Bio: Robert Bloch is perhaps best remembered for his novel Psycho, which was turned into one of the greatest horror movies of all time, under Alfred Hitchcock's brilliant direction. Bloch was also one of the most popular writers on such TV shows as Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone. As author of a score of best-selling novels and hundreds of short stories, Bloch's gallows humor set him apart from many of his contemporaries. Bloch was born in 1917 in Chicago, Illinois. His interest in fantasy was sparked at an early age, after a chance encounter with magician Howard Thurston. He later discovered science fiction in Amazing Stories and went on to establish a long correspondence with H.P. Lovecraft, whose writing he read and admired in Weird Tales. Robert Bloch died in September of 1994 from cancer of the esophagus and kidneys. He was 77 years old.