Haunt of Fear #6

(March-April 1951)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

A Strange Undertaking... (Table of Contents: 2)

The Witch's Cauldron! / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

Ray Bradbury (story); Bill Gaines (co-plot); Al Feldstein (co-plot, script adaptation)

Pencils

Graham Ingels

Inks

Graham Ingels

Colors

? (see notes)

Letters

Jim Wroten

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Old Witch (host); Ezra Deepley (undertaker, death); Clem Bookin (cemetery caretaker); Mrs. Bridgeman (voice only); John Bridgeman (Mrs. Bridgeman's husband, dentist, cameo, also in flashback, death); Fredrick Dunhill (town Mayor, cameo, also in flashback, death); Horace Streetwall (banker, cameo, also in flashback, death); Dr. Claude Fowler (cameo, also in flashback, death)

Synopsis

Ezra Deepley is an undertaker who feels he has suffered injustice at the hands of influential town citizens so when they die during an epidemic of disease, Ezra takes advantage of the situation to revenge himself upon their corpses. But soon, the five corpses rise and get their revenge on Ezra.

Reprints

• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1985 series) #1 (1985)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #5/1992 (uke 29 1992)
• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #6 (February 1994)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #23 - Doctor of Horror and Other Stories (December 2018) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in The EC Archives: The Haunt of Fear (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #1 (November 2021)
• in Home to Stay! The Complete EC Ray Bradbury Stories (Fantagraphics, 2022 series) (January 2023)

Indexer Notes

E.C.'s first Bradbury swipe, of "The Handler."

Letterer credit by Craig Delich.

Script credit from "Tales of Terror! - The EC Companion" by Fred von Bernewitz and Grant Geissman.

Colors were previously attributed to Marie Severin (see Indexer Notes for this issue’s cover, above).

So They Finally Pinned You Down! (Table of Contents: 3)

The Vault of Horror! / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

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

Pencils

Wally Wood

Inks

Wally Wood

Colors

? (see notes)

Letters

Jim Wroten

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Vault-Keeper (host); three unnamed girls (all die); Dr. Alex Farnsworth (mention only); girl vampire (villain); a drifter (villain, male vampire, death)

Synopsis

A drifter is "turned" by a vampire, but doesn't understand this strange new condition and powerful urges, so he attempts to track the woman down. He continually feels that he has found her at last only to realize his mistake when he has slaked his blood thirst upon his latest victim. Eventually the citizens discover his hiding place and pound a stake through his heart and he dies without ever fully comprehending what has happened to him.

Reprints

• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1985 series) #1 (1985)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #7/1992 (uke 44 1992)
• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #6 (February 1994)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #2 - Came the Dawn and Other Stories (August 2012) [black-and-white reprint]
• in The EC Archives: The Haunt of Fear (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #1 (November 2021)

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit by Craig Delich.

Script credit from "Tales of Terror! - The EC Companion" by Fred von Bernewitz and Grant Geissman.

Colors were previously attributed to Marie Severin (see Indexer Notes for this issue’s cover, above).

Marsh Sand (Table of Contents: 4)

text story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Al Feldstein

Pencils

? (masthead illustration)

Inks

? (masthead illustration)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

Paul Murdock (death); Richard Murdock (villain, Paul's heir)

Synopsis

Richard Murdock awakens suddenly from his slumber, wondering if someone was snooping around in this unused and closed-off wing of the Murdock mansion, once exclusively used by Paul Murdock. He realized that when the insurance company ruled that Paul's disappearance was for good, he'd get the fortune left behind. Later, when the coroner and the servants found the body of Richard in the hallway outside his room, the cause of death was officially listed as fright!

Reprints

• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1985 series) #1 (1985)
• in The EC Archives: The Haunt of Fear (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #1 (November 2021)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 5)

The Old Witch's Niche / letters page / 1 page (report information)

Script

Al Feldstein

Pencils

? (masthead illustration)

Inks

? (masthead illustration)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Characters

The Old Witch

Reprints

• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1985 series) #1 (1985)
• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #6 (February 1994)
• in The EC Archives: The Haunt of Fear (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #1 (November 2021)

Indexer Notes

Editorial (no letters).

A Grave Gag!! (Table of Contents: 6)

comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

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

Pencils

Jack Kamen

Inks

Jack Kamen

Colors

? (see notes)

Letters

Jim Wroten

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Old Witch (host); Samuel Westlake (Hiram's brotherdeath); Hiram Westlake (death); Robert Westlake (Hiram's brother); Ezra Westlake (Hiram's brother); Granny; unnamed minister; Lisa Westlake (Robert's wife, death); Jonah Westlake (a jokester, Hiram's brother, death)

Synopsis

An unpopular family member with a penchant for playing practical jokes on the occasion of family member's funerals outsmarts himself when he takes the place of his brother's dead wife in her coffin and the family refuse to view his screams as anything but another gag, thus burying him alive.

Reprints

• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1985 series) #1 (1985)
• in Iskalde Grøss album (Semic, 1989 series) #2 ([mai] 1990)
• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #6 (February 1994)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #20 - Daddy Lost His Head and Other Stories (November 2017) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in The EC Archives: The Haunt of Fear (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #1 (November 2021)

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit by Craig Delich.

Script credit from "Tales of Terror! - The EC Companion" by Fred von Bernewitz and Grant Geissman.

Cover story.

Colors were previously attributed to Marie Severin (see Indexer Notes for this issue’s cover, above).

Cheese, That's Horrible! (Table of Contents: 7)

The Crypt of Terror / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

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

Pencils

Jack Davis (signed)

Inks

Jack Davis (signed)

Colors

? (see notes)

Letters

Jim Wroten

Genre

horror-suspense

Characters

The Crypt-Keeper (host); Hendrick Villhem (cheese-maker, death); Prince's butler; Bradbury Prince (villain, cheese factory owner, death)

Synopsis

The owner of a cheese factory murders his partner, Hendrick Villhem, by shoving him into a cheese vat in order to avoid sharing the profits with him. He dreams of being pursued by glowing cat's eyes and crawls across a mouse trap baited with cheese from which dangle the hands of his partner---then the trap springs shut!

Reprints

• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1985 series) #1 (1985)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #1/1991 (uke 2 1991)
• in Haunt of Fear (Russ Cochran, 1992 series) #6 (February 1994)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #16 - The Living Mummy and Other Stories (August 2016) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in The EC Archives: The Haunt of Fear (Dark Horse, 2021 series) #1 (November 2021), #1 (November 2021)

Keywords

P & V Cheese Company

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit by Craig Delich per Al Feldstein.

Script credit from "Tales of Terror! - The EC Companion" by Fred von Bernewitz and Grant Geissman.

Colors were previously attributed to Marie Severin (see Indexer Notes for this issue’s cover, above).