Frightening Viewing

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYx-JCAc-ko[/youtube]

This YouTube video is from an episode of the 90’s TV series “Horror Hall Of Fame” and features the story of EC Comics and their marvelous line of horror comics from the 1950’s. Bill Gaines is interviewed for the piece, which was filmed only a year or so before his death.

I’m afraid the video quality is not good, but it’s passable. It’s fun to hear about the classic E.C. Artists like “Ghastly” Graham Ingels, Johnny Craig, Joe Orlando and of course Jack Davis. Al Feldstein is also interviewed as well as a few others with E.C. connections.

Actually the most frightening thing in the video is the straight laced woman in the beginning doing the public service message about how most comics “are killers. They kill time. They kill imagination, and the kill the urge to read books.” I wonder how many fewer creative geniuses we’d have had making some of the most brilliant storytelling art imaginable if idiots like Frederick Wertham had gotten their way…

A top o’the hat to Mark Evanier for the find.