THE READTHRU: HAUNT OF FEAR Part 1 (15-17, 4)
E.C. Comics clearly had faith in their line of "New Trend" horror comics from the jump because they launched a third title one month after the first issues of Tales From The Crypt and Vault Of Horror. Haunt Of Fear followed the same format as its predecessors: four self-contained horror stories, usually introduced by ghastly hosts who laced their storytelling with plenty of macabre puns to let the reader know that the stories were all in grisly good fun. These tales would soon become known for their gory punchlines but the early issues are a bit more restrained with their displays of grue.
In the case of HauntOf Fear, the main host was the Old Witch. That said, she didn't begin herreign until the second issue. It's also worth noting the quirky numbering earlyin the comic's run: the first three issues were numbered 15, 16 and 17 becausethe E.C. crew saved money by resuming the numbering from a prior Western title,Gunslinger. This ended after theU.S. Post Office told them to restart their numbering with the fourth issue.
HAUNTOF FEAR #15 (1): The first issue bucks the E.C. horrortrend in one way: there are no hosts for the stories, though all featurenarration. "The Black Cat" is a blackly comic variation on the famousPoe tale, with Johnny Craig's art weaving in surreal touches to effectivelycapture the growing madness of its anti-hero. "The Mad Magician" is adensely plotted affair in which artists Harry Harrison and Wally Wood lay onthe gothic trappings for a tale of crazed vaudevillian trying to perfect theold "saw a man in half" trick (note: the gruesome punchline's keptjust off-frame). Editor William Gaines must have liked this issue because he'drecycle its other two stories in his other horror titles: "House OfHorror" would appear again in TalesFrom The Crypt #21 and "Terror In The Swamp" would be reprintedin Vault Of Horror #15 - click onthe aforementioned titles to read the entries on those two stories.
HAUNTOF FEAR #16 (2): The Old Witch makes her debut with thisissue's finale tale, "The Mummy's Return." It's a JackKamen-illustrated tale that plays like a Reader's Digest condensed version of aUniversal Studios mummy flick. Elsewhere, "Vampire" benefits from aunique swamp setting for its twist-happy tale of a mystery bloodsucker, amilieu rendered stylishly by Craig, and "Horror-Ahead!" utilizesnoir-ish work from Wood to render its tale of voodoo doings, which have anamusing theme of cultural plundering come back to haunt the perpetrators. Thatsaid, Schlockmania's favorite here is "The Killer In The Coffin," atwisty-turny crossbreeding of the 'murderous adulterers' E.C. story archetypewith faked death and burial-of-the-undead motifs. Graham Ingels supplies theart and his feverish, lurid style really sells the scenario.
HAUNTOF FEAR #17 (3): This one offers a really strong crop of tales, packed with evocative artand clever storytelling hooks. "Nightmare" uses crisp Craig art totell the tale of a man who tries to combat his morbid, Poe-ish fear ofpremature burial with psychoanalysis. His freak-out dreams are worthy of a WesCraven flick and the twist ending is as clever as it is mean. "TelevisionTerror" is an ahead-of-its-time tale of a smartass t.v. host taking a livecamera into a haunted house. It's a found-footage tale decades before anyonewould dream up that concept, innovatively illustrated by Harvey Kurtzman, andwas later adapted for the Tales From TheCrypt t.v. show. "The Monster Maker" reinterprets Frankenstein with a poetic justicetwist, with gorgeous gothic art from Ingels. However, the most unique tale isthe finale introduced by the Old Witch: "Horror Beneath The Streets"has E.C. main players William Gaines and Al Feldstein playing themselves asthey spin a fanciful meta-yarn explaining what led them to publish horrorcomics. This issues is a blast from start to finish and highly recommended.
HAUNTOF FEAR #4: The final issue of this quartet has all the E.C.horror hosts in play, with the Old Witch emceeing two tales and her two Keeperpals picking up the slack elsewhere. "The Hunchback" takes itsinspiration from a Robert Bloch story: it's perhaps a bit too rushed for itsown good but has suitably morbid Ingels art and a final twist that anticipates Basket Case. "The Tunnel OfTerror" is a surreal piece involving a twisted underground club andcannibalism. It doesn't get gory but it gets a creepy reality-slips-away vibefrom its Kamen art. "The Living Mummy" is an action-packed mixture ofmad scientist and Mummy elements powered by playful Jack Davis art. The besttale is saved for last: "Man From The Grave" is the tale of astruggling artist who gets the fame he wants through evil methods and lives toregret it. It's got an acid facial, a dying man's curse and flamboyantly creepyWood art (dig those creepy canvases painted by the cursed artist!).