The Dead Dance on Halloween

Here we go, Countdown to Halloween: Post #1! What I’m going to try and do with the comic book posts for the next 7 days is present to you stories set on or around Halloween, or stories that at least contain Halloween themes. Strangly enough, in preparing for this week of posts I discovered that while there are of course thousands of 50’s horror comics in the world, there are actually very few stories that take place within a Halloween setting?! Go figure…

From the Oct 1954 issue of Web of Mystery #14

Countdown to Halloween (UPDATE)

Tomorrow the 24th is exactly one week until Halloween Eve, and tomorrow I also officially begin posting the Halloween themed pre-code stories, including whatever else I find that is fun and in the “spirit” of all things hallow. If you have suggestions, links, scans, or anything else relevant and spooky to the greatest holiday of them all then please email me at karswell@hotmail.com …or of course post your thoughts in any current comment section. Thanks!

The Beautiful Dead

Dick Briefer’s legendary Frankenstein series ran for 33 issues from 1945 to 1954. The first 17 issues were fun, silly stories drawn in a very cartoony manner (an example of this era Frankenstein to be posted here in early November), while the remaining issues of the series turned somber and grim, and more realistic to fit in with the darker 50’s pre-code horror tone that was all the rage at the time. Our post today is from this vengeful era, featuring one of the more disturbing and violent glimpses into the tortured existence of Briefer’s infamous Frankenstein creation. (Thanks to The Monster of Frankenstein co-author Ed Robinson for the scans!)

From the August – Sept 1954 issue of Frankenstein #32

Man Who Died Again

As promised last week here’s an Atlas horror classic from Dick Briefer about a man-made killer returning from the grave--- and I’m not talking about Frankenstein! You’ll just have to come back tomorrow for an example of that masterful dark chapter in Briefer’s amazing legacy.

From the April 1954 issue of Uncanny Tales #19

Spider in the Hairdo! (URBAN LEGEND)

With Halloween quickly approaching one thing that's fun to do is get together with your friends and tell spooky stories to really get into the mood. And what better tales are there than the ones based completely in 100% reality. Like the one about the guy in the backseat of the car with the axe! Or the one about the stoned babysitter who microwaved that baby!! Yeah, all of these stories, or “urban legends” as the faithless label them, believe it or not, really did happen… uh, to a friend of a friend. Like this one, courtesy of Mitch O'Connell…

Where Monsters Dwell

The Basil Wolverton posts this week were a big hit and garnered a request for today’s post which we are undeniably happy to unleash upon you and your puny planet. Thanks again to “Anti-Atlas Guy” for a monstrously entertaining weekend of scans!

Originally presented in the Dec 1951 issue of Adventures into Terror #7

The Fanged Freak

This is the 70’s re-make of The Greatest Horror of Them All with a new title and pretty much new everything except of course for all of the obvious similarities. Thanks again to “Anti-Atlas Guy" for sharing!

From the February 1975 Eerie Publications issue of Tales From the Tomb Vol. 7 #1

Shaker Maker Hairy Bunch (VIDEO)

More kooky kid fun from my childhood! These things were alot of fun to make, even more fun to freak out my sister with!

Karswell's Night Gallery #5

SHADOWS WITH EYES
By Fritz Leiber / Cover Art by ???
(Ballantine Books, 1962)

Six tales of crawling horror...

The Mask of Death

Here’s a wonderfully illustrated vampire story by Jerry Grandenetti. I’d love to see more of his pre-code horror output for Standard, but according to the story bio in my reprint he only did “a half dozen or so strips” before he went on to Fiction House and created The Secret Files of Dr. Drew strip which, by the way, is also a lot of fun.

Originally presented in the April 1953 issue of Out of the Shadows #8

The Flat Man

In case you haven’t noticed I’ve been posting all reprints this week. I had two golden age comics literally fall apart in my hands while scanning the other day so I’m giving the old boys (and myself) a breather. But here’s another notorious classic, originally presented in the May 1954 issue of Journey into Fear #19.