Peter, Peter

Am I posting to much black and white stuff lately? When looking for something different to post this Halloween, (meaning: an appropriately themed story I have not yet posted here at THOIA over the last 7 Halloweens), the only thing I stumbled upon that even came close, or worthy, of a holiday post is this gruesomely clever tale from the Jan. '79 issue of of Vampirella #75 --see our last post for another non-Vampi entry from this excellent issue too! So read it and weep, Horror Heads-- cuz this'll also be the last post for at least a week or so in early November, as we'll be on vacation-- but we will return in plenty o'time for some turkey! Have a safe and happy Halloween... I dedicate this post to the ass who keeps writing to me and complaining that I post too much black and white stuff.

Sasquatch Love

We're getting down to the wire now with Halloween just a few days away-- and you last minute dresser-uppers better get your act together and quick! I know you've been seeing those Silver Shamrock commercials on TV over the last few weeks or so, so you know you're running out of time for a mask or costume! Seriously, it's best to have this aspect of your holiday planned out well in advance, or else something terrible could happen to you-- for example, as we see in this costumed tale of EPIC FAIL called "Sasquatch Love" from the January 1979 issue of Vampirella #75.

Conspiracy w/ Death + ZOMBIES Contest Winner!

Jose Cruz was the first person to enter the Zombies Book Halloween Contest, and his name was also the first one we drew out of the horror hat-- congrats, Jose! So many excellent, eerie entries, it's just a further reminder that THOIA has the best (aka creepiest) followers of any horror blog on the web! I'll be having another contest giveaway in mid November, so don't fret-- you might just win something yet! And as we draw closer to Halloween, it's time to unleash a wicked witch story from the December 1953 issue of Adventures into Darkness #12, (art by George Roussos) --featuring a colony of creaky Count Chocula bats, and a truly painful looking fence impalement!

Jose awaits his prize...

Final Take!

I had a request for something "monstery" from DC, and this tale from the Oct-Nov. '73 issue of Weird Mystery Tales #8 is pretty fun, --though the cliched plot of a film crew making a horror movie in a haunted house is certainly not pulling any surprises, DeZuniga's art is wonderfully creep-filled, pulling image reference from classic horror legends like Karloff, Lugosi, Lee, and Chaney.

PS: Don't forget about our ZOMBIES book give-away contest (see our last post HERE!) I think I'll extend the deadline through the weekend-- winners announced on Monday, October 27th!

ZOMBIES Book Halloween Contest!

We're giving away a copy of IDW / Yoe Books ZOMBIES (co-edited by myself and Craig Yoe) and all you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post about your scariest Halloween experience, past, present --or future! (that's right, you can make up something too if you want, we're pretty easy here at THE HORRORS OF IT ALL!) Yes, Halloween is coming up quick, and so is the deadline-- you have until this Saturday, October 25th to write in (that's 3 days), the winner will be announced on Monday, October 27th after careful review of the submissions. Runner-ups displaying some decent chops could be eligible for Haunted Horror back issues too! So come on fiends, have fun and for gosh sakes BE SCARY! The ebola plague that is ravishing our planet at the moment could spell our doom! Will this be the last Halloween??!!

Good luck to all. And anyone who doesn't wish to participate in the contest but wants the book anyway, can find it still available at Amazon by clicking HERE!

The Tree of Vengeance

Ross Andru and Mike Esposito give us a great cover, as well as (among other tales), a 5-page chiller about a cursed tree-- in the debut issue of Mister Mystery #1, from September 1951.

What's in a Name?

Mister Mystery was a wildly uneven comic series featuring both excellent examples of top notch pre code stories, as well as hilariously clunky, barrel bottom gems like today's tale concerning a hapless fool trying to pull a fast one, (fast = 5 years?!) Charles Stern's art here is about as stiff 'n flimsy as the script, though there is a minor moment where he's suddenly channeling (aka swiping) either Jack Davis or Howard Nostrand with a teensy bit of suckcess, see the panel at the bottom of page 3 (mad head) for an example-- har! Also, those of you out there who are model airplane enthusiasts might find that yes, life really does imitate art!

From the January 1953 issue of Mister Mystery #9.

To Kill a Werewolf!

It's another haphazard Werewolf Wednesday, yes, I know it's been awhile --and man when was the last time I posted a Bill Everett story?! This mean spirited lycan tale originally appeared in the Jan '54 issue of Menace #9, in color, and titled "The Fangs of the Wolf", and now here retitled years later, color sucked out, and reprinted in the August '73 issue of Vampire Tales #1. Yipe!