Phantom of the Films

For many of us, classic horror movies are as much a part of October as all the fun, spooky comics regularly presented here! And whoever your idea of a scary, Silver Screen star is, you can be sure that Boris Karloff tops the lists of many people's favorites. But what about Allen Grimm, aka El Specter? Oh, not familiar? Then let BK fill ya in, as Grimm's tale is one perfectly fraught-filled with terror and tragedy! You know what they say about the film industry... from the June 1965 issue of Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery #10.

The Anti-13 / Something Very Special

THOIA has the Devil in the details with today's double-doomed dose of Gold Key grimmess. A hot new party plan produces some rather unexpected results in, "Something Very Special" from the March 1976 issue of Grimm's Ghost Stories #29  --and features a truly amazing cover painting by the great George Wilson. It's one of my super sizzlin' Satanic 70's favorites, for sure! But first up, let's visit another perplexing party, via the September 1975 issue of Grimm's Ghost Stories #26. No spoiler here as they're attempting to do the exact opposite of the gaslit gang featured in the other story, (sort of), --but with no less deadly, endgame consequences! And similar to the plot point in our previous post HERE, this one also has an interesting "projection" angle. Yep, if the Lord (of Darkness) moves in mysterious ways, then so can science! ::SHIVERS::

The Ghost Maker / He Couldn't Live Without Her

Let us now kick start Fearbruary into ghoulish gear by picking up right where we left off last month with another double feature of g-g-g-ghost stories! And this time we'll be visiting two Gold Key classics, the August 1974 issue of Grimm's Ghost Stories #18, as well as Grimm's Ghost Stories #28 from December 1975. Both tales fall into our lurid month-long look at love and other monstrosities of matrimonial madness 'n mayhem-- though I may sneak something non-Valentiney into the mix occasionally too. So hands up, who thinks the guys in both of these stories each got a raw deal in the end?

The Vengeance of the Weeping Dead

Jacquelyn G. wrote in a few weeks back looking for a crying ghost story she remembered reading as a kid. It concerns a woman eaten by wolves and returning as a sad spirit, haunting her evil husband who allowed it to happen! The only other thing Jacquelyn could remember was that this tale appeared in a 70's "mystery" comic. Well, I do believe I've materialized this requested spook show, and yes, though it did appear reprinted in the September 1975 issue of Western's Mystery Comics Digest #25, it actually originated in the Sept. 1971 issue of Ripley's Believe it or Not! #28 --believe it or not!

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...

Behemoth

Time to check in at the 'ol horror movie studio and see how the new SPFX are working out! It's a fun quickie from the March 1969 issue of Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery #25, and thus proves once and for all that AI technology has ALWAYS had a monstrous mind of its own!