EC Comics & the Comics Code
How 1950s controversy over horror comics shaped the source material.
The stories adapted by the series originated at EC Comics, whose 1950s horror titles — Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror, and The Haunt of Fear — were famous for their craftsmanship and shock endings. A public backlash against crime and horror comics led to the creation of the Comics Code Authority, whose restrictions effectively ended EC's horror line. Decades later, those same stories found new life on television, where premium cable allowed their macabre spirit to return uncensored.