Vault of Horror #36 Values

Title: Witch Witch's Witch!

Characters: The Crypt-Keeper (host); Eric Holbein; Helena

Synopsis: Eric was coming home to Blumstedt with his new wife.....who was not the girl to whom he had been betrothed since childhood. As he entered the house, he was met by his former betroth, Alicia, her Mom and his Mom, all of whom harshly berated him for bringing shame to them all. Eric's mother soon passed away, but Helena wouldn't go to the funeral. Days later, the ladies from the local church saw Helena and told her not to attend their meetings....and the leader of that group soon died. Talk began to surface saying Helena was a witch, and they thought it true when Helena walked down the street and a woman, Alicia's mother, fell dead. A mob formed and went after Helena, and, when Eric tried to intervene, they killed him and began stoning Helena to death, when she stood and chanted a few words and all the people turned to rats and scurried away. In the midst of it all was the most ugly and hideous creature of them all: Helena....the witch!

Pages: 7.000

Script: Johnny Craig

Pencils: Jack Davis (signed)

Inks: Jack Davis (signed)

Letters: Jim Wroten

Title: Cooler

Characters: Scott

Synopsis: Scott ran breathlessly after his escape from Cragmore Prison, supposedly escape proof. Yes, there was snow on the ground and it was quite cold, but this was the only time of year that the lake that entirely surrounded the prison was frozen. Then he heard the alarm from the prison and knew that he'd be spotted.....unless.....unless he let homself down through a hole in the ice and stayed there until his pursuers gave up the hunt. Minutes passed, until he no longer heard the sounds of footsteps. Then he searched again for the hole he had gone through, but he couldn't find it. As time passed and his body became stiff in the frigid water, he managed to smile and think to himself in his last few seconds: "At least they won't take me back to the cooler!"

Pages: 1.000

Pencils: ? (spot illo)

Inks: ? (spot illo)

Letters: typeset

Notes: The last half of this page was the annual Statement of Ownership piece, listing Frank D. Lee as Business Manager.

Synopsis: VK first spouts off about Editor Gaines' being featured in a new mag called "Tops," then printed letters from Bill Spicer, Malcolm Biggs, Donna Lee Fernetti, Jack Laws, Dave DeChaine, Vera Bernard, Larry Hawkins and Art Walker before pushing copies of the two new EC 3-D mags as well as subscriptions.

Pages: 1.000

Letters: typeset

Title: Pipe Dream

Characters: The Vault-Keeper (host); Chen Chu Yang; Yang's wife (death); Yang's son (death); Yang's daughter (death); Yang's daughter's husband (death)

Synopsis: Chen begins his tale while frequenting an opium den, a place where he can have drug-induced dreams that give him power and importance. But several visits to this drug den proffered a dream of his wife dying, later his son dying in battle, and finally his daughter's husband being murdered. The unfortunate side to these dreams was his daughter being blamed for the killing and was put to death for it. Now, Chen lay once again in the opium den.....to have yet another dream!

Pages: 6.000

Script: Johnny Craig

Pencils: Bernie Krigstein [as B. Kriegstein] (signed)

Inks: Bernie Krigstein [as B. Kriegstein] (signed)

Letters: Jim Wroten

Title: Two-Timed!

Characters: The Old Witch (host); Dickie [later called Tom]; Constable Phyfe

Synopsis: It was 1900 and little Dickie lay in his bed until he heard a sound he thought was his Mom and Dad returning home. Instead it came from outside, and he followed the sound until he saw a man viciously beating a woman tyo death, and then advance on him, grabbing him about the throat until he lost consciousness. When he awoke, his parents were there with Constable Phyfe, who found a scorched area near the boy. The crime was never solved and fiftenn years passed....the young man grew up, married, but later discovered his wife was cheating on him. So he later confronted his wife, took her out into the woods and began to beat her. He looked up to see a young kid watching and attacked him....then realized that the young kid was acually HIMSELF! He remembered the event 15 years earlier and that there was a shot, so he searched his wife's body and found the gun. Satisfied that his wife could no longer shoot him, he drenched his wife's body in gasoline and set it afire, Then a shot rang out and he staggered, falling onto his wife's blazing body. Just then Constable Phyfe pulled him out of the flames and the two talked, Tom discovering that, back then, the little boy had a scrap of paper on him that carried TODAY'S date, and he came back to the scene to investigate!

Pages: 7.000

Script: Jack Oleck ?

Pencils: Graham Ingels [as Ghastly] (signed)

Inks: Graham Ingels [as Ghastly] (signed)

Letters: Jim Wroten

Notes: Script credit from Tales of Terror: The EC Companion.