Vault of Horror #32 Gaines File Pedigree 5/11 (EC, 1953) CGC NM 9.4 Off-white to white pages....

Auction amount: $7,800.00

Sold: Nov 6, 2025

Vault of Horror #32 Values

Publisher: EC, 1953

About Vault of Horror #32

Censored cover by Johnny Craig. Story art by Craig, Jack Davis, George Evans, and Graham Ingels.

Why sell your comic books with Heritage Auctions?

COVER DETAILS

Title: Out of His Head

Characters: The Vault-Keeper (inset); The Old Witch (inset); The Crypt-Keeper (inset)

Pencils: Johnny Craig (signed)

Inks: Johnny Craig (signed)

Notes: Cover title from 2nd story, from which the cover is based. This cover was censored as being much too gory for readers, as it featured a meat cleaver stuck in the ghoul's head. The Gladstone and Gemstone reprintings display the actual cover.

STORY DETAILS

(6 Stories)

Title: Whirlpool

Characters: The Vault-Keeper (host); unnamed woman; three asylum employees

Synopsis: Her mind was whirling as three horrid creatures hovered over her, asking her her name, and she ran to escape. A series of events: thrown into boiling water, plunged into ice, poked with a hypodermic, strapped into an electric chair, and put into a small room that kept shrinking. She thought she was going insane, but the men told her everything had been in her mind and that she was an inmate in an insane asylum......she began to quiver, and, as they began to ask her her name, she suddenly remembered that THEY were the ones trying to persecute her!

Pages: 8.000

Script: Johnny Craig (signed)

Pencils: Johnny Craig (signed)

Inks: Johnny Craig (signed)

Letters: Jim Wroten

Notes: Letterer credit by Craig Delich.

Title: Out of His Head!

Characters: The Crypt-Keeper (host); Stanley (Alex's law partner, death); unnamed doctor; Alex Melton (villain, lawyer, death)

Synopsis: Alex had murdered Stanley with an axe to his head, trying to blame the death on a maniac. It seemed, however, that the dead man kept haunting him day and night, and everywhere Alex looked, his former law partner was still there. Unable to stand it any longer, he blinded himself with an icepick. He was taken to the hospital and operated on, and when the bandages were removed, he saw someone. He figured it was Stanley again and ran to the window and jumped out to his death. The doctor looked out the window....and all he could say was that the man must be mad!

Pages: 7.000

Script: Al Feldstein

Pencils: Jack Davis (signed)

Inks: Jack Davis (signed)

Letters: Jim Wroten

Notes: Letterer credit by Craig Delich. Cover story.

Title: Crash Landing!

Characters: Brewster; Crawford

Synopsis: With the plane in the air, Brewster emerged from hiding in the back of the plane, wrench in hand, and crept to the cockpit, where he hit Crawford over the head. As the plane spiraled out of control, Brewster ran to the emergency door and jumped out, waiting to pull the ripcord of his parachute until the last second possible so that no one would see him. As he came down, he watched the plane crash into a grove of trees, splintering the ends, and burn. But a sudden shift in the wind brought Brewster closer and closer to the splintered branch limbs until he jammed into them which stopped his descent. In agony, he noted that the limbs had torn open his stomach, and as he lay dying, his body writhing on the end of a branch, he felt like some insect squirming on a needle in a science lab!

Pages: 2.000

Pencils: ? (spot illo)

Inks: ? (spot illo)

Letters: typeset

Notes: This text story is found on the inner part of the two pages, with EC house ads to either side. One was for Weird Fantasy #20 [with an Al Feldstein cover], and the other side featured, with covers, the Complete Old & New Testament editions from the Picture Stories From the Bible series, Picture Stories From Science #2 and Picture Stories From World History #2.

Synopsis: In this issue's letter column, VK prints letters from Mrs. Monroe ASdams, Terry Black, Ronnie Audet, PFC Hank Wawrzyniak, Ray Parrinello, Dennis Taplin, Robert Travieso, Martin Fishman, David McGill and Richard L. Bruch before pushing readers to buy subsciptions to EC mags.

Pages: 1.000

Letters: typeset

Title: An Ample Sample

Characters: The Vault-Keeper (host); Hannah (Irwin's wife, death); Bert; Irwin (villain)

Synopsis: Irwin was telling his neighbor Bert of how he and his wife Hannah fell in love and how Hannah loved expensive chocolates so much. She got fatter as he had to do without vital necessities, and he just couldn't take it anymore. Irwin admitted to killing her and asked Bert to come over to his house. As they walked in, Bert gasped in horror as he spotted a giant, hand-made chocolate box, marked with different types of candy, and pieces of Hannah in each part!

Pages: 6.000

Script: Al Feldstein (co-plot, script); Bill Gaines (co-plot)

Pencils: George Evans (signed)

Inks: George Evans (signed)

Letters: Jim Wroten

Notes: Letterer credit by Craig Delich. Script credit from Tales of Terror: The EC Companion.

Title: Funereal Disease!

Characters: The Old Witch (host); Jasper Milliken (gardener, death); Niles Fairchild (villain, Jasper's employer, death); Tom Kelton (villain, Jasper's accountant)

Synopsis: Jasper went to his cottage on the Fairchild Estate and counted up the money he had been saving, a total of $4970, and knew as soon as Mr. Fairchild paid him the last $30 he owed him, he'd be set....set to have the funeral that was denied to his parents. Unfortunately, Niles Fairchild was bankrupt, and desperately needed $5000 to get him out of the trouble he was in. When Jasper refused to lend him the money, Fairchild and his accountant murdered Jasper and took the money. Jasper's corpse killed Fairchild, removed him from the man's coffin and took his place, and got the funeral he wanted.

Pages: 7.000

Script: Bill Gaines (co-plot); Albert B. Feldstein (co-plot, script)

Pencils: Graham Ingels [as Ghastly] (signed)

Inks: Graham Ingels [as Ghastly] (signed)

Letters: Jim Wroten

Notes: Title correction, script and letterer credits by Craig Delich. Some of the story is told in flashback.

Data Courtesy of Grand Comics Database under Creative Commons license

GoCollect Price Guide Report for this comic

Exclusive to Heritage members: GoCollect price report for this certified comic.

CGC Census Report*

Grade	NG	PG	CVR	0.5	1.0	1.5	1.8	2.0	2.5	3.0	3.5	4.0	4.5	5.0	5.5	6.0	6.5	7.0	7.5	8.0	8.5	9.0	9.2	9.4	9.6	9.8	9.9	10.0	Total
Universal	0	0	0	1	1	3	5	5	7	7	7	5	7	9	10	8	11	6	6	1	3	2	0	2	5	1	0	0	112
Qualified	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Signature Series	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
CGCxJSA	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Restored	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6
Total	0	0	0	1	1	3	6	5	7	7	8	5	7	9	12	9	11	6	6	2	3	2	0	2	5	1	0	0	118

*All information listed is intended to be as accurate as possible, but errors are possible. No item may be returned or refused based on this information which is provided as a service to our customers. You should contact each pricing source directly to determine the accuracy of this information.

Disclaimer About Comic Book Data

Heritage Auctions provides this information as a service to our customers, and is not responsible for inaccurate data. Please refer to past sale prices, industry price guides, and our experts' auction estimates before you bid or buy.

Heritage Auctions, the world's largest collectibles auctioneer, is the undisputed leader in comic book and comic art sales. Our experts help fans and collectors understand what makes key issues valuable and as the best place to sell comics, we help consignors realize the highest possible prices for their prized collections.