History Creator / RobertBloch

* Literature/StrangeEons

* SilentAgeOfHollywood: Bloch was a big fan of Creator/LonChaney, and it shows (especially in the novel ''The Star Stalker''). There are also stories set during UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood and the UsefulNotes/FallOfTheStudioSystem, though often (especially in the latter era) they showed how disrespectfully the vintage stars were treated by the new blood.

* SandNecktie: In "The Hound of Pedro", a bunch of Indians who try to rebel against their cruel Spanish overlord get this done to them-- and then their heads are used for bowling pins. [[spoiler: Ends up as KarmicDeath with a really [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent odd twist.]]]]

** There are some savage swipes at [[HorribleHollywood late 70's Hollywood]] in his novel Psycho 2, with nearly everyone there either a whore or a degenerate. He also takes a few shots at the slasher genre, which he despised.

* DemBones: "Skeleton in the Closet" features the protagonists uncle as this trope [[spoiler:and eventually the protagonist and his accomplice in murder]]

* DisposableVagrant: [[Main/SerialKiller "The Knife"]] in "Hobo" frequently targets the homeless.

* MurderIsTheBestSolution: This shows up especially with marriages that go wrong, as American divorce laws were much stricter when many of the stories were written (such as "Frozen Fear").

* [[HollywoodSatanism Hollywood Satanist]]: The standard explanation for any EvilSorcerer.

* GroinAttack: This lovely image from "The Night Before Christmas"
** [[spoiler: Santiago: ''"The young man was stripped and tied to a tree. His genitals were smeared with wild honey. You've heard of the fire ants, amigo? They swarmed in this area-and they will devour anything which bears the scent of honey."'']]

* AssholeVictim: He wrote his share.

* AllPsychologyIsFreudian: Jung's name is mentioned, but Bloch wrote more about Freudian psychology, probably for the wordplay potential (see below).

* UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper: A favorite Bloch subject. Along with "Wolf in the Fold", there's his famous short story "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper", as well as "A Toy for Juliette" in ''Literature/DangerousVisions'' (which in turn inspired Creator/HarlanEllison's "The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World"). He also wrote the forward to the Franchise/{{Batman}} vs the Ripper {{Elseworld}} ''Gotham by Gaslight'', written as though by Jack himself.

Robert Bloch (1917-1994) was a prolific writer of horror/crime fiction (with some forays into science fiction), writing hundreds of short stories and over 20 novels. He also adapted several of his works into teleplays for ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' (most famously the JackTheRipper episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E14WolfInTheFold Wolf In the Fold]]"), ''Series/AlfredHitchcockPresents'', and ''[[Series/{{Thriller}} Boris Karloff's Thriller]]'' (he also wrote for ''Series/ISpy''), as well as screenplays, many for Creator/AmicusProductions. His most well-known work is ''Literature/{{Psycho}}'' (which he did not personally adapt for the screen).

* JackTheRipper: A favorite Bloch subject. Along with "Wolf in the Fold", there's his famous short story "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper", as well as "A Toy for Juliette" in ''Literature/DangerousVisions'' (which in turn inspired Creator/HarlanEllison's "The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World"). He also wrote the forward to the Franchise/{{Batman}} vs the Ripper {{Elseworld}} ''Gotham by Gaslight'', written as though by Jack himself.

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Believed by the mentally disabled young protagonist of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". He's so, so wrong. [[spoiler: She's a ManipulativeBitch who talks him into killing her husband-- but she receives a totally deserved end.]]

* AllPsychologyIsFreudian: Jung's name is mentioned, but Bloch preferred Freudian psychology, probably for the wordplay potential (see below).

* UrbanFantasy: "The Bat is My Brother"

* SilentAgeOfHollywood: Bloch was a big fan of Creator/LonChaney, and it shows (especially in the novel ''The Star Stalker''). There are also stories set during the GoldenAgeOfHollywood and the UsefulNotes/FallOfTheStudioSystem, though often (especially in the latter era) they showed how disrespectfully the vintage stars were treated by the new blood.

** A literal Hollywood Satanist shows up in the story "Return to the Sabbath"-- later made into an episode of ''Series/AlfredHitchcockPresents'' with Creator/Christopher Lee.

* InsaneEqualsViolent: "The Screaming People"

** "Pumpkin" features a [[HollywoodSatanism HollywoodSatanist]] EvilSorcerer who comes back as this trope.

* DeadMansChest: The short story "Frozen Fear" has a man kill his wife, dismember her, and store the parts in a freezer (he plans to dispose of them the following winter by burning them. [[OrganAutonomy Supernatural]] karmic revenge ensues. Notably adapted as a segment of the 1972 British horror anthology ''Film/{{Asylum}}''.

Robert Bloch (1917-1994) was a prolific writer of horror/crime fiction (with some forays into science fiction), writing hundreds of short stories and over 20 novels. He also adapted several of his works into teleplays for ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' (most famously the JackTheRipper episode "Wolf In the Fold"), ''Series/AlfredHitchcockPresents'', and ''[[Series/{{Thriller}} Boris Karloff's Thriller]]'' (he also wrote for ''Series/ISpy''), as well as screenplays, many for Creator/AmicusProductions. His most well-known work is ''Literature/{{Psycho}}'' (which he did not personally adapt for the screen).

* SilentAgeOfHollywood: Bloch was a big fan of Creator/LonChaney, and it shows (especially in the novel ''The Star Stalker''). There are also stories set during the GoldenAgeOfHollywood and the FallOfTheStudioSystem, though often (especially in the latter era) they showed how disrespectfully the vintage stars were treated by the new blood.