The Iron Man

Iron Man?!! But I thought Kars said we were done with hero stuff for a while! Annnnd indeed we are, as this is not a Marvel post, --but a wild robo Atlas classic from the January 1953 issue of Mystery Tales #7. Carl Burgos even delivers a hairy-scary dash of lycanthropy to the first page, making it eligible for a Werewolf Wednesday post as well! Yes, today's perfect post is all about the fiendish fake-out!

Skulls! Skulls!! Skulls!!!

The second half of the 28 Years Later film saga, The Bone Temple, opened in theaters this weekend, and we're going to see it this Tuesday night, in fact. Now, not to get "a-head" of ourselves here for anyone else who hasn't seen it yet, (though I'm sure the posters, trailers, and scenes from the first half of the previous movie hath etched the towers of chilling skull totems into everyone's gasping eyeballs already anyway), but that brings me to this: I've been hanging onto Werner Roth's rather savage, "The Grinning Skulls!" from the January 1953 issue of Strange Tales #14 for about a year now, patiently waiting for just the right occasion to post it, and now you will see EXACTLY why. And not to be outdone by one juicy jolt of jungle jitters, but I also have a god-damned (get it?)  Stan Lee / John Romita decap classic via the January 1953 issue of Mystery Tales #7 that will really flip your lid! If that ain't enough, I've also included an old WW2 photo with a back story that's even more macabre than either of today's Atlas Tales combined. Click HERE for it if you dare... ugh!

The Tiny Coffin!

It's been a number of years since we've seen a macabre Matt Fox freak-out here at THOIA, so how about a really oddball one from the ominous October 1954 issue of Mystery Tales #22 to totally get your skin a'crawlin'! Yes, we finally get August 2022 rollin' into fear... errr, gear, --stay tombed for lots more!

Beware the Sea Hag / The Old Hag!

It sure wouldn't be a Valentine's Massacre at The Horrors of it All without a couple of horrible old hags hangin' around here and lousin' up all the hearts 'n huggin' action. Take for example this horrendous Atlas tale of bad lovin' gone extra hilariously hideous, from the December 1952 issue of Mystery Tales #6. But first up, we'll take a lovely little boat ride out to sea, --to see how luridly love sick our sea sickness can be! From the May 1981 issue of Secrets of Haunted House #36, and yep, it's a double beheader today, one golden, and one silver --and trust me on this one, folks, it doesn't get much juicer than this! And fyi, both tales were written by Carl Wessler! Neat to see him spanning nearly 3 decades with high quality, haggish horrors!

The Lonely Dungeon

OMG. Another kookball investigation into the legend of Frankenstein?!! And this one even more awesomely cockamamie than the last?!! Yes. Yes it is. And I guess if we're not careful, THOIA could become the new Frankensteinia, (I sure miss that blog!) --so with this post we also say a fond adieu to Mary Shelley's monster and then move on to other scary subjects coming up next-- but for now, enjoy one last mysterious trip down into the mad science lab, from the March 1954 issue of Mystery Tales #18.

The Graveyard!

Time once again for another rousing adventure into the highly satisfying realm of the ill-fated great white hunter genre. You've read enough stories here over the years to already know this ain't gonna end well for 'em, so just kick back and let Dick Ayers set 'em up for the wonderfully big take down. Originally featured in the March 1954 issue of Mystery Tales #18.

The Killer!

All the world's a stage, as The Horrors of it All shines a shivery spotlight on a spine chilling Al Luster crime classic from the April 1953 issue of Mystery Tales #10.









If today's story wasn't scary enough for you, just remember that Halloween is in 100 days!

Bring Back My Feet

Three awful ladies down, one to go, courtesy of the October 1953 issue of Mystery Tales #16. Now we all know that there are certainly fates worse than death. But are there feets worse than death? Confucius say "Read on and you will see!" 













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