Nightmare

If our previous post didn't make you lose your horrible lil haunted heads, --then today's nightmarish classic absolutely cannot fail! And it's another one by Bob Forgione as well, from the February 1952 debut issue of of The Thing #1. Special note: Bob and Albert Tyler (on pencils) actually created every single piece of art in this entire, stunning issue, Yep, every story, and even that super spooky cover! What a great way to kick off a legendary Golden Age horror series!

The Spider Widow vs. The Headhunter!

Hero Monday already again? Yep, and this time it's Frank Borth's lovely Diane Grayton donning the hideous witch mask and turning into her horrific alter hag persona, --The Spider Widow! Definitely an odd change-up from the usual comic book plain Jane who transforms herself into a gorgeous goddess to fight evil, and here The Spider Widow battles a vicious head chopper / shrinker in what would turn out to unfortunately be her final comic book appearance ever. A real shame because a creepy cutie like this (and illustrated by Rudy Palais, no less!) would've really slayed the masses in the pre-code horror boom creeping closer and closer less than a mere decade away. From the October 1943 issue of Feature Comics #72, and be sure to get your socks knocked off again as SW battles the yellow menace in a bondage bonanza, leg show-a-rama over at AEET HERE! That's right, --double feature Spider Widow!

Z-Z-Z-P!

A fast 'n fun Atlas weirdie for ya today, one that goes hand in boney hand with the man who lost his honkin' head via voodoo schmoodoo from last week, with great art from good 'ol Russ Heath, and from the October 1952 issue of Spellbound #8.

Killer Lady

Here's an encore presentation of one of the more popular stories we featured here long, long ago... and since I'm incredibly busy with some new projects, and we have lots of lovely new followers too, occasionally I'll be dusting off some of these archived entries to remind people of what glorious evils await in our vast vault of no return. Dig around a little-- and you will see!

From the February 1953 issue of Voodoo #6.

Head of Horror

Here's one from THOIA's archive by request, and I mean going waaay back to 2007 --you can go back even further to the July 1952 issue of Strange Mysteries #6 where it originally appeared too! I get a lot of requests for stories that have already been posted here over the last 8 years, (Hell, we've got over 1500 posts uploaded now, so get searchin'!) You can use the search engine at the top left of the blog to find titles, also: you can use keywords if you're not sure of an exact title. Try artist, series name, and publisher sometimes works too. Writing to me of course works but it might take me a few days to respond. Thanks again to everyone who comments here, this month is a bit hectic for me but I'll have more new posts coming up later this week. Thanks-- and stay tombed!

[Hopefully the label cloud will make searching even easier! -- Nequam]

Brain Food

The "chilled monkey brains" scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is played pretty much for maximum gross-out laughs. Not so is the case in this ultra grim, icky back-up tale with a revoltingly similar theme, from the April 1980 issue of Vampirella #86. (Extra thanks again to my chum Brian Barnes who sent me a box full of Warren mags to add to my collection!)

(Cover art by
Terrance Lindall)

And also another thanks to Eric Stanway for sending me a copy of his Vintage Blood Volume 1 collection. If you enjoy atmospheric, graphic adaptations of Poe, Bierce, Stoker, Dickens, and Stevenson (many of these culled from the pages of Fantaco's GORE SHRIEK magazine) then check it out by clicking HERE!

The Creatures of the Mist / Medusa

You can't very well have a Dark Mysteries Fest and not include a story by THOIA friend and favorite Hy Fleishman-- so how about TWO stories from him! First up: "The Creatures of the Mist" from the January 1952 issue of Dark Mysteries #4, this one has a really great, super gruesome ending. And our second Fleishman feature "Medusa" from the November 1952 issue of Dark Mysteries #9 contains this sensuous line: "The sight of Elfreda stroking the thick black coils of the snake filled Jeff with a strange attraction so great that he could feel the sweat break on his upper lip!" You definitely don't want to miss this one!