Secret of the Witch's Urn

Trying to find a good story to post on October 31st is always tough (mostly because I used up all the pre-code Halloween tales in my collection on the first THOIA Halloween fest a few years back!) Lucky for me I just bought a copy of the February 1952 issue of The Hand of Fate #9 on ebay and what do you know? It contains not only a cool witchcraft tale, but one with a Halloween setting to boot! I hope everyone had a safe and fun holiday tonight... and scroll down after the story to find out who won the THOIA DRAW ME 2 Contest!

Congratulations to our big winner of the THOIA DRAW ME 2 Contest-- Ness Magana! You gotta love his colorful, over the top, Big Daddy Roth inspired illustration, (not to mention one of the most astounding come from behind / take-over leads I've ever seen in a contest! Wow!) Email me your mailing address and tee shirt size Ness, your prize package will be sent out early next week!

Thanks again to everyone who played and voted (nearly 300 votes!), every submission was incredible, and once again proved how lucky THOIA is to have such a kick ass reader base! And don't fret, there will be more contests before the end of the year... so come back and try again, it's fun!

Bugs Bunny & the Spooky Spook

Todays post is for my son Zander, who went pretty much straight from Elmo to movie monsters without a flinch (how many 5 year olds do you know already obsessed with Christopher Lee's portrayal of Dracula?!) and his recent discovery/understanding of WB cartoons (finally!) was like a revelation to him. Happy Halloween, lil Buddy! (and please keep your hands off my comics!)

From Bugs Bunny's Trick 'N' Treat Halloween Fun #3 (1955)

More pre-code horrors on the way, and don't forget to support your favorite artist in THOIA's DRAW ME 2 Contest, there's only 1 day left to vote! Happy All Hallow's Eve!

Haunt of the Ancient Castles

One more creepy classic from the May 1952 issue of Dark Mysteries #6. Longtime THOIA readers are fully aware of my undying love for Hy Fleishman's pre-code horror work, and today I have yet another! (FYI: I'll have more examples of Hy's superb work when I run a week of "Crime Horror" posts--- coming in November!) And please pardon the blur of some of the panels here, but no matter how much I flatten these pages in the scanner the water damage from years past have left their wavy mark.

Still haven't voted in our latest DRAW ME Contest? Check out the entries HERE and then pick your fave in the survey poll at the very top of the blog in the sidebar on the right!

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The kind of thing that makes running THOIA a dream come true:

Also stay tuned in November for more incredible news that connects THOIA with not only Hy Fleishman, but also a real life, 50+ year old Scottish vampire legend... seriously, you are not going to believe this one folks!

Cannibal's Revenge

Let's take a quick snack break from the voting today here at THOIA, (and of course if you haven't voted yet then please scroll down to the previous contest post HERE and see what all the hub bub is about, Bub) because as promised we have another terror treat from the May 1952 issue of Dark Mysteries #6, and this one is chock full of racism, cannibalism, terrorism, er... basically more isms than you can shake a juicy BBQ'd breast or thigh at--- Bon Appetit!

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THOIA DRAW ME Contest #2 (VOTE NOW!)

As with the DRAW BOB HOPE Contest that we held back in August, the rules this time were just as simple: Draw the lovely lady pictured below as featured in the classic comic book ad from the 50's, only this time give her the THOIA treatment:



Nine of you rose to the challenge, and all of them are superb! Now the problem is, who to vote for?!! The rules for voting are just as simple this time too: view the submissions below and using the survey at the top of my blog (right hand column) just click the name of your favorite! The winner will be decided when the survey ends on October 31st--- Halloween! The winner gets a THOIA tee shirt, horror dvds, leftover Halloween candy and possibly a few other surprises! Thanks again to all who entered, and good luck to each and every one of you too!

Severed Head by Apocolyte

Princess Diamond by Kitty LeClaw

Kiss Me by J.P. Morgan

Cyclops by Ernest Kwiat

Torn Cheek by Mike Howlett

AIEEEE! by Brian James Riedel

The Tongue by Derek Lewis

Grey Matter by Ness

Transformation by Jamieson

If the Noose Fits - Wear It!

Because you screamed for it--- Witch Hangings! From the May 1952 issue of Dark Mysteries #6. We'll be taking a look at a few more stories from this issue in the next couple of posts as well. *cackles*

Due to unforseen circumstances earlier in the week I've decided to extend the DRAW ME CONTEST entry date (originally set for midnight tonight) to Sunday, Oct. 25th at midnight, so you still have a few more days to get your artwork in to me. I also want to thank everyone who has entered so far because there are some really fabulous submissions! It's gonna be a tough vote for sure! For more info check "The Gypsy's Curse" post from last Thursday.

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