"Psycho" (1959), by Robert Bloch. It is clearer in the text than in the film version that Norman cannot remember his episodes as Mother.

Starting in 1935, a number of werewolf movies, notably WEREWOLF OF LONDON (1935), THE WOLF MAN (1941) and AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1986) have had aspects of being a sort of Jeckyll/Hyde or split personality story.

This does not seem to have been a prominent aspect of earlier literary werewolf fiction. At least, I cannot think of any prominent examples. Does "The Camp of the Dog" count? "Wolfshead" (1926), by R.E. Howard, is about a man cursed with lycanthropy against his will, but I recall no suggestion that memory loss plays a part of his curse.

Tolkien's THE LORD OF THE RINGS (1954) features dual personality themes, associated with the influence of the One Ring, but there is never a complete "split", nor is memory loss a significant issue. This is seen most clearly with Gollum, who has 2 personalities, refers to himself in the plural as "we" and "us", and whose two personalities (called "Slinker" and "Stinker" by Sam) have running conversations with each other, rather like Norman Bates and his Mother. Gollum first appeared in THE HOBBIT (1937), where some of these hints of his dual personality were already present.

"A Pastoral Horror" (1890) by Arthur Conan Doyle. The story is never told from the madman's POV, so it is ambiguous whether this is really a split personality case, or whether the madman can remember his murders during his "lucid intervals" if any. But these ideas are at least strongly hinted at.

"The Haunter of the Ring" (1934) by Robert E. Howard.

I don't think I ever heard of this one from Doyle. Is it more criminous than horrific ?

Ashurabani Wrote:
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> I don't think I ever heard of this one from Doyle.
> Is it more criminous than horrific ?

Well, it's criminous. And horrific. But it did occur to me after posting that it maybe does not count as a "weird horror". Unless madness is inherently weird.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 26 Apr 22 | 02:42PM by Platypus.

To be clear, my last post was about Doyle's story A PASTORAL HORROR. I had previously mentioned Doyle's THE PARASITE, which is about a sort of possession by a mesmerist.

I have the impression that Victorian era stories about loss of memory and altered states of consciousness were often associated with the ideas of somnambulism and mesmerism. I think we also see this in DRACULA.

"The Shadow Out of Time", by H.P. Lovecraft, features a case of alternate personality with memory loss. Of course, it turns out to be a case of alien possession.

Depends how much the madness features in the story, I'd say.

The Shining (1977) by Stephen King: I don't know if early King is old enough to be considered classic, but it features a sort of dual personality in the form of Danny and his "imaginary friend" Tony, who lives inside him.

I don't recall that Tony is ever exactly explained. Is he a sort of familiar spirit with whom Dany can communicate, and who sometimes possesses him? Or does he represent that part of Danny that is psychically aware, and which Dany keeps separate and at bay in order to protect himself from psychic horrors?

Setting aside such theories, Tony also serves as a literary device, that allows a novel about a lonely, solitary and secretive child to remain lively by way of running dialogue between Danny and Tony. It also allows him to have a realistically childlike personality, while also giving him indirect access to knowledge and understanding that I would be too much for a child.

I don't recall that any memory loss was involved. But certainly, Danny does not (at least consciously) know everything Tony knows.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 7 May 22 | 07:21PM by Platypus.

It's been over 40 years since I read the abridged version, but I recall that L. Ron Hubbard's novel FEAR concerns a man's search for the memory of his activities during an hour he has inexplicable lost. To his eternal regret, he is quite successful in his quest.

That sounds interesting, but I'd rather first focus on "Final Blackout, the only Hubbard novel on Wagner's list of 39 Best Horror novels.

Will definitely be on the lookout for this though.

I first read FEAR in a paperback collecting it with another Hubbard fantasy from UNKNOWN magazine, TYPEWRITER IN THE SKY. This was in the 1970's and it was an abridged version. The long version came out in hardcover about 20 years later, as I recall. That might be the better version to read, if you're interested.

@Minicthulhu: you just mentioned "The Grave" in your thread about WWI horror, which features periods of relative madness, interrupted by "lucid intervals" during which the mad intervals cannot be remembered.