Robert Bloch facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 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

Robert Albert Bloch (born April 5, 1917 – died September 23, 1994) was an American writer. He mainly wrote exciting crime stories, scary psychological horror, and fantasy tales. Many of his works were turned into radio shows, movies, and TV shows. He also wrote some science fiction.

Bloch's writing career lasted 60 years, with over 30 years spent working in television and film. He started writing professionally right after high school at age 17. He is best known for writing the novel Psycho (1959). This book became the famous movie Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Bloch wrote hundreds of short stories and over 30 novels.

He was mentored by H. P. Lovecraft, a famous horror writer, who encouraged his talent. Bloch first copied Lovecraft's style of "cosmic horror," which involves huge, terrifying forces. But later, he focused on crime and horror stories that explored the human mind.

Bloch wrote for popular magazines like Weird Tales early in his career. He was also a busy screenwriter and a big part of the science fiction fan community. He won several awards, including the Hugo Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the World Fantasy Award. He even served as president of the Mystery Writers of America in 1970.

Early Life and His Start in Writing

Robert Bloch was born in Chicago, Illinois. When he was eight, he saw the silent film The Phantom of the Opera. The movie scared him a lot and sparked his interest in horror stories.

He was a very smart child and loved to read. He got a special pass to the adult section of the library and read all kinds of books. In 1929, his family moved to Milwaukee. There, he went to Lincoln High School. His first published short story, "The Thing," appeared in his school's literary magazine. Bloch graduated from high school in 1934 during the Great Depression.

How Weird Tales and H. P. Lovecraft Influenced Him

In the 1930s, Bloch loved reading the magazine Weird Tales. He discovered it when he was ten. He remembered how important it was to him, especially during the Depression when money was tight.

H. P. Lovecraft in June 1934

H. P. Lovecraft, another writer for Weird Tales, became one of Bloch's favorite authors. Bloch wrote a fan letter to Lovecraft in 1933. Lovecraft not only lent him stories but also gave him advice on his own writing. Lovecraft even suggested Bloch write to other writers in his group.

Bloch's first stories were rejected by Weird Tales. But he kept trying and eventually sold "The Feast in the Abbey" and "The Secret in the Tomb" to the magazine in 1934. He was only 17!

Many of Bloch's early stories were heavily influenced by Lovecraft. Some of them even used characters and ideas from Lovecraft's famous Cthulhu Mythos. Bloch even created some of the fictional books mentioned in the Mythos, like De Vermis Mysteriis. Lovecraft liked Bloch's work so much that he dedicated his story "The Haunter of the Dark" (1936) to Bloch. Bloch was the only person Lovecraft ever dedicated a story to.

Lovecraft's death in 1937 deeply affected Bloch, who was only 20. After Lovecraft's death, Bloch continued writing for Weird Tales and became one of its most popular authors. He also started writing for other magazines, including science fiction ones. He explored new horror themes like voodoo and black magic.

Developing His Own Style and Early Successes

In 1935, Bloch joined a writers' group called The Milwaukee Fictioneers. He also worked as an advertising writer, which allowed him time to write his own stories.

Bloch slowly moved away from copying Lovecraft's style. He started to create his own unique way of writing. One of his first truly "Blochian" stories was "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" (1943). This story was his take on the famous Jack the Ripper mystery.

During World War II, Bloch wrote a radio horror show called Stay Tuned for Terror. Many of the episodes were based on his own stories. In 1945, his first collection of short stories, The Opener of the Way, was published. "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" became very popular and was adapted for radio and reprinted in many collections.

Bloch's first novel, The Scarf, was published in 1947. In the 1950s, he became known for his "Auction Bloch" at science fiction conventions. He would auction off an hour of a famous writer's time to raise money for good causes.

He published several more novels in the 1950s, including The Kidnapper. In 1959, he won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story for "That Hellbound Train." That same year, his most famous novel, Psycho, was published.

Psycho and Hollywood

While Bloch had little direct involvement with the 1960 film version of Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, it made him very famous. Bloch sold the rights to his novel for $9,500. Even though the movie made a lot of money, Bloch didn't receive any more payments from its huge success.

After moving to Hollywood around 1960, Bloch started writing many scripts for television. He wrote for shows like Lock-Up, Thriller, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He even wrote a TV episode called "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" for Alfred Hitchcock Presents. It was considered "too gruesome" for TV at the time, but it later became very popular.

Bloch continued to write novels, including The Dead Beat (1960) and Firebug (1961). He also wrote screenplays for films like Strait-Jacket (1964) and The Night Walker.

Later Career in Film, TV, and Books

Bloch continued to write for TV shows like The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and I Spy. He also wrote three episodes for the original Star Trek series in 1966 and 1967. One of these, "Wolf in the Fold," was another story about Jack the Ripper.

He wrote screenplays for several horror films produced by Amicus Productions, including Torture Garden and The House That Dripped Blood. In the 1970s, he wrote two TV movies for director Curtis Harrington.

Bloch kept writing short stories and novels throughout the 1960s and 1970s. His collection Tales in a Jugular Vein came out in 1965. In 1975, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the First World Fantasy Convention.

In the 1980s, Bloch continued to write for TV shows like Tales of the Unexpected and Tales from the Darkside. He also wrote a sequel to Psycho called Psycho II in 1982. He even novelized Twilight Zone: The Movie in 1983.

His last published novel was Psycho House (1990), which was the third Psycho novel. In 1993, he published his autobiography, Once Around the Bloch.

Personal Life

Robert Bloch married Marion Ruth Holcombe in 1940. They had one daughter, Sally, born in 1943. They divorced in 1963.

In 1964, Bloch married Eleanor ("Elly") Alexander. They were happily married until his death. Elly was a fashion model. They enjoyed traveling together.

Robert Bloch passed away on September 23, 1994, at the age of 77, after a long illness. He was cremated, and his ashes are buried in Los Angeles. His wife Elly is also buried there.

The Robert Bloch Award is given out at the annual Necronomicon convention to honor his contributions to fantasy and horror.

Comic Adaptations

Many of Robert Bloch's stories have been turned into comic books. Here are some examples:

• "Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho" was made into a three-part comic series in 1992.
• "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" appeared in Journey into Mystery in 1972.
• "The Shambler from the Stars" was also in Journey Into Mystery in 1973.
• Hell on Earth was a standalone graphic novel based on his story from 1942.
• Lori was adapted into a graphic novel in 2009.
• "That Hellbound Train" became a three-issue comic series in 2011.

Audio Adaptations

Robert Bloch's works have also been adapted for audio.

• "Almost Human" was broadcast on radio shows like Dimension X and X Minus One in the 1950s.
• Bloch himself read some of his stories on LPs, including "That Hellbound Train" and "Yours Truly Jack the Ripper."
• His novels Psycho, Psycho II, and Psycho House have all been released as audiobooks.
• "A Good Knight's Work" was adapted as a full-cast audio play in 2001.

Awards and Honors

Robert Bloch received many awards for his writing:

• 1959: Hugo Award for Best Short Story for "That Hell-Bound Train"
• 1959: E. Everett Evans Memorial Award for Fantasy and Science Fiction Work
• 1960: Ann Radcliffe Award for Literature
• 1960: Edgar Allan Poe Award (Special Scroll) for Psycho
• 1964: Inkpot Award for Science Fiction
• 1965: Third Trieste Film Festival Award for The Skull
• 1966: Ann Radcliffe Award for Television
• 1975: World Fantasy Award, Life Achievement
• 1978: Fritz Leiber Fantasy Award
• 1984: Hugo Special Award for 50 years as a science fiction professional
• 1989: Bram Stoker Award, Life Achievement
• 1993: Once Around the Bloch: An Unauthorized Autobiography won a Bram Stoker Award for Non-Fiction
• 1994: The Early Fears won a Bram Stoker Award for a Fiction Collection
• 1994: "The Scent of Vinegar" won a Bram Stoker Award for Long Fiction

In 2020, he was added to the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards' Monster Kid Hall of Fame.

Films Based on His Work

Here is a list of movies based on Robert Bloch's stories. For some, he wrote the screenplay, and for others, the movie was based on his books.

Images for kids

• 

  Bloch's story "The Thinking Cap" was featured on the cover of Other Worlds magazine in June 1953.

• 

  Bloch's story "Terror in Cut-Throat Cove" was on the cover of Fantastic magazine in June 1958.

• 

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

• 

  Bloch's story "The Funnel of God" was on the cover of Fantastic magazine in January 1960.

See also

In Spanish: Robert Bloch para niños