Vault of Horror #10

In a haunting tale from the shadows of the stage, a traveling knife-thrower named Harry and his wife Olga perform a deadly act in Hungary, their lives entwined in a performance that blurs the line between art and horror. When Harry awakens to find Olga seemingly dead, he prepares for her burial—only to uncover the terrible truth: she is a vampire, and their act was never just a show. As their dark partnership continues across continents, the final performance becomes a moment of chilling revelation, where the line between performer and prey dissolves on stage.

In "That's a 'Croc'!", the Old Witch introduces a chilling tale set at a local zoo, where the new crocodile exhibit draws crowds and stirs unease. When a young boy questions the zookeeper, Mr. Coogan, about the animals’ true nature, it sparks a dark turn in his behavior—leading to a series of disappearances that come to light when Norman Simms vanishes and a stolen ring surfaces in town. As suspicion builds, a confrontation at the zoo reaches a gruesome climax when Coogan seeks refuge in the very pit he once controlled.

In "Child's Play," the Vault-Keeper recounts a chilling tale of a man whose cruelty toward his wife spirals into a haunting reckoning. When a group of boys accidentally trespasses on the grounds of Mr. Collin’s home, they’re met with hostility—only to later discover the true horror behind his wife Emma’s quiet suffering. As their small acts of kindness are met with violence, the boys’ sympathy turns to a quiet, desperate justice. But when a ghostly voice from the night calls out to Collin, the past refuses to stay buried.