Tales from the Crypt #31

In "Survival... or Death!" from Tales from the Crypt #31, two crewmen on the Port-au-Prince—Gregory Macy and Charles Warner—pass the time with a cruel game of rat endurance, betting on which rodent will survive a deadly battle for a floating platform. When their ship sinks, the Crypt-Keeper reminds us that in the end, even humans can be just as desperate and ruthless as the creatures they once mocked.

In the isolated Glades, a grieving father raises his deformed son in bitter solitude after his wife’s death in childbirth. When a series of brutal killings shakes the town, the sheriff and deputies track the violence to the man’s cabin, where the father’s desperate defense only deepens the mystery. As the truth begins to surface, the line between protector and predator blurs in a story of isolation, guilt, and the horrors that fester in silence.

In "Kamen's Kalamity!", Jack Kamen struggles to embrace the grim tone of the horror stories he’s drawn for the anthology, spurred on by the editorial push from Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein. After being told his art is too sweet, he resolves to dig deeper—only to drift into a fevered dream where he imagines himself transformed under the full moon, returning home with a dark intent toward his wife and two unnamed children. The moment he wakes, his wife’s scream cuts through the silence, startled by a simple mouse.

In 1667 Germany, the cruel Duke of Schlusstein rules with greed and cruelty, forcing starving peasants to pay for the blood of a child he’s killed. When Johann, a young boy whose life is in danger, devises a plan to steal the Duke’s jewels to pay the absurd tax, his friend Emile volunteers—only to be captured and punished with the loss of his hands. With the Old Witch watching from the shadows, Johann sets his sights on a darker retribution, weaving a trap as cold and sharp as the blade that took Emile’s hands.