Data courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under Creative Commons license.

Issue Details

Issue #22
Published November-December 1953
Cover Price 0.10 USD
Pages 36
Editing Albert B. Feldstein

Cover Details

Characters The Old Witch (inset); The Vault-Keeper (inset); The Crypt-Keeper (inset)
Genre Horror
Pencils Graham Ingels
Inks Graham Ingels
Reprinted in Haunt of Fear (Gemstone, 1994 series) #22 (February 1998)

8 page The Witch's Cauldron! story "Wish You Were Here"

Characters The Old Witch (host)
Synopsis A couple in financial difficulty recall a time when they picked up a jade statue in Hong Kong. The wife reads the text at the base of the statue that says it grants three wishes and she wishes for money. The husband remembers a story he once read called 'The Monkey's Paw' and tells her not to wish, but it's too late. He gets a call from his lawyer advising him to drive into town, which he does, and gets into a fatal accident which mangles his body and pays off life insurance to the wife. She hasn't read the story, so she asks the man who informs her of the insurance payout about it. He tells her, whatever you do, don't wish for your husband back as he will be mangled. She says she won't make the same mistake and wishes him back before the accident. Men bring in the casket and she gets her wish, but he is still dead, as he died of a heart attack moments before the accident. The distraught wife uses her last wish to wish her husband alive but he writhes in pain because his blood has been replaced with formaldehyde. She tries shooting him a rifle but it doesn't kill him so she grabs a craving knife and shops him up into tiny little pieces, but the pieces still pulse with life.
Genre Horror
Script Albert B. Feldstein
Pencils Graham Ingels
Inks Graham Ingels
Colors Marie Severin
Notes Adapted in the 1972 "Tales From the Crypt" film.
Reprinted in Haunt of Fear (Gemstone, 1994 series) #22 (February 1998); in Vault of Horror (Ballantine Books, 1965 series) #U2107

7 page The Vault of Horror! story "Chess-Mate"

Characters The Vault-Keeper (host)
Synopsis A marvel chess player in a small town shoots himself when they hold a parade and he is expected to remove his top hat to salute the flag. The top hat hides a Siamese twin head that accounted for his superior abilities at chess.
Genre Horror
Script Albert B. Feldstein
Pencils George Evans
Inks George Evans
Colors Marie Severin
Reprinted in Haunt of Fear (Gemstone, 1994 series) #22 (February 1998)

1 page text story "Hot Reception!"

Script Albert B. Feldstein
Pencils Marie Severin
Inks Marie Severin
Letters Typeset

1 page The Old Witch's Niche letters page "Letters page"

Script Albert B. Feldstein
Letters Typeset

6 page The Old Witch's Grim Fairy Tale! story "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"

Characters The Old Witch (host)
Synopsis This grim fairy tale reveals the REAL reason Snow White got the poisoned apple was that she was a neat freak who was driving the seven dwarfs nuts.
Genre Horror
Script Albert B. Feldstein
Pencils Jack Kamen
Inks Jack Kamen
Colors Marie Severin
Reprinted in Haunt of Fear (Gemstone, 1994 series) #22 (February 1998)

7 page The Crypt of Terror story "Model Nephew"

Characters The Crypt-Keeper (host)
Synopsis A nephew murders his uncle for his money and winds up a prisoner in one of his ship-in-a-bottles.
Genre Horror
Script Albert B. Feldstein
Pencils Jack Davis
Inks Jack Davis
Colors Marie Severin
Reprinted in Haunt of Fear (Gemstone, 1994 series) #22 (February 1998)