Vault of Horror #29

In the shadow of a crumbling castle, Howard Martin returns to claim a property he once tried to buy—only to find the past buried beneath its stones. When Mr. Weatherby’s nephew Nathan murdered him and hid the body in the family mausoleum, the truth began to stir in the silence. Now, as the castle draws curious visitors and whispers of the dead grow louder, the line between memory and menace begins to blur.

In the chilling tale "Let's Play Poison!" from *Vault of Horror* #29, the Crypt-Keeper presents a haunting story of guilt and retribution. Mr. Howard, a teacher haunted by a tragic incident from his past, returns to the classroom only to find himself tormented by the very children he now despises—especially when he discovers them playing a deadly game of poison on the sidewalk, their names marked like gravestones. As the line between memory and nightmare blurs, the haunting presence outside his window grows more insistent, leading to a final, terrible reckoning.

In a gothic castle where Christmas brings more dread than delight, a young whipping boy finds himself caught between cruelty and hope. As the holiday approaches, he wonders if Santa will still come for him—despite his suffering—while his father pleads with the cruel King to spare him. When the boy wakes to a shocking gift in his sock, the truth behind the season’s magic begins to unravel.

In "Pickled Pints!", the Old Witch warns of a sinister scheme in the Bowery, where Cal and Warren lure derelicts like Jack and Tommy into donating blood for quick cash—only to sell it to a blood bank. But when their supply dwindles after a death, they escalate their scheme, unaware that their next "donor" is no ordinary man. When the heavy-set stranger awakens with blazing red eyes, their greed turns to terror.