282: Robert Bloch and the Cthulhu Mythos (advert free)

Following last episode’s discussion of Psycho, we’re exploring the life and work of its creator, Robert Bloch. While Bloch is best remembered for the way he fused crime fiction and horror into a new genre, he was also a member of the original Lovecraft Circle. We look at Bloch’s unlikely friendship with HP Lovecraft and how it shaped his career, as well as offering a quick overview of Bloch’s contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos.

Matt at Concrete Cow

Matt will be at Concrete Cow 24. This is the one-day gaming convention organised my our good friends at MK-RPG. It will take place at the Old Bath House in Wolverton, on Saturday the 16th of March. Doors open at 9:00 and the first games begin at 10:00.

Thanks For A Weekend With Good Friends

A Weekend With Good Friends 2024 has wrapped up. This is the online gaming convention organised by our lovely listeners, taking place on the Good Friends Discord server.

We take this opportunity to thank everyone who made the convention happen.

The organisers, Bence, Chris, Martin, and PT, put in a heroic amount of work to make sure everything ran smoothly. David and Miranda organised the panels, covering everything from finding panellists and topics to moderating most of them and handling the streaming. The server moderators, especially Rina, Mike and Nate, dealt with tickets, wrangling players and GMs throughout the weekend. Thank you so much to all of you!

And, of course, thank you to everyone who attended, ran games, and took part in panels. This couldn’t have happened without you.

If you missed any of the excellent panels, you can find them all on YouTube.

Blasphemous Tomes Latest Updates:

Blasphemous Tome Fanzines Update for $1 backers (Jan 2024)

Blasphemous Tome Fanzines Update for $3+ backers (Jan 2024)

Links

Things we mention in this episode include:

Bloch and Lovecraft

• Once Around the Bloch: An Unauthorized Autobiography by Robert Bloch
• The Man Who Collected Psychos: Critical Essays on Robert Bloch edited by Benjamin Szumyskyj
• Robert Bloch: Appreciations of the Master edited by Richard Matheson and Ricia Mainhardt
• Lon Chaney
• “The Chaney Legacy” by Robert Bloch
• “The Clown at Midnight” by Robert Bloch
• Weird Tales
• “Pickman’s Model” by HP Lovecraft
• Robert Barlow
• Fritz Leiber
• August Derleth
• Clark Ashton Smith
• E Hoffman Price
• The Opener of the Way by Robert Bloch
• Marvel Tales
• “The Feast in the Abbey” by Robert Bloch
• “The Shambler From the Stars” by Robert Bloch
• “History of the Necronomicon” by HP Lovecraft
• “The Haunter of the Dark” by HP Lovecraft
• “Satan’s Servants” by Robert Bloch
• World Fantasy Convention
• World Fantasy Award controversy
• Our Lovecraftian tour
• Federal Hill, Providence
• HP Lovecraft: Letters to Robert Bloch and Others
• The Disciples of Cthulhu
• Psycho II by Robert Bloch
• Psycho House by Robert Bloch
• Thomas Harris
• Robert Bloch Award
• Necronomicon convention

The Weird Fiction of Robert Bloch

• Mysteries of the Worm by Robert Bloch
• Ludwig Prinn
• De Vermis Mysteriis
• “The Secret in the Tomb” by Robert Bloch
• “The Shadow Out of Time” by HP Lovecraft
• “A Sorcerer Runs for Sheriff” by Robert Bloch
• Captain Pugwash urban myth
• Star vampires
• Byatis
• The Black Rites of Mad Luveh-Keraph
• Cultes Des Ghoules by Comte d’Erlette
• Klarkash-Ton
• Nyarlathotep
• Nephren-Kha
• “The Opener of the Way” by Robert Bloch
• “The Brood of Bubastis” by Robert Bloch
• “The Secret of Sebek” by Robert Bloch
• “Fane of the Black Pharaoh” by Robert Bloch
• Masks of Nyarlathotep
• “Imprisoned With the Pharaohs” by HP Lovecraft
• “The Shadow From the Steeple” by Robert Bloch
• “Notebook Found in a Deserted House” by Robert Bloch
• Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath
• Strange Eons by Robert Bloch
• The Blasphemous Tome issue 4
• Church of Starry Wisdom
• “Equoid” by Charles Stross
• The Laundry Files
• “The Faceless God” by Robert Bloch
• “Nyarlathotep” by HP Lovecraft
• “Fungi From Yuggoth” by HP Lovecraft
• Flowers From the Moon and Other Lunacies by Robert Bloch
• Elder Sign Podcast
• R Chetwynd-Hayes
• Star Trek
• “What Are Little Girls Made Of”
• “Catspaw”
• Torture Garden (1967)
• The House That Dripped Blood (1971)
• Asylum (1972)