Haunt of Fear #26
"Marriage Vow" in Haunt of Fear #26 (1954) delivers a chilling tale of guilt and spectral retribution, written by Otto Binder and illustrated with haunting precision by Reed Crandall, whose inks and Marie Severin’s colors deepen the story’s dread. Cover by Graham Ingels captures the story’s oppressive mood, a visual echo of the man’s growing torment. This early EC horror gem stands out for its psychological weight and a twist that lingers long after the final panel.
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A man murders his own wife in order to marry a wealthy woman. As he leaves her grave site in the evening he notices he has picked up an unwanted companion, his dead wife's shadow. At first the shadow ruins his relationship with the wealthy woman, then strangles her while framing her husband by appearing to a policeman around a corner to be a victim's shadow being strangled by the husband's shadow. The husband tells the truth on the stand but the jury doesn't believe him and he is executed and buried next to his dead wife. Only then does her shadow return to the grave and rest.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).