The Vault of Horror #1

In "Star Light, Star Bright!", the Vault-Keeper recounts a chilling tale of a new headmaster at a remote facility, where the inmates' obedience is maintained through a horrifying ritual. As rain lashes the grounds, the new man watches in dread as guards force visitors to desecrate a corpse—only to learn the previous headmaster was murdered for trying to end the practice. That night, paranoia takes hold as he lies awake beneath a skylight, only to be seized, bound, and sealed in a coffin with a view of the sky—only to wake again, uncertain if the nightmare was real. Then, a face appears above him, and dirt rains down.

In "While the Cat's Away...", two con artists think they've found the perfect scam—robbing a wealthy man while he's on vacation. But when they break into his seemingly empty suburban home, they stumble upon a hidden cellar door marked with a chilling warning. What starts as a simple heist quickly spirals into a nightmare as they uncover a labyrinth of supernatural horrors, each more terrifying than the last. By the time they reach the front door, their minds have shattered—unaware that the true owner has just returned, watching from the shadows.

In "Smoke Wrings," the Vault-Keeper recounts a chilling tale of betrayal and eerie retribution: a man named Hubert schemes to profit from a bold new billboard idea for the Llama Cigarette Company, only to be double-crossed by Miss Jackson, who steals his concept and leaves him dead. But when the billboard’s haunting presence begins to target another—poor Lorna—it’s clear that some promises are made in smoke, and some debts are paid in kind.

In "Where There's a Will...", the Old Witch recounts a tale of twisted inheritance and shocking betrayal, where a dying man’s final act of vengeance turns a funeral into a farce of greed. As relatives gather to mourn, the old man orchestrates a macabre test—feigning death to hear their true thoughts—only to reveal a final twist that leaves everyone stunned.

In "The Wall," a tense marriage unravels when a husband’s growing resentment toward his wife’s obsession with their cat boils over in a tragic accident. After accidentally killing Clara, Neal attempts to hide the body by sealing it behind a wall in the cellar—only to find that guilt and the cat’s relentless presence are far harder to contain than he expected.

In "House of Horror," three college freshmen vanish during a hazing ritual at the eerie Palmer Place, a house long rumored to be haunted. When Les Wilton goes in after them, he doesn’t come out—instead, those who later enter find him decades older, his face etched with time he never lived.

In "The Mad Magician," a performer whose mastery of ancient and modern magic has long thrilled audiences sets his sights on the ultimate illusion: sawing a man in half and restoring him whole. But when the moment arrives, fate itself seems to have a trick up its sleeve—turning the act into something far more dangerous than any stagecraft.

In "The Thing in the Swamp!", two men push deeper into the Okefenokee Swamp despite a warning from an old man who claims the land is cursed. The old man recounts how a failed experiment unleashed a monstrous, blob-like creature upon the swamps—born from a discarded mixture and responsible for the deaths of a scientist and his daughter. Though he reveals he was once engaged to the scientist’s daughter, the men press on, unaware of the danger that stirs beneath the murky waters.