| Issue | #33 |
| Published | October-November 1953 |
| Cover Price | 0.10 USD |
| Pages | 36 |
| Editing | Al Feldstein; William M. Gaines (managing editor) |
| Notes | The cover title was taken from the 2nd story in the issue, from which the cover was based. |
| Characters | The Vault-Keeper (inset); The Crypt-Keeper (inset); The Old Witch (inset) |
| Genre | horror |
| Pencils | Johnny Craig (signed) |
| Inks | Johnny Craig (signed) |
| Notes | The cover title was taken from the 2nd story in the issue, from which the cover was based. |
| Reprinted | in Vault of Horror, The (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4; in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #22 (January 1998) |
| Synopsis | House ad for MAD Comics. |
| Pencils | Bill Elder [as B. Elder] (signed) |
| Inks | Bill Elder [as B. Elder] (signed) |
| Reprinted | in Vault of Horror, The (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4 |
| Characters | The Vault-Keeper (host); Agnes Wheatley; Mitch Fairchild |
| Synopsis | Agnes stood weeping over the grave of her former employer, thinking back on the night that she alerted her boss to the fire at his boat house....in which his wife was staying, and whose corpse was found among the ashes. Her boss, Mr. Horton, mourned......had a tombstone made w/her and his name on it, then went to his his attorney, Alex Fairchild, about the will. Horton said he'd probably give all his money to charity rather than name a new beneficiary. Later Agnes told her boss that his wife had been cheating on him w/Fairchild, who was to meet her at the boathouse the night of the fire, and even offered some "proof". That night Horton went out to the cemetery and chiseled off half the tombstone w/his wife's name on it, then committed suicide, leaving a new will naming Agnes as beneficiary. Resuming her thoughts, Agnes left the grave of her boss w/Fairchild and together they celebrated the hoax they had finished pulling off. That stormy evening, sitting in Horton's [now Agnes's] home, the pair were suddenly interrupted by the corpse of Horton crashing in. The next morning, the dead bodies of Alex and Agnes were found on top of the Horton grave.....the tombstone carefully restored to what it had been! |
| Genre | horror |
| Pencils | Reed Crandall (signed) |
| Inks | Reed Crandall (signed) |
| Colors | Marie Severin |
| Reprinted | in Vault of Horror, The (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4; in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #22 (January 1998) |
| Characters | The Crypt-Keeper (host); Mr. Draper |
| Synopsis | The children came marching down the street carrying a wooden coffin, and the neighborhood buzzed about it. Yet the town undertaker, Mr. Drapper, was surprised the kids were doing what they told him they would do. Thinking back, many of the town's people had been questioned by the same kids about all sorts of things having to do with death and funerals, and were fascinated about a man dying in the electric chair. But the one thing they really wondered about was what the punishment would be for robbery and kidnapping. The local lawyer explained that kidnapping could be punishable by death, but not robbery. Suddenly, a mother came up screaming to townsfolk, telling them that her son was missing.....that he had stolen another child's doll and had refused to give it back. Then.....they all looked in horror as they gazed over at the kids, who had just finished burying the coffin! |
| Genre | horror |
| Script | Al Feldstein (co-plotter); William Gaines (co-plotter) |
| Pencils | Jack Davis |
| Inks | Jack Davis |
| Colors | Marie Severin |
| Reprinted | in Vault of Horror, The (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4; in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #22 (January 1998); In Tales From the Crypt (Ballantine Books, 1964 series) #U2106 |
| Characters | Carlson; Jaffery |
| Synopsis | Carlson was at the controls of a wrecker-crane after working over a troublesome wall, and he watched Jaffery working on that partially demolished wall. All Carlson could think of was to bring down that wall with Jaffery still clinging to it......Jaffery would be dead and Carlson would claim the derrick got away from his control. Carlson swung the ball closer and brought down the wall, and he could hear Jaffery's screams. He jumped out of the cab and peered down at the wreckage, unaware that the derrick was still in operation, and he didn't see the steel cable come at hom until it was too late. Later, Carlson's co-workers stood over his body, remarking that they had never seen anyone beheaded so quickly before! |
| Genre | horror |
| Pencils | ? (spot illo) |
| Inks | ? (spot illo) |
| Letters | typeset |
| Notes | The text story is found on the inner halves of each pages, w/EC house ads to each side. On one side is an ad for Weird Fantasy #21 [cover by Al Williamson & Frank Frazetta], while the other side had ads, w/covers, for The Complete Old & New Testaments from the Picture Stories From the Bible series, Picture Stories From Science #2 and Picture Stories From World History #2. |
| Reprinted | in Vault of Horror, The (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4 |
| Synopsis | The entire column, given over by VK to the editors, promoted the new E.C. Addict Fan Club, and how to become a member. |
| Letters | typeset |
| Reprinted | in Vault of Horror, The (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4 |
| Characters | The Vault-Keeper (host); Doc Sam Swanson |
| Synopsis | Doc Swanson arrived in town by train and gazed up at the abandoned mansion on the hill and just knew it was the answer to all of the killings. He saw the Sheriff and explained why he was there and who he thought responsible for the crimes. The Sheriff laughed in his face, saying the murders had to have been committed by something inhuman, and explained how each of the bodies were found, throats slashed, and door locked. Sam said for the Sheriff to meet him the next night at the foot of the hill where the mansion was located. Sam then went to the newspaper office, where the editor, who knew him from years earlier, showed Sam the newspspers recounting the murders. Now convinced, Sam met the Sheriff the next eveing and as they approached the mansion, Sam recounted the event that led to the present situation: how a woman's deformed baby born in that mansion was the murderer. The Sheriff suddenly lunged at Doc, wanting to kill him, but the townsfolk entered and took care of the Sheriff, whose body was an artifical framework....housing that deformed child! |
| Genre | horror |
| Pencils | George Evans [as G. Evans] (signed) |
| Inks | George Evans [as G. Evans] (signed) |
| Colors | Marie Severin |
| Reprinted | in Vault of Horror, The (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4; in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #22 (January 1998) |
| Characters | The Old Witch (host); Tony Zargono |
| Synopsis | Tony lay dying, looking up at the marionettes he had carved with his own hands, telling them that the woman he loved no longer cared for him. His mind recalled the days when he first began putting on his shows and how he met Nora.....who could give him the love that his marionettes could not. They soon married....but then Tony was doagnosed with a bad heart and he had to quit performing. Soon money became tight and Nora told bed-ridden Tony that she was going to sell his marionettes to raise money and he said no!. She then revealed that she didn't love him and had only married him for his money! He began to have a heart attack.....she left laughing. Now Tony looked up at his wooden friends lamenting that he would die unhappy and he fell asleep. When he awaoke, he saw a woman's figure enter his room.....it was Nora and she came over to him, silently, and he grabed her and kissed her, knowing that he could now die happy in the arms of the woman he loved. The next day, they found their bodies, side-by-side.......but Nora's had been dismembered and re-connected by strings.....strings tied to the marionettes' hands! |
| Genre | horror |
| Script | Al Feldstein [co-plot]; William Gaines [co-plot] |
| Pencils | Graham Ingels [as Ghastly] (signed) |
| Inks | Graham Ingels [as Ghastly] (signed) |
| Colors | Marie Severin |
| Reprinted | in Vault of Horror, The (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #4; in Vault of Horror (Gemstone, 1994 series) #22 (January 1998) |