Cry from the Coffin

If the cry from under the carpet in our previous post wasn't eerie enough for ya, how about one now from the coffin? Okay, this has got to be one of the most depressing precode horror stories ever published, with a day that starts off in a completely pleasant manner, quickly turning into a terrifying trip to the morgue for an autopsy, --and don’t be late for your own funeral! Better bring the tissues, this poor sap has a super sad tale to tell, and one that he'll be telling forever, and ever, and ever. From the Oct. 1953 issue of Strange Fantasy #8.

"The Neat Trick"

We've been looking at old time stage magic over at AEET this month HERE, so how about we bring a little bit of the 'ol slight of head-- errr, HAND-- over here to THOIA as well, eh? This is a fun, Atlas quickie from the June 1952 issue of Journey into Unknown Worlds #11, with Harry Lazarus and George Klein teaming up on art duties... and fyi: there's nothing up my sleeve (or inside my collar), but we might just lose our heads in the next post as well, so stay tombed for that coming up next-- I swear, it's gonna be a seriously wild weekend Double Header that you know you won't wanna miss out on!

Love Trap

My buddy Richard sent over this fun Iger Shop illustrated tale from the June 1953 issue of Strange Fantasy #6.  He also profusely apologizes for the blurriness on page 4! No worries though, this scary space story is still a blast, and somehow fits nicely within our month of posts-- I mean, it certainly feels like Farrell trying their hand at an Atlas style sci-fi horror 5-pager, doesn't it? Annnnd if anybody is singing "Love Trap" to the tune of "Love Shack", I beg you stop it now. I mean it...

Revenge!

One of us! One of us! Yes, it's time to get freaky cuz the circus just pulled into town-- and there's trouble brewin' with the sideshow! This is another one that'll bring to mind a certain EC vibe, though continually saying so is a bit unfair as this superbly sickening Story Comics series definitely had a vicious vibe all its own! Okay now, someone at GCD has taken a wild guess at the art here and believes it's by Jay Disbrow! I cannot even begin to tell you how much I disagree with that absolutely terrible guess. So who does it looks like to you? From the August 1953 issue of Mysterious Adventures #15, 

The Metamorphs

How about another creature-feature from the March 1969 issue of Boris Karloff's Tales of Mystery #25 (see our previous post as well.) Sci-fi horror can sometimes be a mixed bag, but sometimes-- like today's post-- they can really give ya the willies! You long-time THOIA'ers might even remember a similarly freaky ACG Forbidden Worlds tale that I posted here waaaay way back in 2007 called "Nightmare for Two" --check it out after today's shivery story! And adios to January finally too. Stay tombed for lots more in February, where things are doomed to be diabolically romantical, as usual...

Death's Beggar

Ever encountered a precode horror story that actually hurts to read? I'm not talking about overly bright, sloppy off-register coloring assaulting your eyeballs, I'm talkin' scenes where a character is put in one hell of an unpleasant situation that just couldn't possibly get any worse. Until it does. I'm also not sure how this tale of witchcraft and ultimate pain has evaded a proper post here at THOIA in all these years, though I did put it in Haunted Horror #8 way back in 2013. Those of you new to this classic are in for a ride, as once again, Sheldon Moldoff's art is really something to behold. From the August 1952 issue of Strange Stories from Another World #2.

Doom of the Cheat!

Here's another fun Charlton tale from the boiling bowels of doomed inner Earth. And like our previous post, it not only comes from the August 1954 issue of of This Magazine is Haunted #19, but is also illustrated by Sy Moskowitz again. 

Mannequin of Murder!

Manny Stallman takes us out on a wild manny-quin murder spree with a truly madcap Harvey Horror classic from the February 1953 issue of Witches Tales #17. And for more mannequin madcappery, head over to AEET HERE for a sillier, saucier side of our still life subject matter this month! Hope everyone enjoyed this brief look at the darker side of department store doomies!