The 10 Scariest Pre-Code Horror Comics

Before the establishment of the Comics Code Authority in 1954, comic books were left totally untouched by any form of censorship. Because of this, writers and artists released some of the most gruesome and terrifying comic stories accompanied by absolutely grizzly imagery that was often splashed across the covers.

Though more famous titles such as Tales From the Crypt have stood the test of time, many classic horror comics were totally forgotten once they were removed from the market. Despite the distance of time, many classic Pre-Code horror comics are just as scary now as they were in the early 1950s.

Punch Comics

Comics of the 1940s and ’50s often dealt with multiple topics within a single issue and Punch Comics was no exception. Though the pages of the book usually contained stories of superheroes and other Western stories, it was the crime and horror segments that grabbed the most attention.

As the series progressed, it was clear that horror sold more issues and the book began to put illustrations of gruesome acts on the covers of their books. Publishing throughout the 1940s, Punch delivered scary tales with a crime edge, playing off of many of the terrifying stories of murder and mayhem found in the newspaper at the time.

Black Cat Mystery

The immense popularity of horror comics in the early ’50s enticed many publishers to transition some of their successful books in that direction. Black Cat Mystery started as a Golden Age super-hero comic about the titular Black Cat, but it soon began to cater to a more macabre audience with its tales.

As the series progressed, the stories and illustrations became more and more gruesome until they eventually drew the ire of the Comics Code Authority. Even at its darkest, Black Cat Mystery still had a cartoonish edge and many of its tales ended with surprise twist endings with a moral lesson attached.

Mister Mystery

Though lacking the enticing horror title of some of its contemporaries, Mister Mystery nevertheless delivered a healthy dose of chills in each issue. With each anthology story curated by the titular Mister Mystery, the book follows the familiar format of most horror comics with a bevy of short horror tales involving monsters and murder.

Though it could be seen as an imitator of the EC model of comics, Mister Mystery still managed to have its own unique style of storytelling. While many of EC’s stories were set in the same ethereal and timeless space as the Universal Classic Monster movies, Mister Mystery often set its tales in the modern day.

Witches Tales

Harvey Comics had already turned towards the horror game with Black Cat Mystery by the time they began another horror series, Witches Tales. With each tale hosted by the mysterious Witch, Witches Tales followed the usual anthology horror format with multiple stories in each monthly issue.

What set the book apart from the sea of other horror anthology comics at the time was its unique style of cover. While simplicity was usually key for most of the books, Witches Tales often featured a busy cover with many things for the reader to look at. Thick blocks of text would appear next to gruesome images and it kept the potential buyer’s eye on the book.

Startling Terror Tales

To help a book stand out amongst a wealth of competitors, publishers would often give their series the most enticing name possible. Startling Terror Tales got right to the heart of the matter and let the reader know exactly what they would be getting with each monthly issue.

Though Startling Terror Tales was short lived, it proved to be a fine addition to the Pre-Code horror lineup. The tales within were usually themed around a central premise such as crime, or large monsters, and many of the stories involved terror in far-off lands. What truly set the book apart was the cover artwork by legendary artist L.B Cole who could seamlessly blend absurd imagery with conventional gruesome gore.

The Vault Of Horror

EC Comics, at their height, nearly cornered the market of horror anthologies. The Vault of Horror was one of their three flagship books and it, along with its contemporaries, drew the ire of the Comics Code Authority for its gruesome content and scary covers.

Each of the three major books from EC featured their own host and The Vault Keeper often presided over the tales within his book. However, more familiar faces like The Crypt Keeper also made appearances frequently to introduce one of the book’s segments.

Chamber Of Chills

Few comics came as close to the authentic feel of an EC comic quite like Chamber of Chills. Though Marvel Comics would later title one of their horror series with the same name, Harvey Comics’ Chamber of Chills cemented its place among some of the most memorable Pre-Code horror books.

Chamber of Chills blended stories of science fiction and horror together often in their book and were never afraid to give the audience horrifying illustrations. Though anthologies are always hit or miss, Chamber’s covers very closely replicated the EC style, even down to the signature title font that appeared on every issue.

The Haunt Of Fear

EC Comics second flagship book, The Haunt of Fear was very similar to its brethren in its style and execution. Like most anthologies, the book lived and died by its stories and EC could always be counted on to deliver the best tales in the horror comic game.

With her strange bulging eye and long nose, The Haunt of Fear‘s host, The Old Witch was enough to terrify readers long before they even got to the stories themselves. Readers were also treated to brisk adaptations of classic horror stories from legendary authors such as Edgar Allan Poe and H.P Lovecraft on top of the original short tales of terror.

 Crime SuspenStories

Though EC’s horror comics have gone down in history as some of the best ever, their crime mags could also be counted on to deliver the chills. Crime SuspenStories told tales of gruesome crimes both real and imagined, and splashed its pages with bright red blood.

Though tales of monsters and ghosts was often enough to chill the reader, the gruesomely realistic stories within Crime were responsible for some of the goriest moments in comic book history. Interestingly enough, several of best episodes of the TV series Tales From the Crypt actually came from Crime SuspenStories and not EC’s horror books.

Tales From The Crypt

Starting as the less memorable Crypt of Terror, EC’s signature horror comic eventually found its name and made its mark on popular culture forever. With some of the scariest stories in the EC lineup, Tales from the Crypt never failed to deliver the chills in each issue of the short lived series.

Hosted by the infamous Crypt Keeper, the book’s many sardonic tales of terror often featured twist endings where characters received their comeuppance for a bad deed. The comic was so memorable that even decades after its demise it was adapted into a feature film, an extremely terrifying TV series, and spawned countless imitators and revivals within comics.

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