Following the intensity of World War II, young adult males lost interest in caped crime busters and wanted more compelling themes. And thus, horror comics were born. While Eerie and Adventures Into the Unknown are largely considered to be the first true horror comics, EC Comics entered with a bang.

During the 1950s, William Gaines and Al Feldstein discovered a mutual interest in the creepy and bizarre. Eventually the pair had a trifecta of popular EC horror anthologies in the form of Tales from the Crypt, The Haunt of Fear, and The Vault of Horror. The Vault of Horror ran from April 1950 to January 1955, producing 29 spine tingling issues. Leading the series was the sardonic host and commentator, the Vault-Keeper – not to be confused with the Crypt-Keeper of the companion series. Although he started off as a frightening inquisitor, the Vault-Keeper evolved into a comedic horror host. Typically using puns to lighten the tone of the terrifying stories he introduced.

Johnny Craig served as the main artist for the series and created the horrifying atmosphere and distinctive qualities of the comic. As with the other EC Comics, The Vault of Horror was influenced by various horror novels that Gaines read. For instance, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray was a springboard for issue #17 Voodoo Horror and issue #22, What the Dog Dragged In, was the result of Ray Bradbury's The Emissary. Unfortunately, despite the growing popularity of the series, the horror genre came under severe scrutiny. Parents, schoolteachers, and clergymen viewed the genre as a contributor to the juvenile delinquency crisis.

Eventually, the publisher was forbidden from using "terror" or "horror" in titles, and from depicting zombies, werewolves, or other gruesome characters. Given that Vault of Horror defied both of these rules, the series was forced to end in 1955. Thankfully, the world later grew more accepting of horror and led to several reprints and adaptations. Dark Horse comics even released a digital recolored collection of the series back in 2014.

Today, there are plenty of ways to step into The Vault of Horror, if you dare.