Tales from the Crypt was one of the most popular and notorious horror comic books of the early 1950s. Like other titles published by EC Comics, Crypt featured stories that explored the depravity of human nature and the hypocrisy of middle-class society. Brutality, bloodshed, and sadism were the norm in these stories, and—much to the horror of American parents—the kids loved it.

When the series became widely imitated by competing publishers, the proliferation of horror comics provoked a public backlash that led ultimately to a 1954 U.S. Senate investigation into the comic-book industry. Chastised publishers adopted a stringent Comics Code that year which prohibited the publication of horror comic books like Crypt.

Further Reading:

Barker, Martin. A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign. London, Pluto Press, 1984.

Benton, Mike. Horror Comics. Dallas, Taylor Publishing, 1991.