House of Mystery #251 is an issue of the series House of Mystery (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 1977. It was published on December 14, 1976.
Synopsis for "Return of the Vampire"
An actor who has spent a career playing Dracula finds himself out of work when the public gets bored of vampire films. He sees an article in the paper about a town being plagued by vampire killings and thinks it'd be a great publicity stunt to go to the town and get arrested. He does so, but when another killing occurs, a mob forms which breaks into jail and stakes him.
Appearing in "Return of the Vampire"
Narrator:
- Cain (Host)
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Synopsis for "Bride of the Pharoah"
A nightclub singer comes to regret insisting on being the number one wife of a wealthy Egyptian who takes the old traditions very seriously. She gets her husband to exile the old woman who is the current number one wife and then she poisons him. The man's attendants mummify her in order to send her into eternity with her husband.
Appearing in "Bride of the Pharoah"
Narrator:
- Cain (Host)
Characters:
- Amelia Dole (cabaret singer, becomes Abdul's "number one wife") (Dies)
- Cain (host)
- Abdul Farook (Amelia Dole's husband, "richest man in the world", killed by Amelia Dole) (Dies)
- Natasha (was Abdul's "number one wife")
Locations:
- Cairo
- Kit Kat Club (night club)
- Kit Kat Club (night club)
Synopsis for "Fear Wore Two Faces!"
A blackmailer enters the home of a beautiful actress looking for something to hold over her head and discovers she fancies herself a witch. Rather than extort money from her he demands that she marry him. She agrees and on their wedding night the man is repulsed to discover her true appearance is that of an old hag which she uses magic to disguise. He decides to kill her and thinks that he has stabbed her in bed, but she has turned the tables on him and placed a dummy in the bed. When he returns to the scene of the crime after established an alibi she has the police waiting in hiding to overhear his confession of murdering his wife as she pretends to be the housekeeper. He tells his outlandish story to the police and they have him committed to an asylum.
Appearing in "Fear Wore Two Faces!"
Narrator:
- Cain (Host)
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Synopsis for "Ghostly Games"
A girl befriends a ghost in an old house. When her dad tells her at dinner that the house is going to be torn down she leaves the table in order to warn the ghost. Her dad pursues her and discovers a threatening vagrant residing in the house who he assumes to be the friend the girl is referring to. When the vagrant rushes him the father is distracted by the sound of rattling chains and the vagrant tumbles down the stairs. The police arrive and the father berates the little girl for spending time alone with the dangerous man but she tells him that isn't her friend and points at a candle floating up the stairs by itself and says "That's my friend!"
Appearing in "Ghostly Games"
Narrator:
- Cain (Host)
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Synopsis for "The Collector"
A private investigator is hired by a woman to find her missing husband and he discovers that the husband has been transformed into a monster by a man who collects them. He seizes the man's monster potion and drinks it, appalled at his confession, and hopes to transform the fiend into a creature with the tail of an iguana, the legs of a turkey, and the head of a warthog. The man tells the investigator that the potion only works on the one who consumes it and, after the investigator's transformation, asks him to share the cage of the creature who used to be the missing husband.
Appearing in "The Collector"
Narrator:
- Cain (Host)
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Synopsis for "A House Is Not A Haunt"
A builder takes in an ungrateful child as an apprentice and rather than wait to achieve journeyman status the child arranges the man's death in what appears to be an accident. As he lies dying the builder curses his apprentice that he shall never have a home of his own. He becomes successful utilizing shoddy materials which profit him and he eventually marries a countess granting him the nobility he desires. When he tries to build his own palace using quality materials he is plagued by accidents. His wife pleas with him to live with her but he stubbornly attempts to beat the old man's curse. The palace is eventually completed and as a final touch he orders the gargoyle his master had crafted to be placed above the entrance. As it is being hoisted the gargoyle comes to life and breaks the rope. The witnesses dismiss what they saw as illusion and leave the body of the curse victim crushed beneath the gargoyle.
Appearing in "A House Is Not A Haunt"
Narrator:
- Cain (Host)
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Synopsis for "Harvest of Hate"
A man grows a man-eating plant to devour his brother, but he has such a green thumb that whatever he plants in the earth grows. He forgets this as he buries his brother's bones and they later rise to take revenge as a humanoid plant creature.
Appearing in "Harvest of Hate"
Narrator:
- Cain (Host)
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Notes
- "Quico Redondo" is a pen name for Frank Redondo.
See Also