Following the publication of Fredric Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent, horror and other violent comics had come under scrutiny by parents, schoolteachers, clergymen, psychologists, and others who viewed the material as dangerous to the well-being of children and a significant contributor to the juvenile delinquency crisis in America. They were stopped dead in their tracks, however. In 1954, Gaines and Feldstein intended to add a fourth book to their horror publications by reactivating an earlier title, The Crypt of Terror. Los Angeles councilman Ernest Debs denouncing Tales from the Crypt and other horror and crime comics in 1954 (LA Daily News) Tales from the Crypt debuted with issue #20 (October/November 1950), producing a total of 27 issues (excluding the initial three issues, #17–19, published as The Crypt of Terror), before ceasing publication with its February/March 1955 issue (#46). Due to an attempt to save money on second-class postage permits, the numbering did not change with the title and continued as The Crypt of Terror for the next two issues. Issue #16 featured more horror tales than crime stories, and, with issue #17, the title changed from Crime Patrol to The Crypt of Terror. Tales from the Crypt traces its origin to a Feldstein story, "Return from the Grave!", in EC's Crime Patrol (#15, December 1949/January 1950) with the Crypt-Keeper making his debut as host. In 1950, EC publisher Gaines and his editor Al Feldstein discovered they shared similar tastes in horror and began experimenting with horror tales in their crime titles. In 1948, Adventures Into the Unknown became the first regularly published horror title, enjoying a nearly two decade life-span. One-shot Eerie (1947) is generally considered the first true horror comic, with its cover depicting a dagger-wielding, red-eyed ghoul threatening a rope-bound, scantily clad, voluptuous young woman beneath a full moon. Horror comics emerged as a distinct comic book genre after World War II when young adult males lost interest in caped crimebusters, and returning GIs wanted titillating sex and violence in their reading. The later spawned two films- Demon Knight (1995) and Bordello of Blood (1996)-as well as a children's animated series, a game show, and a radio series. Stories from the horror series have been adapted into other media, including a 1972 film and a television series that aired on HBO from 1989 to 1996. ![]() Since their demise, all EC Comics titles have been reprinted at various times. With the subsequent imposition of a highly restrictive Comics Code, EC Comics publisher Bill Gaines cancelled Tales from the Crypt and its two companion horror titles, along with the company's remaining crime and science fiction series in September 1954. In April and June 1954, highly publicized congressional subcommittee hearings on the effects of comic books upon children left the industry shaken. Along with its sister titles, The Haunt of Fear and The Vault of Horror, Tales from the Crypt was popular, but in the late 1940s and early 1950s comic books came under attack from parents, clergymen, schoolteachers and others who believed the books contributed to illiteracy and juvenile delinquency. ![]() ![]() Tales from the Crypt was an American bi-monthly horror comic anthology series published by EC Comics from 1950 to 1955, producing 27 issues (the first issue with the title was #20, previously having been International Comics (#1–5) International Crime Patrol (#6) Crime Patrol (#7–16) and The Crypt of Terror (#17–19) for a total of 46 issues in the series). 1 (October/November 1950 – February/March 1955)
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