Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917 – September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of
crime,
horror,
fantasy and science fiction, from
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. He is best known as the writer of
Psycho, the basis for the
film of the same name by
Alfred Hitchcock. He wrote that "Despite my ghoulish reputation, I really have the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk," (a quote borrowed by
Stephen King and often misattributed to him). His fondness for a
pun is evident in the titles of his story collections such as
Tales in a Jugular Vein,
Such Stuff as Screams Are Made Of and
Out of the Mouths of Graves.