| Issue | #19 |
| Published | June-July 1951 |
| Cover Price | 0.10 USD |
| Pages | 36 |
| Editing | Al Feldstein; William M. Gaines (managing) |
| Notes | The cover is based on the 4th story in the issue. |
| Characters | The Vault-Keeper, the Old Witch, the Crypt-Keeper [head views] |
| Genre | horror |
| Pencils | Johnny Craig (signed) |
| Inks | Johnny Craig (signed) |
| Notes | The cover is based on the 4th story in the issue. |
| Reprinted | in Vault of Horror, The (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2; in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #8 (July 1994) |
| Characters | The Vault-Keeper [cameos]; Abner Scanlon |
| Synopsis | Abner Scanlon was a gigolo who disliked work and preyed only on rich women. Unfortunately for him, he marries a young girl from one of the South's richest clans, only to discover that she has NO money at all, but said so not to dishonor the family name. Greedy for money, Abner sells an antique vase of the family and begins living it up, leading to a violent out-burst against the family and dear old great-great grandfather Jackson, which results in his wife's Aunt dying from a heart-attack. Soon after, another such episode occurs, wherein Abner takes great-great grandfather's picture out of a valuable frame in order to see the frame, leading to the death of her Uncle. Abner's wife, Claudia, runs tearfully to her room.....and later she hears a scream coming from the attic. She enters to find Abner dead on the floor, pierced by a sword....then she glances at the picture of her military great-great grandfather resting above Abner.....and notes the sword is missing from its hilt! |
| Genre | suspense |
| Script | Johnny Craig |
| Pencils | Johnny Craig (signed) |
| Inks | Johnny Craig (signed) |
| Reprinted | in Vault of Horror, The (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2; in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #8 (July 1994) |
| Characters | The Crypt-Keeper [cameos]; Howard Norton; Charles Norton |
| Synopsis | Charles and Howard Norton, of Norton's Pharmaceutical Company, are having an argument. It seems the company has received an order for one million hypodermic inserts for insulin, but can only make 500,000. Not wanting to lose the order, Charles muses that they could dilute each insert by half, and thereby still provide the one million inserts. Howard, the company's chemist, refuses, calling it criminal, and Charles calls him a spineless jelly-fish! Without the knowledge of Howard, Charles dilutes the inserts and fills the $20,000 order. Later, many diabetic patients begin to die and it's discovered that the inserts have been diluted....but it is Howard, the chemist, who goes to jail! Howard spends the next few years working in the prison lab on a secret formula, and when he is released, he goes to see his brother Charles. Still acting the weakling, Charles offers Howard a drink, and when Charles isn't looking, Howard slips a "special" pill into Charle's drink. The two make a toast and Charles downs his drink....with horrific results! |
| Genre | horror |
| Script | William M. Gaines; Al Feldstein |
| Pencils | Jack Davis (signed) |
| Inks | Jack Davis (signed) |
| Notes | This story was borrowed from Ray Bradbury's "The Skeleton," but is an entirely new story. |
| Reprinted | in Vault of Horror, The (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2; in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #8 (July 1994) |
| Characters | Melvin Brigham |
| Synopsis | Melvin is consulting a medium, who says that he has just summoned up the spirit of his departed Uncle Andrew. Melvin asks if he is to be doomed to the same death his uncle had suffered....and there were two raps, indicating yes. As he paid the medium and prepared to leave, she told Melvin that she couldn't force the spirit back into the world beyond. Melvin thought the whole affair was clap-trap as he hurried down the darkened road...that is until he kept hearing the low and mournful ghostly raps, and felt a definite choking sensation in his throat....as if some invisible being was strangling him to death. Brigham wailed in terror, "Can I be dying?" And the only answer was: two raps! |
| Genre | occult |
| Script | William M. Gaines |
| Pencils | ? (spot illo) |
| Inks | ? (spot illo) |
| Letters | typeset |
| Notes | This text story appears on the inner halves of the two pages, with EC houses ads to either side. One side promotes Frontline Combat #1 [with a Harvey Kurtzman cover], while the other side promotes [with covers] the line of Picture Stories From the Bible: the Complete Old and New Testaments, the Old Testament #1-2 and New Testament #1. |
| Reprinted | in Vault of Horror, The (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2 |
| Characters | The Vault-Keeper (head view) |
| Synopsis | The VK begins the column offering photos of ALL three Ghoulunatics for 25 cents, then follows up with last issue's story popularity poll results. Letters from Virgina Kessler, Jimmy Morgan and Charles K. Gloman III are printed as well. |
| Pencils | Johnny Craig (spot illo) |
| Inks | Johnny Craig (spot illo) |
| Letters | typeset |
| Reprinted | in Vault of Horror, The (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2 |
| Characters | The Vault-Keeper [cameos]; Martin Blackson; Kathy [his stepdaughter] |
| Synopsis | Young Kathy cannot figure out why her stepdad, Martin Blackson, hates her so much, although we discover it's because she looks so much like his wife's first husband, and that he's jealous of that man. When Kathy finds next door neighbor, Mrs. Thaumaturge of interest, Martin runs out and tells Kathy to gather up some wood, and leave that "witch" alone....or she'll "bake her" in her oven! Soon after, Kathy's mother passes away, and things grow worse for Kathy....until Mrs. Thaumaturge gives Kathy a surprise: a candy doll in the shape of a man. Although Kathy swears she'll never eat it, that evening her step dad sends her to bed without supper while he goes out to the woodshed to cut wood. Kathy decides to take a bite out of her doll's left hand, then hears a horrible scream come from the woodshed, where Martin has cut off his left hand. When he hears about the doll from Kathy, he demands that she hand it over to him....instead, Kathy shows Martin that the doll isn't evil and....bites off its head! |
| Genre | occult |
| Pencils | Jack Kamen |
| Inks | Jack Kamen |
| Reprinted | in Vault of Horror, The (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2; in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #8 (July 1994) |
| Characters | The Old Witch [cameos]; Lillian Ansley; Roger Kane |
| Synopsis | Young Lillian was much too young when she married Waldo, and, soon, his age began to show. One night at a party, she met Roger, fell in love and agreed to get a divorce from Waldo. Unfortunately, Waldo fell ill with polio and needed constant attention....and Lillian told Roger she just couldn't go through with the divorce. Before bidding adieu to Roger, both agree to meet at the lake five years later....and five years later, they do meet, kiss and bid adieu for another five years since Waldo still needed her. The years drift by and the two meet by the lake once again, with the same outcome: they'll meet again in another five years. This time, Waldo finally dies by the end of the second year, and Lillian decides she can't wait for Roger, so attempts to find him. However, she discovers that Roger was horribly killed in a train wreck just after he and Lillian had met two years earlier. Three years later, despondent, Lillian visits the lake for what would have been their next meeting date....and she looks up to see the rotting corpse of Roger Kane walking toward her, and they caress.....soon after, Roger's decaying corpse and the recently deceased, but smiling body of Lillian, are discovered by the lake. |
| Genre | horror |
| Pencils | Graham Ingels [as G. Ingels] (signed) |
| Inks | Graham Ingels [as G. Ingels] (signed) |
| Reprinted | in Vault of Horror, The (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #2; in Vault of Horror (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #8 (July 1994) |