RIP Richard Matheson

David_D

The master of genre fiction (and teleplay) has died.

fredzilla

Never got around to reading any of his more popular stuff, but I really liked the I Am Legend GN. When I was in high school I was going through a horror phase and rented the film Hell House (from the 70s or 80s), which scared the $#!+ out of me. Not as scary or interesting the second time when I was in my mid 20s, but I still have the memory of that first viewing. :-SS

Also around Halloween I would have my students read a short story of his (the title escapes me...) and seemed to like it. This is a bummer.

kiwijase

Very sad. I recently read I Am Legend, and man that story holds up. None of the three movie versions have done it justice. Also reponsable for the screenplays for great 1950's sci-fi flick, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Steven Spielberg excellent debut movie Duel, and those two wonderful Kolchak TV movies in the 1970's. Rest in peace Mr Matheson, You are Legend.

Chuck_Melville

Not to mention a number of episodes of Twilight Zone, for which he was a regular scripter during the show's latter years.

dubbat138

Oh wow,I have loved the little of his work I have read.

EdChambers

This man was definitely a legend. I'd imagine the average person doesn't realize the large body of work this man touched over the years. One of my favorites of his was "Bid Time Return", which was made into a not-so-great movie, "Somewhere in Time" with Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeves. And so many great screenplays ("Night Gallery", "Twilight Zone", "Star Trek", and so many others).

chrisw

I Am Legend is one of the few books I've read multiple times, but I really should read it again, as it's been a while and I'm realizing most of my memories of the story now come from the Vincent Price film (which I suppose is better than coming from the Charlton Heston or Will Smith versions).

And as silly as the explanation is at the end of Hell House, I still watch that movie every time TCM runs it.

John_Steed

chrisw said:

...I'm realizing most of my memories of the story now come from the Vincent Price film (which I suppose is better than coming from the Charlton Heston or Will Smith versions).
....

B-) totally agree

Kat_Rocha

I couldn't finish I Am Legend. I got me so depressed I started to cry. Sign of a good book... but I still couldn't finish it.

I always wanted to sit down and talk to him about Hell House. It is one of my favorite books of all time and I wanted to know how and where he researched spiritualism in order to get all the "facts" right. I had heard he had been into spiritualism at one time and mediumship and I wanted to pick his brain on how much he thought was real and how much were charlitans. According my research they all were... but i wanted to talk to him about it.

I am very sad that he is gone, but I know that he lived a full life.

-kat

dubbat138

chrisw said:

I Am Legend is one of the few books I've read multiple times, but I really should read it again, as it's been a while and I'm realizing most of my memories of the story now come from the Vincent Price film (which I suppose is better than coming from the Charlton Heston or Will Smith versions).

The last man on Earth is a great film. So much better than the Omega Man or taht abortion starring Will Smith. The Price film has this feeling of dread surrounding it. Part of it is the b/w cinematography. Plus another part is how great of an actor Price was.