The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
Matheson’s breakthrough in the industry was this adaptation of his own novel, The Shrinking Man - the producers later added the “incredible” to the title (“My feeling is, it’s already pretty incredible that a guy is shrinking. Why add the adjective?”, remarked the author). Matheson penned the script himself after forcing the producers that wanted to option his novel to let him do it. Released in 1957, Jack Arnold’s masterpiece is a landmark of 50’s sci-fi, filled with ingenious special effects and a closing speech that add to a powerful emotional ending that still catch viewers by surprise.
The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
In the early 60’s, Matheson worked for B-movie legend Roger Corman in a series of adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe’s stories starring Vincent Price and released by Sam Arkoff’s AIP. The first of them was House of Usher, one of four or five films directed by Corman in 1960. One year later The Pit and the Pendulum brought back the winning formula. Corman reportedly shot Matheson’s first drafts and kept everything very close to his writing. They would collaborate in two more films: Tales of Terror (1962) and The Raven (1963).
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (1963)
Matheson’s involvement with Rod Serling’s groundbreaking The Twilight Zone started in the very beginning of the series in 1959. A very gifted and prolific storyteller, Matheson was a match made in heaven for Serling, who would work with him again a decade later in Night Gallery (1972). Some of the most memorable episodes of The Twilight Zone, including the celebrated Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, came out of Matheson’s mind. His career in television would include episodes for The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Combat, Thriller, Star Trek and Amazing Stories.
The Last Man on Earth (1964)
The first of three “official” adaptations of Matheson’s seminal novel I Am Legend was this effort by veteran film and TV director Sidney Salkow. Released ten years after the book, Salkow’s adaptation took a few liberties with Matheson’s screenplay and although it follows the storyline pretty close, the film suffered from a bad case of miscasting the protagonist, Robert Neville (played by Vincent Price). Still, it’s a very dark and atmospheric film that towers over other adaptations like Omega Man (1971) and the 2007 production starring Will Smith. Four years after Salkow’s film, a young George Romero borrowed more than a few of Matheson’s ideas in I Am Legend to invent the modern zombie film with Night of the Living Dead.
The Devil Rides Out (1968)
Matheson spent some time in the UK developing material for Hammer after a failed attempt by the studio to film I Am Legend as The Night Creatures in the 1950s. The experience was not particularly rewarding, as Fanatic (aka Die! Die! My Darling!, 1965), directed by Silvio Narizzano, was not very successful. Even so, Hammer producer Anthony Hinds would put Matheson in charge of adapting Dennis Wheatley’s The Devil Rides Out, resulting in one of the best films produced by the studio, expertly directed by Terence Fisher and featuring Christopher Lee as the hero for a change.
Duel (1971)
A man, his car, a truck and the road: that’s all the elements Matheson needed to write this classic paranoia tale that introduced director Steven Spielberg to the world. Dennis Weaver is the perfect incarnation of tension and defenselessness as a regular guy who, for no apparent reason, is pursued by a giant 18-wheeler truck conducted by a faceless driver. The young Spielberg was sharp enough to capture the undertones of Matheson’s screenplay without letting go of the action and the result is very impressing to this day. Originally produced for TV, as were several of Matheson’s scripts at the time, the film ended up gaining a commercial release in theaters all over the world.
The Legend of Hell House (1973)
Arguably the scariest novel in Matheson’s career, Hell House is one of the best haunted house stories ever written. The versatile English director John Hough, fresh from Hammer’s Twins of Evil, was in charge of this creepy and atmospheric adaptation starring Roddy McDowall and Pamela Franklin. The film is easy on the sex aspects of the novel but it’s a solid effort that proved to be very influential.
Somewhere in Time (1980)
Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour top the billing in this faithful adaptation of Matheson’s novel Bid Time Return. The sad love story was very popular with audiences at the time of its release, thanks to the charming performance by Reeve and a powerful score by John Barry. A serious contender for a remake, it was one of Matheson’s favourites.
A Stir of Echoes (1999)
David Koepp was one of the top screenwriters in Hollywood when he decided to adapt Matheson’s novel as the basis for his second film as a director. He takes some liberties to the story but manages to put up a good show that features a solid performance by Kevin Bacon. This is a truly underrated gem that deserves much more love than it gets.
I Am Legend (2007)
Francis Lawrence’s I Am Legend was an enormous hit and the numbers helped Hollywood to rediscover Matheson’s work. His short story Steel, which was the basis for a Twilight Zone episode back in the day, received the big studio treatment and became Real Steel (2011). The writer was reportedly working with his son Richard Christian Matheson in a new big budget version of The Shrinking Man before his illness.