The Most Thoughtful Horror Story for Children

Your eleven- or twelve-year-old child or student needs to read a good seven-page comic-book horror story. It contains no superheroes, has an intriguing hook, and lots of potential for the child to think about. It's called "The Demon Within" and it's a classic from the early 1970s. 

DC Comics at that time had the best anthology titles for horror and humor, and House of Secrets was one of their titles. It was edited by Joe Orlando, an artist who got his start at EC Comics, considered the greatest publisher of horror comics. He came up with the plot for this story, which was featured in House of Secrets number 201, and gave it to John Albano to flesh out. The art -- the drawing, inking, and lettering -- was done by the very talented Jim Aparo, a versatile Batman artist from the 70s.

House of Secrets stories were self-contained but connected by a host, who welcomed the reader in to the story at the beginning with a little narration. Cain was his name, a sort of Ichabod-Crane-looking gentleman. He was a bit like the Crypt Keeper in the Tales from the Crypt TV show, or Rod Serling in the Twilight Zone, except he was in the comics.

Ah yes, comics. Here's the story! Please read it, then let's talk about it.







So what did we see there? This is a story about conformity and about not being naughty is not by itself a virtue. Most family dynamics wouldn't play out this way if a child actually had that ability, but such families do make horrible decisions based on appearance. Think of families that disown children for the race or sex of their significant others. However, the story treats the live of respectability more abstractly than a more sociopolitical story might.

For parents, this story might be a good way of discussing what being naughty actually is, that it's not necessarily doing something the parents don't like. I saw this story at about age 11 or 12, reprinted in a larger format. I knew what had happened to the boy. I heard Tom Lehrer joke about a lobotomy, and either my father or one of my brothers explained the joke. I wouldn't be surprised if it told me that simply following what other people tell you is not a good idea.

For teachers, the story could be administered bit by bit, while getting students to predict, then afterwards discuss what the meaning of the story is. It could spawn a story, too: sequels, alternative endings, adaptations of the story, role-reversals among the characters, famous people substituted for the characters, etc. You could explore what the title means before reading the story, then read it, then ask if this changes the meaning of the title.

Folks, this story is a winner. Find a way to use it and give it a shot!





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  1. Alice HongApril 3, 2021 at 5:08 AM

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