The Vault-Keeper was the host for The Vault of Horror

The Vault of Horror

The Vault of Horror was a bi-monthly horror comic anthology series published by EC Comics in the early 1950s. Along with Tales from the Crypt and The Haunt of Fear, it formed a trifecta of popular EC horror anthologies...

, a horror comic published by EC Comics

EC Comics

Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books specializing in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, notably the Tales from the Crypt series...

 from 1950 until 1954. The Vault-Keeper was one of three hosts for EC's horror comics (known as the GhouLunatics), along with the Crypt-Keeper and the Old Witch. He served as narrator and was also there to add a lighter touch to the often gruesome stories with puns and humorous commentary. In addition to the appearances in his own book, he also had a guest story in each issue of Tales from the Crypt

Tales from the Crypt (comic)

Tales from the Crypt, The Haunt of Fear and The Vault of Horror are three bi-monthly horror comic anthology series published by EC Comics in the early 1950s...

and The Haunt of Fear

The Haunt of Fear

The Haunt of Fear was a bi-monthly horror comic anthology series published by EC Comics in 1950. Along with Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror, it formed a trifecta of popular EC horror anthologies. The Haunt of Fear was sold at newsstands beginning with its May/June 1950 issue...

.

He was a ghoul

Ghoul

A ghoul is a folkloric monster associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh, often classified as undead. The oldest surviving literature that mention ghouls is likely One Thousand and One Nights...

, and unlike the Crypt-Keeper or the Old Witch, he has a merrier personality and light-hearted approach. However. he and the Crypt-Keeper are involved in a love triangle with the Old Witch, and there is much competition between the three, each believing their stories to be better. Although both the Crypt-Keeper and the Old Witch received "origin stories" in Tales from the Crypt #33 and Haunt of Fear #14, respectively, the Vault-Keeper's origins were never revealed.

Artists

Although the Vault-Keeper was originally designed by Al Feldstein

Al Feldstein

Albert B. Feldstein is an American writer, editor, and artist, best known for his work at EC Comics and, from 1956 to 1985, as the editor of the satirical magazine Mad. Since retiring from Mad, Feldstein has concentrated on American paintings of Western wildlife...

, Johnny Craig is the artist most associated with the character, having drawn all his lead stories in The Vault of Horror with two exceptions. Craig also drew the Vault-Keeper in his guest appearances in the other titles, although another artist frequently drew the rest of the story.

For the final four issues of The Vault of Horror, the Vault-Keeper was joined by the attractive Drusilla, silent hostess of The Vault of Horror.

Animation

The Vault-Keeper appeared in animated form on the Tales from the Cryptkeeper

Tales from the Cryptkeeper

Tales from the Cryptkeeper is an animated series aimed at children made byNelvana Limited, PeaceArch Entertainment, kaBOOM! Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television Animation. It was shown on TVO and ABC,and is still shown near Halloween on Teletoon. It was based on the live-action television...

series with Dan Hennessey

Dan Hennessey

Dan Hennessey is a Canadian voice actor who, early on in his career, performed with a children's comedy troupe,...

supplying the voice. This version of the Vault-Keeper was something of a Mad scientist; while the Old Witch relied on magic and the Cryptkeeper on his quick wit, the Vault-Keeper created experiments and strange inventions in his attempts to steal the spotlight.