Vault of Horror #18

In "The Mausoleum!", the Vault-Keeper recounts a tale of deception and dread: after a wealthy collector’s rejected offer to buy and relocate an old castle, the owner’s nephew kills him, hides the body in the family mausoleum, and stages a false accident. When the castle is finally sold and becomes a tourist attraction, the past begins to stir — and the secrets buried beneath its stones refuse to stay silent.

In "Let's Play Poison!", a haunted teacher haunted by a past tragedy returns to the classroom, only to spiral into paranoia after witnessing a child's death and later seeing a skull appear outside his window. As he becomes obsessed with a game of hopscotch that mirrors a grave marker, his fear turns to dread—until he’s buried alive by the very students he once despised. The Crypt-Keeper watches as the game continues, unbroken, on a sidewalk where a name now marks a grave.

In a grimly festive twist, a young whipping boy returns home for Christmas, haunted by the cruelty he’s endured and wondering if Santa will still come for him despite his suffering. As he and his father await the holiday’s promise, a chilling gift arrives—one that turns the season’s hope into something far darker. The Vault-Keeper invites you to a tale where innocence, punishment, and a single sock hold more horror than any crown.

In "Pickled Pints!", a pair of opportunistic hustlers exploit the desperate for quick cash by harvesting blood from homeless men—until their scheme takes a gruesome turn when a seemingly ordinary donation goes horribly wrong. The Old Witch warns of the price of greed, as the men’s latest "donor" awakens with eyes burning red and a hunger far beyond the norm.