DtH Episode 73: Pre-Code Horror Comics

June 26, 2024 by Jon Kitley in Discover the Horror Podcast and tagged Chamber of Chills, Dark Shadows, Dr. Dan Yezbick, EC Comics, Grimm's Ghost Stories, Haunt of Fear, House of Mystery, House of Secrets, Pre-Code Horror Comics, Tales from the Crypt, Tomb of Dracula, Tower of Shadows, Vault of Horror, Werewolf by Night, William Gains | Leave a comment

In the mid 1950’s an overzealous witch hunt took place in the United States focused on the corrupting effects of comic books on young people, which ended in horror comics being banned from the shelves by a draconian comics code. But why? What did those comics contain that got people so riled up? Well, it depends on who you ask.

WE asked Dr. Dan Yezbick, a comics scholar, and he sparked a lively discussion. If you’re only vaguely aware of this chapter of horror history, strap in, because pre-code horror is one of the more fascinating areas of the history of the genre.

Comics mention in this episode:

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Movie Review: Tales from the Crypt Documentary

March 20, 2022 by Jon Kitley in Reviews: Movies and tagged Al Feldstein, Al Williamson, Chip Selby, Dr. Fredric Wertham, EC Comics, George Romero, Haunt of Fear, Jack Davis, Jack Kamen, Jerry Weist, John Carpenter, R.L. Stine, Roger Hill, Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror, William Gaines | 1 Comment

(2004)
Directed by Chip Selby
Starring John Carpenter, Jack Davis, Digby Diehl, Al Feldstein, William M. Gaines, George Romero, Bernie Wrightson

I grew up in the late 60’s / early 70’s, so the horror comics that I remembered reading in my youth were titles like Creepy and Eerie. The moniker Tales from The Crypt was from a movie as far as I knew. Once I started really getting into horror, I kept coming across references to these comic books from the ‘50s. Eventually, I would learn a little more about what EC comics had done a good 10 years before I was born. Then when the reprints started to come out, I was able to see and enjoy these wonderfully created images and stories that caused such a roar back in the mid 50’s.

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