Witch Tales (2020) Pre-Code Comic Book Origins

The new feature length horror anthology movie WITCH TALES (2020) is based upon pre-code horror comic book stories of the 1950s from a variety of publishers.  One of the most well known publishers of the time was Jerry Iger and his Iger Shop.  Helmed by editor and story writer RUTH ROCHE, the Iger Shop employed many artists who made assembly line comic book stories to keep up with the many monthly titles offered by Ajax-Farrell and other pre-code comic book publishers.pre-code comic book writer and editor ruth roche
Roche started as a writer at the Will Eisner- Jerry Iger studio.  She wrote stories for “Phantom Lady”, “Senorita Rio”, “Sheena, Queen of the Jungle”, “Kaanga”, and “Camilla”. ruth roche experiment in terror
She is also credited for writing the pre-code horror tale EXPERIMENT IN TERROR, one of the three stories adapted into segments for WITCH TALES.  Experiment in Terror (shown on the cover of FANTASTIC FEARS #8) was originally published in HAUNTED THRILLS.

 

bon appetit aka chefs delightBON APPETIT, originally known as CHEF’S DELIGHT, was also later released as FOOD FOR GHOULS in Eerie Publication’s WEIRD magazine in the 1960s. It first appeared in MYSTERIOUS ADVENTURES #20 in 1954.

CYCLE OF HORROR COMIC BOOK STORYCYCLE OF HORROR originally appeared in CHAMBER OF CHILLS #16 from Harvey Comics in 1953. The writer is unknown, probably the editor at the time, but the artist was Al Eadeh, who did a lot of work for Harvey in the 50s.
WITCH TALES is now available on VIMEO VOD and as a special limited edition signed and numbered blu-ray that includes a bonus DVD and the HORROR TRIVIA CONTEST where you can enter to win one of ten MOVIE PROPS from the film.
More info on the website.

Adventures into the Unknown

ACG Comics Adventures into the UnknownWilliam Gaines famously declared that EC Comics were the first horror comics published.
But he was wrong.
In 1947, Avon published a one-shot all horror comic book called EERIE, which would pick up again a few years later, and ACG started publishing ADVENTURES INTO THE UNKNOWN at the end of 1948, nearly a year before EC got into the game.
It should also be pointed out that ATLAS Comics, helmed by Stan “The Man” Lee, already had a few issues of all horror comic books published before EC.
The best covers from ADVENTURES INTO THE UNKNOWN are from early issues drawn by the great Edvard Moritz.
#ACGcomics #comicbooks #horrorcomics