check, George Evans , Reed Crandall , Jack Kamen , and Bernard Krigstein . Ingels' artwork on

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4526-429: The ride for safety, but then when it opens, they are offered the first turn on the new attraction. (The Old Witch) On New Year's Eve, Robert Arnold discovers a book in the attic that tells of a curse on his family: every 50 years, the oldest of the clan will die on New Year's Eve. Robert realizes he is the oldest living Arnold, but he does not believe in the curse. (The Vault-Keeper) You and your friend, Carl, are on

4599-728: The run consisted of 13 issues, including nine graphic novels, with the last issue being published in September 2010. Super Genius Comics relaunched Tales from the Crypt for two issues in November 2016 and March 2017. Early covers were created by Al Feldstein, Johnny Craig , and Wally Wood , with the remaining covers (1952–55) by Jack Davis . The contributing interior artists were Feldstein, Craig, Wood, Davis, George Evans , Jack Kamen , Graham Ingels , Harvey Kurtzman , Al Williamson , Joe Orlando , Reed Crandall , Bernard Krigstein , Will Elder , Fred Peters, and Howard Larsen. Davis took over

4672-419: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Cryptkeeper . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cryptkeeper&oldid=1056418135 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

4745-400: The severed hand appears to have taken on a life of its own. (The Crypt-Keeper) A morgue attendant begins having visions of death which he links to the "Living Corpse", a performance artist who feigns death during his act. (No host) Marian Mander is convinced she is going insane when she begins to see and hear strange things after her son's death. Her husband is worried about her, but how deep

4818-572: The subsequent imposition of a highly restrictive Comics Code . Tales from the Crypt has since been reprinted in single issues and collected volumes. It has spawned various movies and television series, including a 1972 film and a television series that aired on HBO from 1989 to 1996. The title was revived for a second volume by Papercutz (2007–2010) and for a third by Super Genius Comics (2016–2017) In 1950, EC Comics publisher Bill Gaines and his editor, Al Feldstein , began experimenting with horror tales in their crime titles. Tales from

4891-593: The subsequent imposition of a highly restrictive Comics Code . The Haunt of Fear 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. 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 . An EC Western comic called Gunfighter , which had previously run for five issues as

4964-504: The supernatural is talked into attending a seance . He is sure he can trick the medium into proving herself a fake by asking her to channel the spirit of his wife who is still alive. Or is she? (The Crypt-Keeper) Jay and Bill, visitors to Haiti, are determined to witness a voodoo ritual. But when the locals catch them spying, it is not long before they start seeing strange dolls everywhere. (The Vault-Keeper) Harry loses his hearing and with it his job and his wife. An old friend points him in

5037-515: Was inspired by Old Nancy, the Witch of Salem , host of Alonzo Deen Cole's radio series, The Witch's Tale , which aired from 1931 to 1938 on WOR , the Mutual Radio Network , and in syndication. A man finds his wife's love for her cat, Snooky, unbearable, and finally decides to take care of the problem once and for all, but soon finds he is slowly slipping into insanity when his imagination gets

5110-404: Was later rebound, with covers included, in a series of six softcover EC Annuals . Cochran and Gemstone planned to publish hardcover, re-colored volumes of The Haunt of Fear as part of the EC Archives series, until Gemstone's financial troubles left this project in limbo. The series was revived by GC Press, a boutique imprint established by Cochran and Grant Geissman , and the first volume (of

5183-450: Was little beyond their titles to distinguish them from one another. Each magazine had its own host, known as a GhouLunatic. The Crypt-Keeper was the primary host of Tales from the Crypt . Hosting duties for any one magazine were typically shared with the hosts of the other two. For example, a single issue of Tales from the Crypt would contain two stories told by the Crypt-Keeper, one by the Vault-Keeper (of The Vault of Horror ) and one by

5256-451: Was often played for comedic effect in the letter column . The Old Witch was the last of the three to make her appearance. She was introduced in the second issue of the magazine, #16 (2) (July/August 1950), in a segment titled "The Witch's Cauldron" in which the Old Witch introduces herself in a story drawn by artist Jack Kamen. The third issue featured a Johnny Craig cover depicting the three GhoulLunatics stepping out of doorways and launched

5329-560: Was retitled The Crypt of Terror with issue #17 (April/May 1950). Two more issues were published under this title before it was rebranded as Tales from the Crypt for issue #20 (October/November 1950). The comic bore this title for 27 issues until being discontinued after issue #46 (February/March 1955). Along with The Haunt of Fear and The Vault of Horror , 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

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