Tales from the Crypt was a bimonthly horror anthology comic published by EC that quickly gained notoriety for its gruesome content. It went through a few titles from Crime Patrol to The Crypt of Terror before landing on Tales from the Crypt in October/November 1950.

The stories in EC’s horror comics were introduced by three hosts: the Crypt-Keeper, the Vault-Keeper, and the Old Witch. Each comic had a primary host with the Crypt-Keeper serving as the main one on Tales from the Crypt.  

He was introduced in Crime Patrol #15 and became a mainstay through title and format changes. The Crypt-Keeper exuded sinister energy through the comic, drawn as a creepy hermit with his face mostly obscured by deep shadows and his stringy hair. As the title continued, he developed a comedic tone by filling his commentary with puns and jokes to lighten the horror nature of the stories.

Occasionally the Crypt-Keeper would make appearances in the story, which gave readers some details on his background. His birth was recounted in Tales from the Crypt #33, his home was toured in The Vault of Horror #34, and he told the story of getting his EC contract in The Haunt of Fear #17.

Despite the title ending after just 27 issues, Tales from the Crypt has had a lasting impact on comic readers, especially fans of horror. The Crypt-Keeper is easily the most recognizable of the GhouLunatics in both comics and TV. In 1989 the Crypt-Keeper (played by John Kassir) became the host of HBO’s Tales from the Crypt TV series based on the comic. Several stories from the comic were used in the show, along with tales from other EC comics.

In 2007 the comic was revived by indie publisher Papercutz, which totaled 13 issues. The series had a two-issue return in 2016, this time through Super Genius Comics. Who knows where the creepy Crypt-Keeper will turn up next?