Debuting with a cover date of October 1951, This Magazine is Haunted was Fawcett's first successful attempt to enter the lucrative horror market with a comic devoted specifically to supernatural fiction.

[2] The book represented a break from Fawcett's more familiar product, which ranged from superheroes (Captain Marvel) to movie adaptations and teen humor.

Created by Sheldon Moldoff and edited by Will Leiberson and Al Jetter, the book was loosely modeled after EC's New Trend, particularly their highly successful horror titles.

Drawing on the considerable creative resources of the Fawcett stable, Haunted storylines dealt with the standard horror themes of the period: vengeance from beyond the grave, macabre retribution and 'dark' justice, all of which were presented with an appropriate level of irony.

Numerous plots revolved around violent criminals meeting grisly but entirely deserving fates, while others featured hapless bystanders trapped in bizarre or terrifying circumstances.

Many authorities believe that the tradition was passed down to the 50s horror genre via the crime comics of the later forties;[6] Haunted featured numerous stories combining the two areas.

Unlike EC's so-called "GhouLunatics" however, Dr. Death frequently orchestrated events in the narrative, acting as the hand of Fate and even driving the characters towards their ultimate destruction.

To this end, he was capable of taking on human form to interact with his intended victims, feeding them bad advice or (somewhat maliciously) betraying their trust at crucial moments.

In a number of cases, it was a grey, lifeless Purgatory inhabited by rotting corpses; in others, a place of perpetual torment akin to Hell (although it was never specifically defined as such).

Along with many other titles of a similar vein, This Magazine is Haunted came under fire during the anti-comics backlash of the early fifties (although generally speaking, its content was not quite as visceral as its rivals).