“Horror is the removal of masks” ― Robert Bloch
Robert Bloch is on the short list of genius fiction writers who will never be considered "literary". That's okay with me, and I'm sure it's okay with him. He made his living (eventually) writing novels and stories and created one of the most enduring icons in horror, Norman Bates.
Fashioned in part from the notorius Wisconsin cannibal killer, Ed Gein, Bloch gave the world PSYCHO as a book and Hitchcock gave the world one of his classic films based on the story.
Bloch was from the classic era of pulp writers. He wrote stories for WEIRD TALES and counted H.P. Lovecraft as a correspondent and friend.
Bloch was not shy once in front of a tape recorder. Possessed of a humor that fell somewhere between Chas Addams and Gahan Wilson, but at the same time wholly unique, his was not reluctant to share his morbid and sardonic side with an interviewer.
In the July, 1982 issue of MYSTERY magazine, Bloch was interviewed by Ray Zone. You may recognize Ray as a pop culture historian and pioneer of 3D imaging. His enthusiam for the genre's classic roots make for an interesting discussion.
“So I had this problem -- work or starve. So I thought I'd combine the two and decided to become a writer.” -- Robert Bloch
Great article!
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