Robert Albert Bloch (1917-1994) was a prolific and celebrated writer of crime, horror and science fiction. In 1989 he was the recipient of a Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement, which is presented periodically to an individual whose work has substantially influenced the horror genre. Psycho was Bloch's most famous work, and it was on this chilling novel that the classic film of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock was based.