Robert Bloch

For the racing driver, seeRobert Bloch (racing driver).

Robert Albert Bloch(/blɒk/;April 5, 1917 – September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily ofcrime,psychologicalhorrorandfantasy,much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and television. He also wrote a relatively small amount of science fiction. His writing career lasted 60 years, including more than 30 years in television and film. He began his professional writing career immediately after graduation from high school, aged 17. Best known as the writer ofPsycho(1959), the basis for thefilm of the same namebyAlfred Hitchcock,Bloch wrote hundreds of short stories and over 30 novels. He was a protégé ofH. P. Lovecraft,who was the first to seriously encourage his talent. However, while he started emulating Lovecraft and his brand ofcosmic horror,he later specialized in crime and horror stories working with a more psychological approach.

Robert Bloch
Bloch in 1976
Born	Robert Albert Bloch (1917-04-05)April 5, 1917 Chicago, Illinois,U.S.
Died	September 23, 1994(1994-09-23)(aged 77) Los Angeles, California,U.S.
Pen name	Tarleton Fiske, Will Folke, Nathan Hindin, E. K. Jarvis, Floyd Scriltch, Wilson Kane, John Sheldon, Collier Young
Occupation	Novelist, short-story writer
Nationality	American
Period	1934–1994
Genre	Crime,Fantasy,Horror,Science fiction
Notable works	Psycho,Psycho II,Psycho House,American Gothic,Firebug
Spouse	Marion Ruth Holcombe ​ ​ (m.1940;div.1963)​ Eleanor Zalisko Alexander ​ ​ (m.1964⁠–⁠1994)​
Children	1
Website
robertbloch.net

Bloch was a contributor topulp magazinessuch asWeird Talesin his early career, and was also a prolific screenwriter and a major contributor toscience fiction fanzinesandfandomin general.

He won theHugo Award(for his story "That Hell-Bound Train"), theBram Stoker Award,and theWorld Fantasy Award.He served a term as president of theMystery Writers of America(1970) and was a member of that organization and ofScience Fiction Writers of America,theWriters Guild of America,theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciencesand the Count Dracula Society. In 2008,The Library of Americaselected Bloch's essay "The Shambles ofEd Gein"(1962)for inclusion in its two-century retrospective of Americantrue crime.

His favorites among his own novels wereThe Kidnapper,The Star Stalker,Psycho,Night-World,andStrange Eons.His work has been extensively adapted into films, television productions, comics, and audiobooks.

Early life and education

Bloch was born in Chicago, the son of Raphael "Ray" Bloch (1884–1952), a bank cashier, and his wife Stella Loeb (1880–1944), a social worker, both ofGermanJewishdescent. Bloch's family moved toMaywood,a Chicago suburb, when he was five; he lived there until he was ten. He attended theMethodist Churchthere, despite his parents' Jewish heritage, and studied at Emerson Grammar School.In 1925, at eight years of age, living in Maywood, he attended (alone at night) a screening ofLon Chaney, Sr.'s filmThe Phantom of the Opera(1925). The scene of Chaney removing his mask terrified the young Bloch ( "it scared the living hell out of me and I ran all the way home to enjoy the first of about two years of recurrent nightmares" ). It also sparked his interest in horror.Bloch was a precocious child and found himself in fourth grade when he was eight. He also obtained a pass into the adult section of the public library, where he read omnivorously. Bloch considered himself a budding artist and worked in pencil sketching and watercolours, but myopia in adolescence seemed to effectively bar art as a career. He had passions for German-made leadtoy soldiersand forsilent cinema.

In 1929, Bloch's father Ray Bloch lost his bank job, and the family moved toMilwaukee,where Stella worked at theMilwaukee Jewish Settlementsettlement house.Robert attended Washington, thenLincoln High School,where he met lifelong friend Harold Gauer. Gauer was editor ofThe Quill,Lincoln'sliterary magazine,and accepted Bloch's first published short story, a horror story titled "The Thing" (the "thing" of the title wasDeath). Both Bloch and Gauer graduated from Lincoln in 1934during the height of theGreat Depression.Bloch was involved in the drama department at Lincoln and wrote and performed in school vaudeville skits.

Career

Weird Talesmagazine and the influence of H. P. Lovecraft

During the 1930s, Bloch was an avid reader of the pulp magazineWeird Tales,which he had discovered at the age of ten in 1927. In the Chicago Northwestern Railroad depot with his parents and aunt Lil, his aunt offered to buy him any magazine he wanted and he pickedWeird Tales(Aug 1927 issue) off the newsstand over her shocked protest.He began his readings of the magazine with the first instalment ofOtis Adelbert Kline's "The Bride of Osiris" which dealt with a secret Egyptian city called Karneter located beneath Bloch's birth city ofChicago.The Depression came in the early 1930s. He later recalled, in accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award at the First World Fantasy Convention (1975), how "times were very hard.Weird Talescost twenty-five cents in a day when most pulp magazines cost a dime. I remember that meant a lot to me. "He went on to relate how he would get up very early on the last day of the month, with twenty-five cents saved from his monthly allowance of one dollar, and would run all the way to a combination tobacco/magazine store and buy the newWeird Talesissue, sometimes smuggling it home under his coat if the cover was particularly risqué.His parents were not impressed withHugh Doak Rankin's sexy covers for the magazine, and when the Bloch family moved to Milwaukee in 1928 young Bloch gradually abandoned his interest. But by the time he had entered high school, he returned to readingWeird Talesduring convalescence from flu.

H. P. Lovecraft in June 1934

H. P. Lovecraft,a frequent contributor toWeird Tales,became one of his favorite writers. The first of Lovecraft's stories he had read was "Pickman's Model",inWeird Talesfor October 1927.Bloch wrote: "In school I was forced to squirm my way through the works ofOliver Wendell Holmes,James LowellandHenry Wadsworth Longfellow.In 'Pickman's Model', the ghouls ate all three. Now that, I decided, was poetic justice. "As a teenager, Bloch wrote a fan letter to Lovecraft (1933), asking where he could find copies of earlier stories of Lovecraft's that Bloch had missed.Lovecraft lent them to him. Lovecraft also gave Bloch advice on his early fiction-writing efforts,asking whether Bloch had written any weird work and, if so, whether he might see samples of it. Bloch took up Lovecraft's offer in late April 1933, sending him two short items, "The Gallows" and another work whose title is unknown.

Lovecraft also suggested Bloch write to other members of the Lovecraft Circle, includingAugust Derleth,R. H. Barlow,Clark Ashton Smith,Donald Wandrei,Frank Belknap Long,Henry S. Whitehead,E. Hoffmann Price,Bernard Austin DwyerandJ. Vernon Shea.Bloch's first completed tales were "Lilies", "The Laughter of a Young Ghoul" and "The Black Lotus". Bloch submitted these toWeird Tales;editor Farnsworth Wright summarily rejected them all. However Bloch successfully placed "Lilies" in the semi-professional magazineMarvel Tales(Winter 1934) and "Black Lotus" inUnusual Stories(1935). Bloch later commented, "I figured I'd better do something different or I'd end up as a florist."

Bloch graduated from high school in June 1934. He then wrote a story which promptly (six weeks later) sold toWeird Tales.Bloch's first publication inWeird Taleswas a letter criticising theConanstories ofRobert E. Howard.His first professional sales, at the age of 17 (July 1934), toWeird Tales,were the short stories "The Feast in the Abbey" and "The Secret in the Tomb". "Feast..." appeared first, in the January 1935 issue,which actually went on sale November 1, 1934; "The Secret in the Tomb" appeared in the May 1935Weird Tales.

Bloch's correspondence with Derleth led to a visit to Derleth's home in Sauk City, Wisconsin (the headquarters ofArkham House).Bloch was impressed by Derleth who "fulfilled my expectations as a writer by wearing this purple velvet smoking jacket. That impressed me even more because Derleth didn't even smoke."Following this, and continued correspondence with Lovecraft, Bloch went to Chicago and metFarnsworth Wright,the then editor ofWeird Tales.He also met the firstWeird Taleswriter outside of Derleth he had encountered -Otto Binder.

Bloch's early stories were strongly influenced by Lovecraft. Indeed, a number of his stories were set in, and extended, the world of Lovecraft'sCthulhu Mythos.These include "The Dark Demon", in which the character Gordon is a figuration of Lovecraft, and which featuresNyarlathotep;"The Faceless God" (features Nyarlathotep); "The Grinning Ghoul" (written after the manner of Lovecraft) and "The Unspeakable Betrothal" (vaguely attached to the Cthulhu Mythos). It was Bloch who invented, for example, the oft-cited Mythos textsDe Vermis MysteriisandCultes des Goules.Many other stories influenced by Lovecraft were later collected in Bloch's volumeMysteries of the Worm(now in its third, expanded edition). In 1935, Bloch wrote the tale "Satan's Servants", on which Lovecraft lent much advice, but none of the prose was by Lovecraft; this tale did not appear in print until 1949, inSomething About Cats and Other Pieces.

The young Bloch appears, thinly disguised, as the characterRobert Blakein Lovecraft's story "The Haunter of the Dark"(1936), which is dedicated to Bloch. Bloch was the only individual to whom Lovecraft ever dedicated a story.In this story, Lovecraft kills off Robert Blake, the Bloch-based character, repaying a "courtesy" Bloch earlier paid Lovecraft with his 1935 tale "The Shambler from the Stars",in which the Lovecraft-inspired figure dies; the story goes so far as to use Bloch's then-current address (620 East Knapp Street) in Milwaukee.(Bloch even had a signed certificate from Lovecraft [and some of his creations] giving Bloch permission to kill Lovecraft off in a story.) Bloch later recalled "believe me, beyond all doubt, I don't know anyone else I'd rather be killed by."Bloch later wrote a third tale, "The Shadow From the Steeple", picking up where "The Haunter of the Dark" finished (Weird TalesSept 1950).

Lovecraft's death in 1937 deeply affected Bloch, who was then aged only 20. He recalled "Part of me died with him, I guess, not only because he was not a god, he was mortal, that is true, but because he had so little recognition in his own lifetime. There were no novels or collections published, no great realization, even here in Providence, of what was lost."Elsewhere he wrote, "the news of his fate came to me as a shattering blow; all the more so because the world at large ignored his passing. Only my parents and a few correspondents seemed to sense my shock, and my feeling that a part of me had died with him."

After Lovecraft's death in 1937, Bloch continued writing forWeird Tales,where he became one of its most popular authors. He also began contributing to other pulps, such as the science fiction magazineAmazing Stories.Bloch broadened the scope of his fiction. His horror themes includedvoodoo( "Mother of Serpents" ), theconte cruel( "The Mandarin's Canaries" ),demonic possession( "Fiddler's Fee" ), andblack magic( "Return to the Sabbat" ). Bloch visitedHenry Kuttnerin California in 1937. Bloch's first science fiction story, "Secret of the Observatory", was published inAmazing Stories(August 1938).

Milwaukee Fictioneers and the Depression

In 1935 Bloch joined a writers' group, The Milwaukee Fictioneers, members of which includedStanley Weinbaum,Ralph Milne FarleyandRaymond A. Palmer.Another member of the group was Gustav Marx, who offered Bloch a job writing copy in his advertising firm, also allowing Bloch to write stories in his spare time in the office. Bloch was close friends withC. L. Mooreand her husbandHenry Kuttner,who visited him in Milwaukee.

During the years of the Depression, Bloch appeared regularly in dramatic productions, writing and performing in his own sketches. Around 1936 he sold some gags to radio comediansStoopnagle and Budd,and toRoy Atwell.Also in 1936, his tale "The Grinning Ghoul" was published inWeird Tales(June); "The Opener of the Way" appeared inWeird Tales(Oct); "Mother of Serpents" appeared in the December issue. The December issue also contained Lovecraft's tale "The Haunter of the Dark" in which he killed off young author "Robert Blake".

In 1937, following Lovecraft's death, "The Mannikin" appeared inWeird Talesfor April.Weird Talespublished "Return to the Sabbath" in July 1938. Bloch's first science fiction story, "The Secret of the Observatory" appeared inAmazing Stories(Aug 1938). In a profile accompanying this tale, Bloch described himself as "tall, dark, unhandsome" with "all the charm and personality of a swamp adder". He noted that "I hate everything", but reserved particular dislike for "bean soup, red nail polish, house-cleaning, and optimists".

Campaign manager for Carl Zeidler

In 1939, Bloch was contacted by James Doolittle, who was managing the campaign forMayor of Milwaukeeof a little-known assistant city attorney namedCarl Zeidler.He was asked to work on Zeidler's speechwriting, advertising, and photo ops, in collaboration with his long-time friend Harold Gauer. They created elaborate campaign shows; in Bloch's 1993 autobiography,Once Around the Bloch,he gives an inside account of the campaign, and the innovations he and Gauer came up with – for instance, the original releasing-balloons-from-the-ceiling schtick. He comments bitterly on how, after Zeidler's victory, they were ignored and not even paid their promised salaries. He ends the story with a wryly philosophical point:

If Carl Zeidler had not asked Jim Doolittle to manage his campaign, Doolittle would never have contacted me about it. And the only reason Doolittle knew me to begin with was because he read my yarn ( "The Cloak" ) inUnknown.Rattling this chain of circumstances, one may stretch it a bit further. If I had not written a littlevampirestory called "The Cloak", Carl Zeidler might never have become mayor of Milwaukee.

Also in 1939, two of Bloch's tales were published: "The Strange Flight of Richard Clayton" (Amazing Stories,August) and "The Cloak" (Unknown,March). Many of the stories Bloch published inStrange Storiesin 1939 as by 'Tarleton Fiske' were fantasy/horror hybrids of thecontes cruelstype.

1940s and 1950s

Bloch'sThe Devil with You!was the cover story in the July 1950 issue ofFantastic Adventures.

Bloch's novellaHell's Angelwas the cover story in the June 1951 issue ofImagination,illustrated byHannes Bok.

Bloch's completion of theEdgar Allan Poefragment "The Light-House"was touted byFantasticas "A New Edgar Allan Poe Masterpiece".

Bloch's novelette "The Thinking Cap" was the cover story in the June 1953 issue ofOther Worlds,illustrated byHannes Bok

Bloch's 1950 novellaThe Devil with You!was retitledBlack Magic Holidaywhen it was reprinted inImaginative Talesin 1955.

However, Bloch's 1942 novellaMr. Margate's Mermaidretained its original title when it was reprinted later in 1955.

Bloch's novelette "Terror in Cut-Throat Cove" was the cover story for the June 1958 issue ofFantastic.

Bloch's novelette "The Hungry Eye" was cover-featured on the May 1959 issue ofFantastic.

Bloch's "The Last Plea" was the cover story for the July 1959 issue ofFantastic.

Bloch's novelette "The Funnel of God" took the cover of the January 1960 issue ofFantastic.

In October 1941, the tale "A Good Knight's Work" inUnknown Worldsfirst appeared. Shortly thereafter, Bloch created theDamon Runyon-esque humorous series character Lefty Feep in the story "Time Wounds All Heels"Fantastic Adventures(April 1942). This magazine, along withWeird Tales,published most of the over 100 stories Bloch wrote in the first decade of his career. Around the same time, he began work as an advertising copywriter at the Gustav Marx Advertising Agency, a position he held until 1953. Marx allowed Bloch to write stories in the office in quiet times. Bloch published a total of 23 Lefty Feep stories inFantastic Adventures,the last one published in 1950, but the bulk appeared during World War II. Feep's character name had actually been coined by Bloch's friend/collaborator Harold Gauer for their unpublished novelIn the Land of Sky-Blue Ointments,Bloch also worked for a time in localvaudevilleand tried to break into writing for nationally-known performers.

Bloch gradually evolved away from Lovecraftian imitations towards a unique style of his own. One of the first distinctly "Blochian" stories was "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" (Weird Tales,July 1943). The story was Bloch's take on theJack the Ripperlegend, and was filled out with more genuine factual details of the case than many other fictional treatments.It cast the Ripper as an eternal being who must makehuman sacrificesto extend hisimmortality.It was adapted for both radio (inStay Tuned for Terror) and television (as an episode ofThrillerin 1961 adapted byBarré Lyndon).Bloch followed up this story with a number of others in a similar vein dealing with half-historic, half-legendary figures such as theMan in the Iron Mask( "Iron Mask", 1944), theMarquis de Sade( "The Skull of the Marquis de Sade", 1945) andLizzie Borden( "Lizzie Borden Took an Axe...", 1946).

In 1944,Laird Cregarperformed Bloch's tale "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" over a coast-to-coast radio network.

Towards the end of World War Two, in 1945, Bloch was asked to write 39 15-minute episodes of his own radio horror show calledStay Tuned for Terror.Many of the programs were adaptations of his own pulp stories. (All episodes were broadcast, but recordings were thought to be lost. However, in 2020, two episodes, "The Bogeyman Will Get You" and "Lizzie Borden Took an Axe" were re-discovered amongst the archives of an old-time radio enthusiast. These episodes have now been posted on YouTube and Internet Archive).[1][2].The same year he published "The Skull of theMarquis de Sade"(Weird Tales,September issue).August Derleth'sArkham House,Lovecraft's publisher, published Bloch's first collection of short stories,The Opener of the Way,in an edition of 2,000 copies, with jacket art byRonald Clyne.At the same time, his best-known early tale, "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper", received considerable attention through dramatization on radio and reprinting in anthologies. This story, as noted below, involving a Ripper who has found literal immortality through his crimes, has been widely imitated (or plagiarized); Bloch himself would return to the theme (see below). Stories published in 1946 include "Enoch" (September issue ofWeird Tales) andLizzie BordenTook an Axe(Weird Tales,November).

Bloch's first novel was published in hardcover – the thrillerThe Scarf(The Dial Press1947; the Fawcett Gold medal paperback of 1966 features a revised text). It tells the story of a writer, Daniel Morley, who uses real women as models for his characters. But as soon as he is done writing the story, he is compelled to murder them, and always the same way: with the maroon scarf he has had since childhood. The story begins inMinneapolisand follows him and his trail of dead bodies toChicago,New York City,and finallyHollywood,where his hit novel is going to be turned into a movie, and where his self-control may have reached its limit.

In 1948, Bloch was the Guest of Honor atTorcon I,World Science Fiction Convention,Toronto,Canada. In 1952 he published "Lucy Comes to Stay" (Weird Tales,January issue). Bloch popularised the "Auction Bloch" at science fiction conventions during the 1950s, a practice in which fans bid on professionals, buying an hour of their time. Bloch would auction off an hour of some well-known writer's time at a convention to raise money for a worthy cause. (The time gave the winner an hour of personal interaction with the writer at the convention.)[3]

Bloch published three novels in 1954 –Spiderweb,The KidnapperandThe Will to Killas he endeavored to support his family. That same year he was a weekly guest panelist on the TV quiz showIt's a Draw.Shooting Star(1958), a mainstream novel, was published in a double volume with a collection of Bloch's stories titledTerror in the Night.This Crowded Earth(1958) was science fiction.

With the demise ofWeird Tales,Bloch continued to have his fiction published inAmazing,Fantastic,The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction,andFantastic Universe;he was a particularly frequent contributor toImaginationandImaginative Tales.His output of thrillers increased and he began to appear regularly inThe Saint,Ellery Queenand similar mystery magazines, and to such suspense and horror-fiction magazine projects asShock.

Jack the Ripper

Bloch continued to revisit the Jack the Ripper theme. His contribution toHarlan Ellison's 1967 science fiction anthologyDangerous Visionswas a story, "A Toy for Juliette",which evoked both Jack the Ripper and theMarquis de Sadein a time-travel story. The same anthology had Ellison's sequel to it titled "The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World".His earlier idea of the Ripper as an immortal being resurfaced in Bloch's contribution to the originalStar Trekseries episode "Wolf in the Fold".His 1984 novelNight of the Ripperis set during the reign ofQueen Victoriaand follows the investigation of InspectorFrederick Abberlinein attempting to apprehend the Ripper, and includes some famous Victorians such asSir Arthur Conan Doylewithin the storyline.

Psycho

Bloch won theHugo Award for Best Short Storyfor "That Hellbound Train" in 1959, the same year that his sixth novel,Psycho,was published. Bloch had written an earlier short story involvingdissociative identity disorder,"The Real Bad Friend", which appeared in the February 1957Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine,that foreshadowed the 1959 novelPsycho.However,Psychoalso has thematic links to the story "Lucy Comes to Stay". Also in 1959, Bloch delivered a lecture titled "Imagination and Modern Social Criticism" at the University of Chicago; this was reprinted in the critical volumeThe Science Fiction Novel(Advent Publishers). His story "The Hungry Eye" appeared inFantastic(May). This was also the year in which, despite having graduated from painting watercolours to oils, he gave up painting completely.

Norman Bates,the main character inPsycho,was very loosely based on two people. First was the real-lifeserial killerEd Gein,about whom Bloch later wrote a fictionalized account, "The Shambles of Ed Gein". (The story can be found inCrimes and Punishments: The Lost Bloch, Volume 3). Second, it has been indicated by several people, including Noel Carter (wife ofLin Carter) andChris Steinbrunner,as well as allegedly by Bloch himself, that Norman Bates was partly based on Calvin Beck, publisher ofCastle of Frankenstein.Bloch's basing of the character of Norman Bates on Ed Gein is discussed in the documentaryEd Gein: The Ghoul of Plainfield,which can be found on Disc 2 of the DVD release of the remake ofThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre(2003). However, Bloch also commented that it was the situation itself – a mass murderer living undetected and unsuspected in a typical small town in middle America – rather than Gein himself who sparked Bloch's storyline. He writes: "Thus the real-life murderer was not the role model for my character Norman Bates. Ed Gein didn't own or operate a motel. Ed Gein didn't kill anyone in the shower. Ed Gein wasn't into taxidermy. Ed Gein didn't stuff his mother, keep her body in the house, dress in a drag outfit, or adopt an alternative personality. These were the functions and characteristics of Norman Bates, and Norman Bates didn't exist until I made him up. Out of my own imagination, I add, which is probably the reason so few offer to take showers with me."

Though Bloch had little involvement with thefilm version of his novel,which was directed byAlfred Hitchcockfrom an adapted screenplay byJoseph Stefano,he was to become most famous as its author. Bloch was awarded a specialMystery Writers of Americascroll for the novel in 1961.

The novel is one of the first examples at full length of Bloch's use of modern urban horror relying on the horrors of interior psychology rather than the supernatural. "By the mid-1940s, I had pretty well mined the vein of ordinary supernatural themes until it had become varicose," Bloch explained toDouglas E. Winterin an interview. "I realized, as a result of what went on duringWorld War IIand of reading the more widely disseminated work in psychology, that the real horror is not in the shadows, but in that twisted little world inside our own skulls. "While Bloch was not the first horror writer to utilise a psychological approach (it originates in the work ofEdgar Allan Poe), Bloch's psychological approach in modern times was comparatively unique.

Bloch's agent,Harry Altshuler,received a "blind bid" for the novel – the buyer's name was not mentioned – of $7,500 for screen rights to the book. The bid eventually went to $9,500, which Bloch accepted. Bloch had never sold a book to Hollywood before. His contract withSimon & Schusterincluded no bonus for a film sale. The publisher took 15 percent according to contract, while the agent took his 10%; Bloch wound up with about $6,750 before taxes. Despite the enormous profits generated by Hitchcock's film, Bloch received no further direct compensation.

Only Hitchcock's film was based on Bloch's novel. The later films in thePsychoseries bear no relation to either of Bloch's sequel novels. Indeed, Bloch's proposed script for the filmPsycho IIwas rejected by the studio (as were many other submissions), and it was this that he subsequently adapted for his own sequel novel.

The filmHitchcock(2012) tells the story of Alfred Hitchcock's making of the film version ofPsycho.Although it mentions Bloch and his novel, Bloch himself is not a character in the movie.

The early 1960s: Screenwriting and fiction

Following his move to Hollywood, around 1960, Bloch had multiple assignments from various television companies. However, he was not allowed to write for five months when theWriters Guildhad a strike. After the strike was over, he became a frequent scriptwriter for television and film projects in the mystery, suspense, and horror genre. His first assignments were for theMacdonald Careyvehicle,Lock-Up,(penning five episodes) as well as one forWhispering Smith.Further TV work included an episode ofBus Stop( "I Kiss Your Shadow" ), 10 episodes ofThriller(1960–62, several based on his own stories), and 10 episodes ofAlfred Hitchcock Presents(1960–62). His short story collectionPleasant Dreams - Nightmareswas published by Arkham House in 1960.

Bloch wrote the screenplay forThe Cabinet of Caligari(1962), which is only very loosely related tothe 1920 German silent film,and proved to be an unhappy experience. The same year, Bloch penned the story and teleplay "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"forAlfred Hitchcock Presents.The episode was shelved when theNBC Television Networkand sponsorRevloncalled its ending "too gruesome" (by 1960s standards) for airing. Bloch was pleased later when the episode was included in the program's syndication package to affiliate stations, where not one complaint was registered. Today, due topublic domainstatus, the episode is readily available in home media formats from numerous distributors and is even available on freevideo on demand.

His TV work did not slow Bloch's fictional output. In the early 1960s he published several novels, includingThe Dead Beat(1960), andFirebug(1961), for whichHarlan Ellison,then an editor at Regency Books, contributed the first 1,200 words.In 1962 numerous works appeared in book form. Bloch's novelThe Couch(1962) (the basis for the screenplay of his first movie, filmed the same year) was published.That year several Bloch short story collections –Atoms and Evil,More NightmaresandYours Truly, Jack the Ripper– were published, as well as another novel,Terror(whose working titles includedAmokandKill for Kali). Editor Earl Kemp assembled a selection of Bloch's prolific output for fan magazines asThe Eight Stage of Fandom: Selections from 25 years of Fan Writing(Advent Publishers). In this era,Stephen Kinglater wrote, "What Bloch did with such novels asThe Deadbeat,The Scarf,Firebug,Psycho,andThe Couchwas to re-discover the suspense novel and reinvent the antihero as first discovered byJames Cain."

During 1963, Bloch saw into print two further collections of short stories,Bogey menandHorror-7.In 1964 Bloch married Eleanor Alexander and wrote original screenplays for two films produced and directed byWilliam Castle,Strait-Jacket(1964) andThe Night Walker(also 1964), along withThe Skull(1965). The latter film was based on his short story "The Skull of the Marquis de Sade".

The 1960s and 1970s: Film & TV writing

Bloch's further TV writing in this period includedThe Alfred Hitchcock Hour(7 episodes, 1962–1965),I Spy(1 episode, 1966),Run for Your Life(1 episode, 1966), andThe Girl from U.N.C.L.E.(1 episode, 1967). He penned three scripts for the originalStar Trekseries which were screened in 1966 and 1967: "What Are Little Girls Made Of?","Wolf in the Fold"(anotherJack the Rippervariant), and "Catspaw".

In 1968, Bloch returned to London to do two episodes for the EnglishHammer FilmsseriesJourney to the UnknownforTwentieth Century Fox.One of the episodes, "The Indian Spirit Guide", was included in the American TV movieJourney to Midnight(1968). The other episode was "Girl of My Dreams", co-scripted withMichael J. Birdand based on the eponymous story byRichard Matheson.

Following the movieThe Skull(1965), which was based on a Bloch story but scripted byMilton Subotsky,he wrote the screenplays for five feature films produced byAmicus Productions–The Psychopath(1966),The Deadly Bees(co-written with Anthony Marriott, 1967),Torture Garden(also 1967),The House That Dripped Blood(1971) andAsylum(1972). The last two films featured stories written by Bloch that were printed first in anthologies he wrote in the 1940s and early 1950s.

During the 1970s, Bloch wrote two TV movies for directorCurtis Harrington–The Cat Creature(1973) (anABC Movie of the Week) andThe Dead Don't Die.The Cat Creaturewas an unhappy production experience for Bloch. Producer Doug Cramer wanted to do an update ofCat People(1942), theVal Lewton-produced film. Bloch commented: "Instead, I suggested a blending of the elements of several well-remembered films, and came up with a story line which dealt with the Egyptian cat-goddess (Bast), reincarnation and the first bypass operation ever performed on an artichoke heart. "A detailed account of the troubled production of the film is described in Bloch's autobiography.

Bloch meanwhile (interspersed between his screenplays for Amicus Productions and other projects), penned single episodes forNight Gallery(1971),Ghost Story(1972),The Manhunter(1974), andGemini Man(1976).

The later 1960s and 1970s: Fiction

In 1965, two further collections of short stories appeared -The Skull of theMarquis de SadeandTales in a Jugular Vein.1966 saw Bloch win theAnn RadcliffeAward for Television and publisher yet another collection of shorts -Chamber of Horrors.Bloch returned to the site of his childhood home at 620 East Knapp St, Milwaukee (the address used by Lovecraft for the character Robert Blake in "The Haunter of the Dark" ) only to find the neighborhood razed and the entire neighborhood leveled and replaced by expressway approaches.

In 1967, another Bloch collection,The Living Demonswas issued. He also published another classic story ofJack the Ripper,"A Toy for Juliette" inHarlan Ellison'sDangerous Visionsanthology. In 1968 he published a duo of long sf novellas asLadies' DayandThis Crowded Earth.His novelThe Star Stalkerwas published, andDragons and Nightmares(the first collection of Lefty Feep stories) appeared in hardcover (Mirage Press).

The collectionBloch and Bradbury(a collaboration withRay Bradbury) and the hardcover novelThe Todd Dossier,originally as by Collier Young, were published in 1969. Bloch won a second Ann Radcliffe Award, this time for Literature, in 1969. That same year, Bloch was invited to the Second International Film Festival inRio de Janeiro,March 23–31, along with other science fiction writers from the United States, Britain and Europe.

In 1971, Bloch served as president of theMystery Writers of America,meanwhile publishing the novelSneak Preview,the collectionFear Today, Gone Tomorrow,and the short novelIt's All in Your Mind.In 1972 he published another novel,Night-World.In 1973 Bloch was the Guest of Honor atTorcon II,World Science Fiction Convention,Toronto. 1974 saw the publication of his novelAmerican Gothic,inspired by the true life story of serial killerH.H. Holmes.

In 1975, Bloch won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the FirstWorld Fantasy Conventionheld inProvidence, Rhode Island.The award was a bust of H. P. Lovecraft. The occasion of this convention was the first time Bloch actually visited the city of Providence.An audio recording was made of Robert Bloch during that 1975 convention, accessible online.[4]

In 1976, two records of Bloch recordings of his stories were released by Alternate World recordings –"Gravely, Robert Bloch! "and" Blood! The Life and Times of Jack the Ripper! (with Harlan Ellison). In 1977,Lester del ReyeditedThe Best of Robert Blochfor Del Rey books. Two further short story collections appeared –Cold ChillsandThe King of Terrors.

Bloch continued to published short story collections throughout this period. HisSelected Stories(reprinted in paperback with the incorrect titleThe Complete Stories) appeared in three volumes just prior to his death, although many previously uncollected tales have appeared in volumes published since 1997 (see below). Bloch also contributed the story "Heir Apparent", set inAndre Norton's Witch World, toTales of the Witch World(Vol. 1), NY: Tor, 1987.

1979 saw the publication of Bloch's novelThere is a Serpent in Eden(also reissued asThe Cunning), and two more short story collections,Out of the Mouths of gravesandSuch Stuff as Screams Are Made Of.

His numerous novels of the 1970s demonstrate Bloch's thematic range, from science fiction –Sneak Preview(1971) – through horror novels such as the loving Lovecraftian tributeStrange Eons(Whispers Press, 1978) and the non-supernatural mysteryThere is a Serpent in Eden(1979).

The 1980s

Bloch's screenplay-writing career continued active through the 1980s, with teleplays forTales of the Unexpected(one episode, 1980),Darkroom(two episodes,1981),Alfred Hitchcock Presents(1 episode, 1986),Tales from the Darkside(three episodes, 1984–87: "Beetles", "A Case of the Stubborns" and "Everybody Needs a Little Love" ) andMonsters(three episodes, 1988–1989: "The Legacy", "Mannikins of Horror", and "Reaper" ). No further screen work appeared in the last five years before his death, although an adaptation of his "collaboration" withEdgar Allan Poe,"The Lighthouse", was filmed as an episode ofThe Hungerin 1998.

The First World Fantasy Convention: Three Authors Remember(Necronomicon Press, 1980) features reminiscences of that important event by Bloch,T.E.D. KleinandFritz Leiber.In 1981, Zebra Books issued the first edition of theCthulhu Mythos-themed collectionMysteries of the Worm.This item was reprinted some years later in an expanded edition by Chaosium.

Bloch's sequel to the originalPsycho,Psycho II,was published in 1982 and in 1983 he novelizedTwilight Zone: The Movie.His novelNight of the Ripper(1984), was another return to one of Bloch's favourite themes, the Jack the Ripper murders of 1888.

In 1986, Scream Press published the hardcover omnibusUnholy Trinity,collecting three by now scarce Bloch novels,The Scarf,The Dead Beat,andThe Couch.A second retrospective selection of Bloch's nonfiction was published by NESFA Press asOut of My Head.

In 1987, Bloch celebrated his 70th birthday. Underwood-Miller issued the three-volume hardcover setThe Selected Stories of Robert Bloch(individual volumes titledFinal Reckonings,Bitter EndsandLast Rites). When Citadel Press reissued this in paperback they incorrectly named itThe Collected Stories of Robert Bloch.The same year a collection,Midnight Pleasuresappeared from Doubleday, andLost in Time and Space with Lefty Feep(Creatures at Large Press) collected a number of the stories on the Lefty Feep series. The latter was the first of a projected series of three volumes, but the further volumes were never published. In 1988, Tor Books reissued Bloch's scarce second novel,The Kidnapper.

In 1989, several works were published: the collectionFear and Trembling,the thriller novelLori(later adapted as a standalone graphic novel) and another omnibus of long out-of-print early novels,Screams(containingThe Will to Kill,Firebug,andThe Star Stalker). Randall D. Larson issuedThe Robert Bloch Companion: Collected Interviews 1969-1986(Starmont House), together withRobert Bloch(Starmont Reader's Guide No 37), an exhaustive study of Bloch's work, andThe Complete Robert Bloch: An Illustrated, Comprehensive Bibliography(Fandom Unlimited Enterprises). Larson's three books were bound in hardcover and distributed by Borgo Press.

The 1990s: Last works

Bloch's novel,The Jekyll Legacy(1990), was a collaboration withAndre Nortonand a sequel toRobert Louis Stevenson'sDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.The same year he returned to the Norman Bates "mythos" withPsycho House(Tor), the third Psycho novel. As with the second novel in the sequence, it bears no relation to the film titledPsycho III.It would prove to be his last published novel.

In February 1991, he was given the Honor of Master of Ceremonies at the firstWorld Horror Conventionheld inNashville, Tennessee.Weird Tales issued a special Robert Bloch issue in Spring, including his screenplay for the televised version of his tale "Beetles" ". A standalone chapbook of the story" Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper "was issued in both hardcover and paperback by Pulphouse, and Bloch co-edited withMartin H. Greenbergthe original anthologyPsycho-Paths(Tor). In 1991 Bloch contributed an Introduction toIn Search of LovecraftbyJ. Vernon Shea.

In 1992, Bloch celebrated his 75th birthday with a bash at a Los Angeles mystery/horror bookstore which was attended by many sf/horror notables. In 1993, he published his "unauthorized autobiography",Once Around the Bloch(Tor) and edited the original anthologyMonsters in Our Midst.

In early 1994, Fedogan and Bremer published a collection of 39 of his stories,The Early Fears.Bloch began editing a new original anthology,Robert Bloch's Psychosbut was unable to complete work on it prior to his death; Martin H. Greenberg finished the work posthumously and the book appeared several years later (1997).

Personal life

On October 2, 1940, Bloch married Marion Ruth Holcombe; it was reportedly a marriage of convenience designed to keep Bloch out of the army.During their marriage, she suffered (initially undiagnosed) fromtuberculosisof the bone, which affected her ability to walk.

After working for 11 years for the Gustav Marx Advertising Agency in Milwaukee, Bloch left in 1953 and moved toWeyauwega,Marion's home town, so she could be close to friends and family. Although she was eventually cured of tuberculosis, she and Bloch divorced in 1963. Bloch's daughter Sally (born 1943) elected to stay with him.

On January 18, 1964, Bloch met recently widowed Eleanor ( "Elly" ) Alexander (née Zalisko), who had lost her first husband, writer/producer John Alexander, to a heart attack three months earlier, and married her in a civil ceremony on the following October 16. Elly was a fashion model and cosmetician.They honeymooned inTahiti,and in 1965 visited London, thenBritish Columbia.They remained happily married until Bloch's death. Elly remained in the Los Angeles area for several years after selling their Laurel Canyon Home to fans of Bloch, eventually choosing to go home to Canada to be closer to her own family. She died March 7, 2007, at the Betel Home inSelkirk, Manitoba,Canada. Her ashes have been placed next to Bloch's in a similar book-shaped urn at Pierce Brothers in Westwood, California.

Bloch died on September 23, 1994 from cancer aged 77.He survived by seven months the death of another member of the original "Lovecraft Circle",Frank Belknap Long,who had died in January 1994.

Bloch wascrematedand his ashes interred in the Room of PrayercolumbariumatWestwood Village Memorial Park Cemeteryin Los Angeles.His wife Elly is also interred there.

The Robert Bloch Award is presented at the annual NecronomiCon convention. Its recipient in 2013 was editor and scholarS.T. Joshi.The award is in the shape of theShining Trapezohedronas described in H. P. Lovecraft's tale dedicated to Bloch, "The Haunter of the Dark".

Comic adaptations

A number of Bloch's works have been adapted in graphic form for comics. These include:

• "Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho" adapted byInnovation Publishingas a three-part miniseries. Script and art by Felipe Echevarria. 1992.
• "The Past Master" inChristopher Lee's Treasury of Terror.NY: Pyramid, 1967.
• "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" inJourney into Mysteryv2 2 (Marvel Comics, Dec 1972). Script byRon Goulart,art byGil KaneandRalph Reese.Reprinted inMasters of Terror1 (Marvel large size b&w, July 1975).
• "The Shambler from the Stars"inJourney Into Mysteryv2 3 (Marvel Comics, Feb 1973). Script byRon Goulart,art byJim StarlinandTom Palmer.Reprinted inMasters of Terror1 (Marvel large size b&w, Jul 1975).
• "The Shadow from the Steeple" inJourney into Mysteryv2 5 (Marvel Comics, Jun 1973)
• "The Man Who Cried Wolf" (as "The Man Who Cried Werewolf!" ) inMonsters Unleashed1 (Marvel Comics, large size b&w, Jul 1973). Script byGerry Conway,art byPablo Marcos.
• "The Beasts of Barsac" (as "The Living Dead" ) inVampire Tales5 (Marvel Comics, large size b&w, Jun 1974).
• "The Fear Planet" (as "And the Blood Ran Green" ) inStarstream4 (Whitman, 1976). Script byArnold Drake,art by Nevio Zaccara.
• Hell on Earth.Standalone graphic adaptation byKeith GiffenandRobert Loren Fleming,based on Bloch's story fromWeird Tales(1942).DC Comics,1985.
• "A Toy for Juliette" inDeepest Dimensions1 (1993).
• LoriStandalone graphic adaptation by Ben Templesmith. (IDW, 2009).
• "Final Performance" inDoomed1 (IDW, 2010). Adapted by Kristian Donaldson and Chris Ryall. Also included inCompletely Doomedgraphic anthology (IDW, 2011).
• "Warm Farewell" inDoomed2 (IDW, 2010)
• "Fat Chance" inDoomed3 (IDW, 2010).(Also includes a remembrance of Bloch byJack Ketchum.)
• "Ego Trip" inDoomed4 (IDW, 2010).
• "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper". 3-issue mini-series (IDW, 2010) and also collected as trade paperback (IDW, 2011). Scripted byJoe R. Lansdale.
• "That Hellbound Train". 3-issue mini-series (IDW, 2011). Scripted by Joe R. Lansdale

The comicAardwolf(No 2, Feb 1995) is a special tribute issue to Bloch. It contains brief tributes to Bloch fromHarlan Ellison,Ray Bradbury,Richard Matheson,Julius SchwartzandPeter Straubincorporated within a piece called "Robert Bloch: A Retrospective" compiled by Clifford Lawrence. The first part of the text of Bloch's story "The Past Master" is also reprinted in this issue.

Bloch also contributed a script as part of the DCone-shotbenefit comicHeroes Against Hunger.

The character Inspector Bloch in the Italian comicDylan Dogis partly inspired by Robert Bloch.

Audio adaptations

A number of Bloch's works have been adapted for audio productions.

Other adaptations include:

• "Almost Human". May 1950 NBC radio broadcast fromDimension Xand 1955 NBC radio broadcast from showX Minus One.Available for download from:[5].Audio of this story also included onIsaac AsimovandMartin H. Greenberg(eds)Friends, Robots, Countrymen.Dercum Audio, 1997.ISBN1-55656-256-X.
• Gravely, Robert Bloch.Alternate World Recordings, 1976. LP. Bloch himself reads "That Hellbound Train" and "Enoch".
• Blood! The Life and Times of Jack the Ripper.Alternate World recordings, 1977. LP (2 record set). Bloch himself reads "Yours Truly Jack the Ripper" and "A Toy for Juliette".Harlan Ellisonreads his "The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World"
• Psycho House (Psycho III).Sunset Productions/Audio gems, June 1992.ISBN1-56431-037-X.Read by Mike Steele. 2 cassettes. Abridged?
• Thrillogy.Read byRoger Zelazny.Sunset Productions, 1993. Includes the three Bloch stories "That Hellbound Train", "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper", and "The Movie People. (1 cassette, running time 90 mins).ISBN1-56431-045-0
• Psycho.Read byKevin McCarthy.Listen for Pleasure, 1986.ISBN0-88646-165-0(2 cassettes, abridged, running time 2 hours). Reissued Feb 1999ISBN0-88646-492-7.
• Psycho II: The Nightmare Continues.Sunset Productions, Aug 1992.ISBN1-56431-019-1.
• "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" onThe Greatest Mysteries of All Time.Newstar Media, 1994.ISBN0-7871-2092-8.1 cassette. Packaged with "Hight Darktown" byJames Ellroy.Read by Arte Johnson and Robert Forster. Running time?
• The Living Dead.Stellar Audio Vol 5: Horror edition (Brilliance Audio), Aug 1996. Packaged withYou'll Catch Your Deathby P.N. Elrod.ISBN1-56740-970-9.1 cassette. Running time 90 mins.
• Psycho.Read byWilliam Hootkins.Magmasters Sound Studios/ABC Audio, 1997. (2 cassettes, running time 3 hours).ISBN1-84007-002-1.
• "The Movie People" onHollywood Fantasies – Ten Surreal Visions of Tinsel Town.Dove Audio/Audio Literature, 1997. 4 cassettes. Running time 6 hours. Unabridged.ISBN0-7871-0946-0
• "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper". OnThe Greatest Horror Stories of the 20th Centuryedited by Martin Greenberg. Dove Audio, 1998. Read by various readers. 4 cassettes. Running time 6 hours.ISBN0-7871-1723-4
• Psycho.BBC Radio Collection, June 2000. Read by William Hope.? cassettes. Abridged.ISBN0-563-47710-5.
• "A Good Knight's Work". Adapted by George Zarr, performed by a full cast. Seeing Ear Theatre, 2001. Running time 44 mins.
• Psycho.Blackstone Audio, Feb 2009. Read by Paul Michael Garcia.ISBN978-1-4332-5705-6(4 cassette set), 9781433257094 (1 mp3-cd), 9781433257063 (5 cd set). Unabridged. Running times 5.6 hours. Playaway preloaded digital audio ed with earbuds, Sept 2009ISBN1-4332-5713-0
• This Crowded Earth.Librivox, March 2009. Read by Gregg Margarite. (3-CD set, running time 3 hours, 30 mins). Available for download from Librivox:[6]
• Psycho.(In German). Read by Matthias Brandt. (5-CD set). Der Audio Verlag, 2011.ISBN978-3-89813-975-5

Various recordings of Bloch speaking at fantasy and sf conventions are also extant. Many of these are available for download from Will Hart's CthulhuWho site:[7]

Bibliography

See also:Category:Works by Robert Bloch

Novels

• In the Land of Sky-Blue Ointments(with Harold Gauer) (c. 1938) (unpublished, though characters and episodes from this book appear in later Bloch short stories, such as "The Travelling Salesman" and "The Strange Island of Dr Nork". The character Lefty Feep also appears for the first time in this work.Bloch owned the complete manuscript of the novel, which he described as "never intended or submitted for publication."Bloch's estate has blocked posthumous publication). Plot summary at:[8]
• Nobody Else Laughed(with Harold Gauer) (1939) (unpublished)
• The ScarfNY: The Dial Press, 1947. Retitled reprint, NY: Avon, 1948 asThe Scarf of Passion.Revised text, Fawcett Gold Medal, 1966. Printings after the Avon 1948 edition revert title to the original, i.e.The Scarf.See alsoUnholy Trinity,1986.
• Spiderweb(NY: Ace Pocketbooks, 1954; one half of Ace Double, backed with David Alexander'sThe Corpse in My Bed)
• The Kidnaper(Lion Pocketbooks, 1954). Later editions spell the title asThe Kidnapper.
• The Will to Kill(NY: Ace Pocketbooks,1954)
• Shooting Star(NY: Ace Pocketbooks, 1958) (first half of Ace Double, backed with Bloch's ss collectionTerror in the Night) No ISBN – identified only as Ace Double D-265
• This Crowded Earth(1958) (original magazine appearance; published as book in double format withLadies Day1968)
• Psycho(NY: Simon & Schuster, 1959; UK: Robert Hale, April 1960). Adapted into the 1960 film,Psycho,directed byAlfred Hitchcock;laterremadein 1998 byGus Van Sant
• The Dead Beat(NY: Simon & Schuster, 1960; London: Robert Hale, 1961). No ISBN. An "Inner Sanctum" Mystery. Library of Congress Card No 60-6100. The most extensively translated of Bloch's novels savePsychoandPsycho II- Larson's bibliography lists 13 translations in various languages to 1986. See alsoUnholy Trinity(1986).
• Firebug(NY: Regency Books, 1961). RB 101.
• The Couch(NY: Gold Medal, 1962; London: Frederick Muller Gold medal, 1962). See alsoUnholy Trinity(1986). Novelisation by Bloch of his screenplay for the previously filmed movie.
• Terror(Belmont Books, 1962) [ISBN unspecified]; Belmont L92-537 (Working title:Amok;2 German editions appeared under this title).
• Ladies Day / This Crowded Earth(1968) A Belmont Double. Belmont B60-080OCLC1649428.Two science fiction novelets.
• The Star Stalker(NY: Pyramid Books, 1968). Pyramid T-1869. Note: Bloch's title wasColossal.The publisher changed it without consultation with the author.
• The Todd Dossier(1969, Delacorte US; Macmillan UK – no ISBN.)(as byCollier Young). Note: The byline on this book isnota Bloch pseudonym;Collier Youngwas a film producer who had secured a book deal with Bloch for his planned film called THE TODD DOSSIER. Bloch wrote the novel based on a story byJoan DidionandJohn Gregory Dunne.The film was never made; Bloch, who had contracted for a paperback release, was shocked to learn that the producer had placed his own name on the book as author when it was published in hardcover editions.
• Sneak Preview(Paperback Library, 1971)OCLC2487497
• It's All in Your Mind(Curtis Books, 1971). Reprinted from itsImaginative Tales1955 magazine appearance, where it was titled "The Big Binge". "The Big Binge" can also be found inThe Lost Bloch, Volume One(see below).
• Night World(Simon & Schuster, 1972; UK: Robert Hale, 1974.ISBN0-7091-3805-9
• American Gothic(Simon & Schuster, 1974)ISBN0-671-21691-0.Note: This novel was inspired by the true life story of serial killerH.H. Holmes.Bloch also wrote a 40,000-word essay based on his research for the novel, "Dr Holmes' Murder Castle" (first published inReader's Digest Tales of the Uncanny,1977; since reprinted inCrimes and Punishments: The Lost Bloch, Vol 3,2002).
• Strange Eons(Whispers Press, 1978) (aCthulhu Mythosnovel).ISBN0-918372-30-5(trade ed); 0-918372-29-1 (signed/boxed ed.) Third runner-up in the Best Novel category,Balrog Award,1980.
• There Is a Serpent in Eden(1979). Reissued asThe Cunning(Zebra Books, 1979).ISBN0-89083-825-9
• Psycho II(Whispers Press, 1982). 0-91832-09-7 (trade ed); 0-918372-08-9 (signed/boxed ed, 750 copies). (Unrelated to thefilmof the same name)
• Twilight Zone: The Movie.(NY: Warner Books, 1983; London: Corgi, 1983). Novelisation of the Warner Bros movie, based on stories byJohn Landis,George Clayton Johnson,Richard Matheson,Josh Rogan, andJerome Bixby.ISBN0-446-30840-4
• Night of the Ripper(Doubleday,1984).ISBN0-385-19422-6.Novel aboutJack the Ripper.
• Unholy Trinity(collectsThe Scarf,The CouchandThe Dead Beat(Scream/Press, 1986).ISBN0-910489-09-2(Trade edition and 350 copy boxed ed signed by author and artist bear the same ISBN)
• Lori(Tor, 1989)ISBN0-312-93176-X.
• Screams: Three Novels of Suspense(collectsThe Will to Kill,FirebugandThe Star Stalker)(Underwood-Miller, 1989)ISBN0-88733-079-7(trade edition); 0-88733-080-0 (signed edition, 300 numbered copies).
• Psycho House(Tor, 1990)ISBN0-312-93217-0.(Unrelated to the filmsPsycho II,Psycho IIIorPsycho IV: The Beginning)
• The Jekyll Legacy(Tor, 1991)ISBN0-312-85037-9.
• Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper(1991) (Pulphouse; a 100-copy hardbound signed edition of Bloch's famous short story)ISBN1-56146-906-8
• The Thing (1993)(Pretentious Press; a limited edition of 85 copies, only 9 bound in cloth, of the author's first appearance in print – a parody of H. P. Lovecraft which originally appeared in the April 1932 issue ofThe Quill,his Lincoln High School literary magazine)
• Psycho – The 35th Anniversary Edition(Gauntlet Press, 1994).ISBN0-9629659-9-5.Limited edition of 500 copies. The last work to be signed by Bloch before his death; includes a new intro byRichard Mathesonand a new Afterword byRay Bradbury

Short-story collections

• The Thing(1932) actually a single short story (parodying the style ofH. P. Lovecraft), the author's first, but initially published in book form by The Pretentious Press in (1993)
• A Portfolio of Some Rare And Exquisite Poetry by the Bard of Bards(1937 or 1938) written under the pseudonym Sarcophagus W. Dribble. One page folded to make 4. Poetry. This item has been stated to be Bloch's first true book; however it actually seems to have appeared in the fanzineNovaciousNo 2 (March 1939) edited byForrest J. Ackermanand Myrtle R. Douglas ('Morojo'); distributed by theFantasy Amateur Press Association.A copy of this fanzine is held by the Special Collections at Kuhn Library, University of Maryland Baltimore.

The title story ofThe Skull of the Marquis de Sadewas originally published as the cover feature in the September 1945Weird Tales

• The Opener of the Way(Arkham House, 1945; UK Neville Spearman, 1974.) Reissued by Panther Books, UK in two paperback volumes, 1976 - volume 1 asThe Opener of the Wayand volume 2 asThe House of the Hatchet.
• Sea-Kissed(London: Utopian, 1945). Chapbook of four stories. The title story, co-penned with Henry Kuttner, was originally titled "The Black Kiss" '(1935).
• Terror in the Night(NY: Ace Books, 1958) (Published in a double volume with Bloch's novelShooting Star) No ISBN – D-265 on spine.
• Pleasant Dreams: Nightmares(Arkham House,1960; UK: Whiting, 1967)). See alsoNightmaresandMore Nightmares(1961),Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper(1962),Horror-7(1963),Pleasant Dreams(1979) andThe Early Fears(1994).
• Blood Runs Cold(1961). NY: Simon & Schuster, 1961. UK: Robert Hale, 1963. No ISBN. Note: British editions omit four stories from the US editions.
• Nightmares(NY: Belmont Books, 1961). 9 stories fromPleasant Dreams: Nightmares.Contains new introduction by Bloch.
• More Nightmares(Belmont Books,1961). No ISBN – Belmont #L92-530. 10 stories fromThe Opener of the WayandPleasant Dreams: Nightmares
• Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper(NY: Belmont Books, 1962) No ISBN – L 92–527 on spine. 9 stories drawn from "The Opener of the WayandPleasant Dreams: Nightmares.UK reissues by Tandem (1965) and Sphere (1971) appeared asThe House of the Hatchet and Other Tales of Horror.' These UK variant title reissues are not to be confused with the later Panther UK collectionHouse of the Hatchet,(1976; 11 stories), whose contents are almost entirely different.
• Atoms and Evil(Gold Medal Books,1962)
• Horror 7(Belmont Books, 1963). No ISBN. Belmont #90–275. Australian edition: Horwitz, 1963. Seven tales selected fromThe Opener of the WayandPleasant Dreams: Nightmares
• Bogey Men(Pyramid Books, March 1963) [ISBN unspecified]; Pyramid F-839. Includes as afterword, a reprint of the essay "Psycho-Logical Bloch" bySam Moskowitz.
• The Skull of the Marquis de Sade and Other Stories(NY: Pyramid, 1965, pb; UK: Robert Hale, 1975, hc).
• Tales in a Jugular Vein(Pyramid Books, 1965) No ISBN – R-1130 on spine.
• Chamber of Horrors(Award Books, 1966) [ISBN unspecified]; Award Books A187X.
• The Living Demons(NY: Belmont Books, Sept 1967) No ISBN – Belmont B50-787.
• Dragons and Nightmares: Four Short Novels(Mirage, 1968) No ISBN. Voyager series V-102. 1000 numbered copies. Note: All included stories were revised from their original magazine publications for their appearance here.
• Bloch and BradburyNY: Tower Books, 1969. Edited byKurt Singer.Contains six stories by Bloch & five byRay Bradbury.Retitled reprint, UK: Sphere, 1970, asFever Dream and Other Fantasies.ISBN9780722117149;Retitled reprint, large magazine format, possibly unauthorised, Chicago: Peacock Press,1969 asWhispers from Beyond.No ISBN.
• Fear Today, Gone Tomorrow(Award Books/Tandem Books, 1971) No ISBN Award/Tandem 426 & A811S on spine; AQ 1469 on front cover.
• House of the Hatchet.(Panther Books, UK, 1976). Collection of 11 stories; the second half of the two-volume paperback reissue ofThe Opener of the Way.Not to be confused with UK re-titles under this name by Tandem and Sphere of the US 1962 Belmont collection (9 stories) whose contents are almost entirely different.
• The King of Terrors: Tales of Madness and Death(The Mysterious Press, 1977)ISBN0-89296-029-9(trade ed); 0-89296-030-2 (limited ed).
• The Best of Robert Bloch(Del Rey/Ballantine, 1977).ISBN0-345-25757-X.Introduction byLester Del Rey.
• Cold Chills(Doubleday, 1977).ISBN0-385-12421-X.
• Out of the Mouths of Graves(Mysterious Press, 1978)ISBN0-89296-043-4(trade ed); 0-89296-044-2 (limited ed).
• The Laughter of a Ghoul/What Every Young Ghoul Should Know(Necronomicon Press, 1978)
• Pleasant Dreams(HBJ/Jove pbk, 1979). A variant edition/title of 1960'sPleasant Dreams - Nightmareswhich omits four stories from the Arkham House collection and adds three others.
• Such Stuff as Screams Are Made Of(Ballantine Books, 1979)ISBN0-345-27996-4.
• Mysteries of the Worm(Zebra Books, 1981).ISBN0-89083-815-1.Introduction "Demon-Dreaded Lore" byLin Carter.Afterword by Robert Bloch.
• Midnight Pleasures(Doubleday, 1987)ISBN0-385-19439-0.
• Lost in Space and Time With Lefty Feep(Creatures at Large Press, 1987).ISBN0-940064-03-0(trade ed); 0-940064-01-4 (boxed/deluxe ed, 250 copies signed). Note: This book was designated "Volume One" but in fact no further volumes of the series were published, leaving a number of the Lefty Feep stories uncollected.
• Selected Stories of Robert Bloch(Underwood-Miller, 1987, 3 vols).

Note: The following three entries represent paperback reprints of the Underwood MillerSelected Storiesset.Complete Storiesis a misnomer as these three volumes do not contain anywhere near the complete oeuvre of Bloch's short fiction.

• The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch: Volume 1: Final Reckonings(1987)
• The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch: Volume 2: Bitter Ends(1987)
• The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch: Volume 3: Last Rites(1987)
• Fear and Trembling(1989)
• Mysteries of the Worm(rev. 1993) fromChaosiumbooks. Adds three additional stories not included in the first edition.
• The Early Fears(1994). Fedogan & Bremer.ISBN1-878252-12-7(trade ed); 1-878252-13-5 (limited ed). Combines the contents ofThe Opener of the Way(1945) andPleasant Dreams: Nightmares(1960) with three new stories and intro by the author.
• Flowers from the Moon and Other Lunacies(Arkham House, 1998)ISBN0-87054-172-2.Introduction byRobert M. Price.Collects rarities from the Bloch canon, previously published inWeird Tales,Strange StoriesandRoguemagazines; of its 20 stories, 15 are not readily obtainable outside the original pulps where they appeared.
• The Lost Bloch: Volume 1: The Devil With You!(Subterranean Press, 1999)ISBN1-892284-19-7.(Limited ed of 724 numbered copies signed by editor/introducerDavid J. Schowand Foreword writer Stefan Dziemaniowicz). Includes interview with Bloch, "An Hour with Robert Bloch" conducted by David J. Schow. One of the stories included is "The Big Binge" (originally inImaginative Talesin 1955 and reprinted as the short novelIt's All in Your Mindin 1971, see above). TheLost BlochsupplementsFlowers from the Moonin reprinting rare and unreprinted Bloch stories; however at early 2011 around 50 Bloch stories remain uncollected
• The Lost Bloch: Volume 2: Hell on Earth(2000).ISBN1-892284-63-4.(Limited ed of 1250 numbered copies signed by editor/introducer David J. Schow and Foreword writerDouglas E. Winter). Includes afterword by Schow and interview "Slightly More than Another Hour with Robert Bloch" byJ. Michael Straczynski.
• The Lost Bloch: Volume 3: Crimes and Punishments(Subterranean Press, 2002)ISBN1-931081-16-6.(Limited ed 750 numbered copies signed by editor/introducer David J. Schow). Includes introductory piece byGahan Wilson,interview "Three Hours and Then Some with Robert Bloch" byDouglas E. Winterand "My Husband, Robert Bloch" by Eleanor Bloch.
• The Reader's Bloch: Volume 1: The Fear Planet and Other Unusual Destinations(Subterranean Press, 2005; limited ed, signed by editor, 750 numbered and 26 lettered copies). Edited by Stefan R. Dziemanowicz, who provides an introduction, "Future Imperfect". Collects more Bloch rarities; most of its 20 stories are science fiction, and are otherwise unobtainable outside their original magazine appearances.
• The Reader's Bloch: Volume 2: Skeleton in the Closet and Other Stories(Subterranean Press, 2008; 750 numbered copies signed by the editor). Edited by Stefan R. Dziemanowicz. No intro. An unthemed collection of Bloch rarities, most of whose 16 stories are otherwise unobtainable outside their original magazine appearances.
• Mysteries of the Worm(Chaosium,rev. 2009)ISBN1-56882-176-X.Preface "De Vermis Mysteriis" byRobert M. Price.Includes original Introduction by Lin Carter and After Word by Robert Bloch. Adds four additional stories not included in the first two editions.

Anthologies and collections edited by Bloch

• The Best ofFredric Brown(Nelson Doubleday, 1976). No ISBN. Book Club ed. 3180 on rear jacket flap.
• Psycho-Paths.(Tor, 1991).ISBN0-312-85048-4.
• Monsters in Our Midst(Tor, 1993).ISBN0-312-85049-2.
• Robert Bloch's Psychos(1997).ISBN1-56865-637-8.This anthology was being edited by Robert Bloch until his death in 1994.Martin H. Greenbergcompleted the editorial work posthumously.

Short stories

• "Broomstick Ride",Super Science Fiction,December 1957
• "Crime Machine",Galaxy,October 1961
• "Sales of a Deathman",Galaxy,February 1968
• "From Hell",Gotham by Gaslight,February 1989

Non-fiction

• The Eighth Stage of Fandom(1962). Advent – no ISBN. Wildside Press reprint, 1992, with new intro byWilson Tuckerand new afterword byHarlan Ellison,ISBN1-880448-16-5
• Out of My Head(1986) (essays). NESFA Press.ISBN0-915368-30-7(trade ed); 0-915368-87-0 (slipcased ed). Edition limited to 800 numbered copies, the first 200 being slipcased.
• Once Around the Bloch: An Unauthorized Autobiography(Tor Books, 1993).
• Robert Bloch: Appreciations of the Master(Tor, 1995). This volume is a tribute to Bloch collecting essays by many writers who knew or worked with him, together with reprints of several Bloch stories.

Awards

• 1959: "That Hell-Bound Train"Hugo Award for Best Short Story
• 1959:E. Everett EvansMemorial Award for Fantasy and Science Fiction Work
• 1960:Ann RadcliffeAward for Literature (Count Dracula Society) The Count Dracula Society was founded by Dr Donald A. Reed, who also founded theAcademy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films.
• 1960:Edgar Allan Poe Award(Special Scroll) (forPsycho)Mystery Writers of America
• 1960: Screenwriter's Annual Award nominated by Screenwriter's Guild (forPsycho)
• 1964:Inkpot Awardfor Science Fiction
• 1965: Third Trieste Film Festival Award (forThe Skull)
• 1966: Ann Radcliffe Award for Television (Count Dracula Society)
• 1973: First prize, La 2de Convention Du Cinema Fantastique De Paris (forAsylum)
• 1974: Award for Service to the Field of Science FantasyLos Angeles Science Fiction Society
• 1975:World Fantasy Award,Life Achievement
• 1978: Fritz Leiber Fantasy Award
• 1979: Reims Festival Award
• 1984:Hugo Special Award for 50 years as a science fiction professional

See also42nd World Science Fiction Convention

• 1984: Lifetime Career Award, Atlanta Fantasy Fair
• 1985: Twilight Zone Dimension Award
• 1989: Bram Stoker Award, Life Achievement
• 1993:Once Around the Bloch: An Unauthorized AutobiographyBram Stoker, Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction
• Special award at the first NecronomiCon. (After his death, this award was renamed in his honor).
• 1994:The Early FearsBram Stoker, Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection
• 1994: "The Scent of Vinegar" Bram Stoker, Superior Achievement in Long Fiction

In 2020, he was inducted into theRondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards' Monster Kid Hall of Fame.

Films

See also:Category:Films based on works by Robert Bloch

The following is a list of films based on Bloch's work. For some of these he wrote the original screenplay; for others, he supplied the story or a novel (as in the case ofPsycho) on which the screenplay was based.

Year	Title	Notes
1960	Psycho	Director:Alfred Hitchcock.Based on Bloch's original novel but scripted byJoseph Stefano.
1962	The Couch	Director:Owen Crump.Screenplay by Bloch, based on a story byBlake Edwardsand director Owen Crump. Bloch later novelized his own screenplay. StarringGrant WilliamsandShirley Knight.
	The Cabinet of Caligari	Director: Roger Kay. The story of how director Roger Kay tried to rob Bloch of the writing credit for the film and of how Bloch won out is told in Bloch's autobiography. StarringGlynis JohnsandDan O'Herlihy.
1964	Strait-Jacket	Director:William Castle.Original screenplay by Bloch. The first of his two screenplays for director William Castle. StarringJoan CrawfordandDiane Baker.
	The Night Walker	Director:William Castle.Original screenplay by Bloch. The second of two screenplays for director William Castle. The screenplay was later novelized by Sidney Stuart (a pseudonym ofMichael Avallone), with an introduction by Bloch. (The Night Walker,Award Books, Dec 1964. [ISBN unspecified]; Award KA124F). StarringRobert TaylorandBarbara Stanwyck.
1965	The Skull	Director:Freddie Francis.The first of Bloch's six films made forAmicus Productions.Based on Bloch's storyThe Skull of the Marquis de Sadebut scripted byMilton Subotsky.
1966	The Psychopath	Director:Freddie Francis.2nd of Bloch's Amicus films. Original screenplay by Bloch. StarringPatrick Wymark.
1967	The Deadly Bees	Director:Freddie Francis.3rd of Bloch's Amicus films. Screenplay by Bloch based onGerald Heard'sA Taste of Honey.StarringSuzanna Leigh.
	Torture Garden	Director:Freddie Francis.4th of Bloch's Amicus films. Screenplay by Bloch based on four of his stories, includingThe Man Who Collected Poe(aboutEdgar Allan Poe). StarringJack PalanceandBurgess Meredith.
1971	The House That Dripped Blood	Director:Peter Duffell.5th of Bloch's Amicus films. Screenplay by Bloch based on four of his stories (except that Russ Jones adaptedWaxworks,uncredited). StarringChristopher LeeandPeter Cushing.
	Journey to Midnight	[TV movie] Director:Roy Ward Baker.This was one of four "fix-up" films which twinned episodes from the 1968–69 British TV anthology seriesJourney to the Unknown,produced by Hammer for screening as TV movies in the USA. These "fix-up" TV movies had new segment introduction footage provided by actorsPatrick McGoohan,Sebastian CabotandJoan Crawfordserving as hosts; Cabot provided the intro segment forJourney to Midnight.Bloch's contribution was "The Indian Spirit Guide" alongside a non-Bloch episode, "Poor Butterfly".
1972	Asylum	Director:Roy Ward Baker.6th and final of Bloch's Amicus films. Screenplay by Bloch based on four of his stories. The screenplay was novelized byWilliam Johnston(Asylum,Bantam Books, Dec 1972. [ISBN unspecified]; Bantam 9195). Note: Bloch's story "Lucy Comes to Stay", one of the four stories incorporated in the film can be found reprinted inPeter Haining(ed)Ghost Movies: Classics of the Supernatural,Severn House, 1995 as "Asylum". StarringPeter CushingandBritt Ekland.
1973	The Cat Creature	[TV movie] Director:Curtis Harrington.Original teleplay by Bloch, based upon a story by himself,Douglas S. Cramerand Wilfred Lloyd Baumes. The first of his two teleplays for director Harrington. StarringMeredith Baxter,David Hedison,Gale Sondergaard,John Carradine,Keye Luke,Kent Smith,John Abbott,Stuart Whitmanand "Peter Lorre Jr."(actually Eugene Weingand, an unrelated imposter once taken to court by Lorre for illegal use of his name).
1975	The Dead Don't Die	[TV movie] Director:Curtis Harrington.Teleplay by Bloch based on his story which first appeared inFantastic Adventuresin July 1951. The second of his two teleplays for director Harrington. StarringRay Milland,George HamiltonandJoan Blondell.
1978	The Return of Captain Nemo	[TV miniseries] Director: Alex March. Also released theatrically asThe Amazing Captain Nemo.Bloch penned one episode, "Atlantis Dead Ahead", in collaboration with Larry Alexander. StarringJosé FerrerandBurgess Meredith.
1998	Psycho	Director:Gus Van Sant.A remake of the Hitchcock film based on Bloch's original novel.

Unproduced screenplays

Bloch wrote a number of screenplays that remain unproduced. These includeMerry-Go-Roundfor MGM (loosely based onRay Bradbury's story "Black Ferris" );Night-World(from Bloch's novel, for MGM; this was aborted when its producer lost confidence, and his job when MGM went under new management); "The Twenty-First Witch";Day of the Comet(from theH. G. Wellsstory) and "Berg!" (both forGeorge Pal); and a television adaptation of "Out of the Aeons".See alsoThe Todd Dossier.Other unproduced scripts include a science fiction movie commissioned by AIP for 1972 release,Barracuda 2000 A.D.(about a cycle gang surviving atomic holocaust in 2000); James Whiton (co-writer ofThe Abominable Dr. Phibes) also worked on Bloch's script but AIP abandoned the film when the bottom fell out of the cycle-picture vogue. There was alsoLinda,based on aJohn D. MacDonaldnovella; Bloch's script was not used but the movie was eventually done in another form on TV as a 1973ABCSaturday Suspense Moviestarring Stella Stevens, with Ed Nelson playing Paul and John McIntire.

Some scenes from Bloch's incomplete screenplay for the unproduced movieEarthman's Burden,to have been based on the Hoka stories ofGordon R. DicksonandPoul Anderson,appear in Richard Matheson and Ricia Mainhardt, eds.,Robert Bloch: Appreciations of the Master.New York: Tor Books, 1995, pp. 157–63.

Documentaries

Bloch appeared in the documentaryThe Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal(1985) produced and directed byArnold Leibovit.

Robert Bloch Collection, University of Wyoming

Many of Bloch's published works, manuscripts (including those of the novelsThe Star Stalker,This Crowded Earth,andNight World), correspondence, books, recordings, tapes and other memorabilia are housed in the Special Collections division of the library at the University of Wyoming. The collection includes several unpublished short stories, such as "Dream Date", "The Last Clown", "A Pretty Girl is Like a Malady", "Twilight of a God", "It Only Hurts When I Laugh", "How to Pull the Wings Off a Barfly", "The Craven Image", "Afternoon in the Park", "Title Bout", and 'What Freud Can't Tell You ". In addition, there is an unpublished one-act play entitledThe Birth of a Notion – A Tragedy of Hollywood.Thousands of other items from fanzines and professional periodicals to film stills, lobby cards, one-sheets and posters and press-books connected with Bloch's films, together with transcripts of several of his speeches, are also housed in the collection.

General and cited references

• Bloch, Robert (1993).Once Around the Bloch: An Unauthorized Autobiography.Tor Books.ISBN978-0-312-85373-0.

Further reading

• Randall D. Larson,The Robert Bloch Fanzine(Fandom Unlimited, 1972).
• Graeme Flanagan,Robert Bloch: A Bio-Bibliography(Canberra: 1979). Includes interviews with Bloch and memoirs by fellow writers such asHarlan Ellison,Richard Matheson,Mary Elizabeth CounselmanandFritz Leiber.
• Graeme Flanagan, "Introducing Our Guest of Honour: Robert Bloch, The Man Who Has Written So Much More ThanPsycho"Cinecon Program(1981), pp. 4–6.
• Stephen King dedicated his 1981 bookDanse Macabreto Bloch, along with Jorge Luis Borges, Ray Bradbury, Frank Belknap Long, Donald Wandrei and Manly Wade Wellman.
• Lee Prosser. "The Existential Robert Bloch" (interview with Bloch, March 1983). Online at Michael G. Pfefferkorn'sThe Bat is My Brotherwebsite:
  • "A Conversation with Harold Gauer by Michael G. Pfefferkorn".Mgpfeff.home.sprynet.RetrievedJanuary 21,2011.
• Lee Prosser [article about Robert Bloch] inThe Roswell Literary ReviewatRoswell, New Mexico,1996.
• Michael G. Pfefferkorn "A Conversation With Lee Prosser," (in-depth interview with Lee Prosser about Bloch, May 31, 2002). Online at Michael G. Pfefferkorn's The Unofficial Robert Bloch Website.
• Randall D. Larson.The Robert Bloch Reader's Guide(1986). A literary analysis of Bloch's entire output through 1986.
• Randall D. Larson.The Complete Robert Bloch(1986). An illustrated bibliography of Bloch's writing.
• Randall D. Larson.The Robert Bloch Companion(1986). Collected interviews through 1986.Crypt of Cthulhumagazine No 40 (Vol. 5 No. 6 St. John's Eve, 1986). was a special Robert Bloch issue. It included some story reprints by Bloch, essays on his work and bibliography of his books by R. Dixon Smith.
• Darrell Schweitzer[interview with Bloch] in Schweitzer'sSpeaking of Horror: interviews with Writers of the Supernatural(Borgo Press, 1994).
• Randall D. Larson. "Paperblochs: Robert Bloch in Paperback."Paperback ParadeNo. 39, (August 1994).
• Leigh Blackmore."Writer's Bloch: A Brief Tribute to the Author of 'Psycho'".Tabula Rasa7 (Mar 1995).
• In the anthologyMy Favorite Horror Story(DAW, 2000), edited by Mike Baker and Martin H. Greenberg, influential horror writers in the field picked their favorite stories. Out of 15 tales, only Bloch and H. P. Lovecraft are represented by two stories. Of Bloch's, Stephen King chose "Sweets to the Sweet" andJoe R. Lansdalechose "The Animal Fair". The selected Lovecraft stories are "The Colour Out of Space" and "The Rats in the Walls."
• S.T. Joshi.There is an essay on Bloch's work, with particular reference to the novelsPsychoandThe Scarf,inS. T. Joshi's bookThe Modern Weird Tale(2001). Joshi examines Bloch's literary relationship with Lovecraft in a further essay inThe Evolution of the Weird Tale(2004). Joshi also discusses Bloch's work in his 2 volumeUnutterable Horror: A History of Supernatural Fiction(UK: PS Publishing 2012; NY: Hippocampus Press, 2014), pp. 556–59 inter alia.
• James Doig. "Robert Bloch in Australia: Cinecon 1981".Studies in Australian Weird Fiction3 (2009): 47–57.
• Benjamin J. Szumskyj(ed)Robert Bloch: the Man Who Collected Psychos(McFarland, 2009). Collects a range of essays on Bloch's life and work.
• Leigh Blackmore."A Chip Off the Old Bloch: An Interview with Robert Bloch's Daughter Sally Francy."Cemetery Dance(October 2017)

External links

• Robert Blochat Official Website
• Works by Robert BlochatProject Gutenberg
• Works by or about Robert Blochat theInternet Archive
• Works by Robert BlochatLibriVox(public domain audiobooks)
• Robert BlochatCurlie
• Robert Blochat theInternet Speculative Fiction Database
• Robert BlochatFind a Grave
• Robert BlochatIMDb
• Robert BlochatMemory Alpha
• Robert BlochObituary at Hitchcock wiki
• Robert Bloch Papersare archived at theAmerican Heritage Center,University of Wyoming.