The EC Archives: The Haunt of Fear Vol. 2 Review

November 3, 2015

*Insert Crypt Keeper Voice*

“Hello boys and ghouls! It’s your favorite host Crypty here, opening a review for The Haunt of Fear Vol. 2 like I used to open my old show, and forcing you to read this in my voice! HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

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I’ll spare you from picturing the entire review in Crypt-Keeper voice, but if you’d like to read along with a high pitched scream/giggle, feel free.

The EC Archives: The Haunt of Fear Vol. 2 (EC Comics)

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That rotting corpse is NOT going to catch up to you. Just walk…briskly.

I’m pretty torn when it comes to these old EC books for a few reasons. First, I think you have to read them as products of their time period. Frankenstein was pretty damn scary when it came out, but then I saw Paranormal Activity, and I’m just not that scared of a slow-walking green dude anymore, you know?

So having said that, there is some scary to be found in here, but it really is more like reading Frankenstein: a window into a past generation’s Boogeymen.

Also, past generations odd terms of endearments. Little Idiot?

Still, even cheesy 50’s moments like this have their eventual payout:

Oh man, Neosporin isn’t even going to make a dent.

The real problem with this collection? It’s from EC post-Comics Code implementation. After the scares of youth corruption and depravity, the Comics Code hamstrung horror comics into making much more tame stuff, and eventually led William Gaines to leave horror books and to found Mad Magazine! Trivia for today!

Thus, these stories really are a tame lot, with very little of the blood and gore and scares you’d expect, especially having seen the cover.

Is It Good?

I’ll give it a 4. It’s a historical piece, so it’s worth a look, but like a lot of the classics you didn’t dig in high school, this one might leave you wanting more.