Vault of Horror #4

In the chilling tale "...And All Through the House..." from *Vault of Horror #4* (1992), a Christmas Eve murder sets a tense stage when a young girl, Carol, mistakes the sound of her mother’s crime for Santa’s arrival. As her mother frantically hides the body and hears a radio report about a killer in a Santa suit on the loose, the front door suddenly knocks—just as Carol, wide-eyed with holiday wonder, reaches for the handle.

In "Tombs-Day!", a team of explorers led by Professor Burton ventures into a forgotten Egyptian tomb, only to find themselves sealed inside as eerie disappearances begin—each leaving behind a pool of blood. As ancient hieroglyphics hint at a curse tied to the Sphinx, the line between myth and terror blurs in the dark.

In the eerie atmosphere of a small-town undertaker’s convention, Helen finds herself caught in a twisted game of vanity and deception when she steals her roommate Joyce’s chance at the "Miss Corpse" pageant. After drugging Joyce and taking her place to win, Helen returns home only to realize her prank has gone horribly wrong—Joyce is dead, and the prize is now within reach, if only she can prove she’s truly the corpse the contest demands.

In "Shoe-Button Eyes!", a young boy born blind finds his world upended when his mother’s new husband, Jed, turns cruel and mocks Billy’s sightlessness—especially after he rips the eyes from Billy’s beloved teddy bear. When tragedy strikes and Jed is found brutally attacked, the boy’s life takes a sudden, eerie turn: he can now see. The story lingers on the quiet horror of what comes after, where innocence and loss collide in a way that defies explanation.

In the scorching desert of Arizona, geologists Lou and Hank are on a routine survey when a freak accident catapults them into Earth’s ancient past—right into a world teeming with dinosaurs. Stunned and stranded, they stumble upon a strange sight: alien beings herding humans into a hidden valley, where both species are trapped in a bizarre, prehistoric menagerie. The truth is stranger than any science fiction they’ve ever read—Earth itself may be a cosmic zoo, and they’ve just become part of the exhibit.

In "Miscalculation!", Melvin’s routine day takes a wildly absurd turn when a mysterious package arrives—meant for someone living a millennium ahead. What follows is a chain of increasingly awkward mishaps as he tries to follow the futuristic instructions for a "Harem Kit," only to accidentally summon four mismatched women before the fifth finally comes out right—only to be claimed by the building superintendent.

In "Bum Steer!", a group of men are whisked away by a centaur-like alien with a skeletal horse’s head, promised safety and a feast on its home planet. After indulging in a lavish meal, they’re led by a stunning woman to a mysterious door—only for a rancher to suddenly recognize the cruel logic behind the journey.