Blake, Robert

   In “The Haunter of the Dark,” the writer of weird tales from Milwaukee, Wis., who moves to Providence, R.I., for inspiration. He keeps a diary of his investigations of the Free-Will Church, which he had first observed from his window but then sought out across town. He unwittingly disturbs the unseen presence residing in the abandoned church and, in the end, dies from his encounter with the avatar of Nyarlathotep.

   Blake is loosely based on Robert Bloch, to whom the story is dedicated. (Blake’s Milwaukee address was Bloch’s real address at the time the story was written.) However, he also embodies attributes of HPL himself. The view from Blake’s room in Providence is exactly that which HPL saw. The titles of the stories attributed to Blake are parodies of HPL’s and Bloch’s own stories.