Robert Bloch was born in 1917 in Chicago, Illinois. He wrote hundreds of short stories, several novels (Psycho was adapted into film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1960), and numerous screenplays in the science fiction/fantasy genre. A protégé of H. P. Lovecraft, Bloch began writing in the early 1930s, his first story being bought by Weird Tales. His work was often used for radio and television, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents,Thriller, Star Trek, Tales of the Unexpected, Tales of the Darkside, and the radio show Stay Tuned for Terror. His screenplays include The House That Dripped Blood (1971), The Psychopath (1966), The Skull (1965), and The Deadly Bees (1967).