Richard Matheson
Encyclopedia
Richard Burton Matheson (born February 20, 1926) is an American
author
and screenwriter
, primarily in the fantasy, horror
, and science fiction
genres. He is perhaps best known as the author of What Dreams May Come
, Bid Time Return
, A Stir of Echoes
, The Incredible Shrinking Man
, and I Am Legend, all of which have been adapted as major motion pictures. Matheson has also written for several The Twilight Zone
television show episodes such as "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
", and adapted his 1971 short story Duel into a screenplay later that year for the Steven Spielberg
directed television movie of the same name.
, the son of Norwegian
immigrants Fanny (née Mathieson) and Bertolf Matheson, a tile floor installer. Matheson was raised in Brooklyn
and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School
in 1943. He then entered the military and spent World War II
as an infantry soldier. In 1949 he earned his bachelor's degree
in journalism
from the University of Missouri
and moved to California
in 1951. He married Ruth Ann Woodson on July 1, 1952 and has four children, three of whom (Chris, Richard Christian
, and Ali Matheson) are writers of fiction and screenplays.
, "Born of Man and Woman
", appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1950 and is the tale of a monstrous child chained in its parents' cellar told in the first person as the creature's diary (in poignantly non-idiomatic English). Between 1950 and 1971, Matheson produced dozens of stories, frequently blending elements of the science fiction
, horror and fantasy genres, making important contributions to the further development of modern horror.
Several of his stories, like "Third from the Sun
" (1950), "Deadline" (1959) and "Button, Button" (1970) are simple sketches with twist endings; others, like "Trespass" (1953), "Being" (1954) and "Mute" (1962) explore their characters' dilemmas over twenty or thirty pages. Some tales, such as "The Funeral" (1955) and "The Doll that Does Everything" (1954) incorporate zany satirical
humour at the expense of genre clichés, and are written in an hysterically overblown prose very different from Matheson's usual pared-down style. Others, like "The Test" (1954) and "Steel" (1956), portray the moral and physical struggles of ordinary people, rather than the then nearly ubiquitous scientists and superheroes, in situations which are at once futuristic and everyday. Still others, such as "Hell House" (1953), "The Curious Child" (1954) and perhaps most of all, "Duel" (1971) are tales of paranoia
, in which the everyday environment of the present day becomes inexplicably alien or threatening. "Duel" was adapted for Steven Spielberg
's first feature, the TV movie of that name
.
He wrote 14 episodes for the American TV
series The Twilight Zone
, including "Steel
" (mentioned above), and the famous "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", plus "Little Girl Lost", a story about a young girl tumbling into the fourth dimension. On all of Matheson's scripts for The Twilight Zone, he also wrote the introductory and closing statements spoken by host Rod Serling. He adapted the works of Edgar Allan Poe
for Roger Corman
and Dennis Wheatley
's The Devil Rides Out for Hammer Films. He also contributed a number of scripts to the Warner Brothers western series Lawman
between 1958 and 1962. He wrote the Star Trek
episode "The Enemy Within
", considered one of the best. In 1973, Matheson earned an Edgar Award
from the Mystery Writers of America
for his teleplay for The Night Stalker, one of two TV movies written by Matheson that preceded the series Kolchak: The Night Stalker
. Matheson also wrote the screenplay for Fanatic
(US title: Die! Die! My Darling!) starring Tallulah Bankhead
and Stefanie Powers
.
Matheson's first novel, Someone Is Bleeding, was published in 1953. His novels include The Shrinking Man (filmed as The Incredible Shrinking Man
, again from Matheson's own screenplay), and a science fiction vampire
novel, I Am Legend, (filmed as The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Omega Man
(1971), and I Am Legend
(2007)). Other Matheson novels turned into notable films include What Dreams May Come
, A Stir of Echoes
(as Stir of Echoes
), Bid Time Return
(as Somewhere in Time
), and Hell House (as The Legend of Hell House
), the last two adapted and scripted by Matheson himself. Three of his short stories were filmed together as Trilogy of Terror
(1975), including "Prey" (initially published in the April 1969 edition of Playboy
magazine) with its famous Zuni warrior doll.
Matheson's short story "Button, Button", was filmed as The Box in 2009, and was also adapted for a 1986 episode of The Twilight Zone.
In 1960, Matheson published The Beardless Warriors, a nonfantastic, autobiographical
novel about teenage American soldiers in World War II
. It was filmed in 1967 as The Young Warriors
though most of Matheson's plot was jettisoned. During the 1950s he published a handful of Western
stories (later collected in By the Gun); and during the 1990s he published Western novels such as Journal of the Gun Years, The Gunfight, The Memoirs of Wild Bill Hickok
and Shadow on the Sun. He has also written a blackly comic locked-room mystery novel, Now You See It..., aptly dedicated to Robert Bloch
, and the suspense novels 7 Steps to Midnight and Hunted Past Reason.
Matheson cites specific inspirations for many of his works. Duel derived from an incident in which he and a friend, Jerry Sohl
, were dangerously tailgated by a large truck on the same day as the Kennedy assassination
. (However, there are similarities with a William M Robson script of the July 15, 1962 episode of the radio drama, Suspense: Snow on 66.) A scene from the 1953 movie Let's Do It Again in which Aldo Ray
and Ray Milland
put on each other's hats, one of which is far too big for the other, sparked the thought "what if someone put on his own hat and that happened," which became The Shrinking Man. Bid Time Return began when Matheson saw a movie poster featuring a beautiful picture of Maude Adams
and wondered what would happen if someone fell in love with such an old picture. In the introduction to Noir: 3 Novels of Suspense (1997), which collects three of his early books, Matheson has said that the first chapter of his suspense novel Someone is Bleeding (1953) describes exactly his meeting with his wife Ruth, and that in the case of What Dreams May Come, "the whole novel is filled with scenes from our past."
According to film critic
Roger Ebert
, Matheson's scientific approach to the supernatural in I Am Legend and other novels from the 1950s and early 1960s "anticipated pseudorealistic fantasy novels like Rosemary's Baby
and The Exorcist
."
Matheson received a World Fantasy Award
in 1984 for Lifetime Achievement. Richard Matheson: Collected Stories won the World Fantasy Award in 1990 for Best Collections and his novel Bid Time Return
won in 1976.
has listed Matheson as a creative influence and his novel Cell
is dedicated to Matheson, along with filmmaker George A. Romero
.
In the August 7, 2009, issue of Entertainment Weekly
devoted to vampires, Anne Rice
stated that when she was a child, Matheson's short story "A Dress Of White Silk", was a prime early influence on her interest in vampires and fantasy fiction.
, wrote a novel Created By, in which the hero's father is named Burt, a reference to Matheson senior's middle name.
Richard Christian Matheson adapted his father's short story "Dance of the Dead
" for the TV series Masters of Horror
. It was directed by Tobe Hooper
and starred Robert Englund
and Ryan McDonald
.
He Is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson edited by Christopher Conlon was released in a limited hardcover edition in February 2009. This book is an anthology of 16 original stories inspired by Matheson's works. Contributors include Nancy A. Collins
, Joe R. Lansdale
, Whitley Strieber
, F. Paul Wilson
, and Stephen King
collaborating with his son, horror author Joe Hill
. On Sept. 14, 2009, it was released in paperback.
Richard Christian Matheson penned the screenplay for "Battleground" for the first segment of Stephen King's Nightmares & Dreamscapes
. He paid homage to his father by including the Zuni
fetish doll from the last segment of Trilogy of Terror
in a scene.
A character named "Senator Richard Matheson" appeared in several episodes of The X-Files
. The series' creator, Chris Carter
, was a fan of Matheson's work on two series that influenced The X-Files (The Twilight Zone
and Kolchak: The Night Stalker
).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, primarily in the fantasy, horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
, and science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
genres. He is perhaps best known as the author of What Dreams May Come
What Dreams May Come
What Dreams May Come is a 1978 novel by Richard Matheson. The plot centers on Chris, a man who dies and goes to Heaven, but eventually descends into Hell to rescue his wife...
, Bid Time Return
Bid Time Return
Bid Time Return is a 1975 science fiction novel by Richard Matheson. It concerns a man from the 1970s who travels back in time to court a 19th century stage actress whose photograph has captivated him...
, A Stir of Echoes
A Stir of Echoes
A Stir of Echoes is a 1958 novel by Richard Matheson that served as the inspiration for the 1999 film, Stir of Echoes.-Plot synposis:...
, The Incredible Shrinking Man
The Incredible Shrinking Man
The Incredible Shrinking Man is a 1957 science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold and adapted for the screen by Richard Matheson from his novel The Shrinking Man ....
, and I Am Legend, all of which have been adapted as major motion pictures. Matheson has also written for several The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
television show episodes such as "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
"Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" is a 1963 episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone, based on the short story of the same name by Richard Matheson.-Plot summary:...
", and adapted his 1971 short story Duel into a screenplay later that year for the Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
directed television movie of the same name.
Personal life
Matheson was born in Allendale, New JerseyAllendale, New Jersey
Allendale is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 6,505.Allendale was formed on November 8, 1894 from portions of Franklin Township, Hohokus Township and Orvil Township at the height of the Boroughitis phenomenon then...
, the son of Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
immigrants Fanny (née Mathieson) and Bertolf Matheson, a tile floor installer. Matheson was raised in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School
Brooklyn Technical High School
Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech or just Tech, and also administratively as High School 430, is a New York City public high school that specializes in engineering, math and science and is the largest specialized high school for science, technology, engineering, and...
in 1943. He then entered the military and spent World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as an infantry soldier. In 1949 he earned his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
from the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
and moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1951. He married Ruth Ann Woodson on July 1, 1952 and has four children, three of whom (Chris, Richard Christian
Richard Christian Matheson
Richard Christian Matheson is an American writer of horror fiction and screenplays. He is the author of the short story collections Scars and Other Distinguishing Marks and Dystopia; the novel Created By; and the screenplay for the Showtime Masters of Horror installments Dance of the Dead and...
, and Ali Matheson) are writers of fiction and screenplays.
Career
His first short storyShort story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
, "Born of Man and Woman
Born of Man and Woman
Born of Man and Woman is a science fiction short story by Richard Matheson, originally published in 1950 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. It was his first professional sale, written when he was twenty-two years old...
", appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1950 and is the tale of a monstrous child chained in its parents' cellar told in the first person as the creature's diary (in poignantly non-idiomatic English). Between 1950 and 1971, Matheson produced dozens of stories, frequently blending elements of the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, horror and fantasy genres, making important contributions to the further development of modern horror.
Several of his stories, like "Third from the Sun
Third from the Sun
"Third from the Sun" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It is based on a short story of the same name by Richard Matheson.-Synopsis:...
" (1950), "Deadline" (1959) and "Button, Button" (1970) are simple sketches with twist endings; others, like "Trespass" (1953), "Being" (1954) and "Mute" (1962) explore their characters' dilemmas over twenty or thirty pages. Some tales, such as "The Funeral" (1955) and "The Doll that Does Everything" (1954) incorporate zany satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
humour at the expense of genre clichés, and are written in an hysterically overblown prose very different from Matheson's usual pared-down style. Others, like "The Test" (1954) and "Steel" (1956), portray the moral and physical struggles of ordinary people, rather than the then nearly ubiquitous scientists and superheroes, in situations which are at once futuristic and everyday. Still others, such as "Hell House" (1953), "The Curious Child" (1954) and perhaps most of all, "Duel" (1971) are tales of paranoia
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
, in which the everyday environment of the present day becomes inexplicably alien or threatening. "Duel" was adapted for Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
's first feature, the TV movie of that name
Duel (film)
Duel is a 1971 television film about a terrified motorist on a remote and lonely road being chased and stalked by the unseen driver of a tanker truck...
.
He wrote 14 episodes for the American TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
, including "Steel
Steel (The Twilight Zone)
"Steel" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Opening Narration:-Synopsis:In a future where boxing between human fighters has been criminalized, the sport is dominated by fighting robots. Former boxer Steel Kelly manages a B2-model robot called "Battling...
" (mentioned above), and the famous "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", plus "Little Girl Lost", a story about a young girl tumbling into the fourth dimension. On all of Matheson's scripts for The Twilight Zone, he also wrote the introductory and closing statements spoken by host Rod Serling. He adapted the works of Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
for Roger Corman
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
and Dennis Wheatley
Dennis Wheatley
Dennis Yates Wheatley was an English author. His prolific output of stylish thrillers and occult novels made him one of the world's best-selling authors from the 1930s through the 1960s.-Early life:...
's The Devil Rides Out for Hammer Films. He also contributed a number of scripts to the Warner Brothers western series Lawman
Lawman (tv series)
Lawman is an American Western television series originally telecast from 1958 to 1962 starring John Russell as Marshal Dan Troop and featuring Peter Brown as Deputy Marshal Johnny McKay on the ABC Television Network. The series was set in Laramie, Wyoming during the mid to late 1870s. Warner Bros....
between 1958 and 1962. He wrote the Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode "The Enemy Within
The Enemy Within (TOS episode)
"The Enemy Within" is an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. It was first broadcast on October 6, 1966. It is the fifth episode of the first season, and was written by Richard Matheson and directed by Leo Penn....
", considered one of the best. In 1973, Matheson earned an Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
from the Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
for his teleplay for The Night Stalker, one of two TV movies written by Matheson that preceded the series Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Kolchak: The Night Stalker is an American television series that aired on ABC during the 1974-1975 season. It featured a fictional Chicago newspaper reporter — Carl Kolchak, played by Darren McGavin — who investigates mysterious crimes with unlikely causes, particularly ones law...
. Matheson also wrote the screenplay for Fanatic
Fanatic (1965 film)
Fanatic is a 1965 British thriller directed by Silvio Narizzano for Hammer Films. It stars Tallulah Bankhead, Stefanie Powers, Peter Vaughan, Yootha Joyce, Maurice Kaufmann and Donald Sutherland....
(US title: Die! Die! My Darling!) starring Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was an award-winning American actress of the stage and screen, talk-show host, and bonne vivante...
and Stefanie Powers
Stefanie Powers
Stefanie Powers is an American actress best known for her role as Jennifer Hart in the 1980s television series Hart to Hart.-Early life:...
.
Matheson's first novel, Someone Is Bleeding, was published in 1953. His novels include The Shrinking Man (filmed as The Incredible Shrinking Man
The Incredible Shrinking Man
The Incredible Shrinking Man is a 1957 science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold and adapted for the screen by Richard Matheson from his novel The Shrinking Man ....
, again from Matheson's own screenplay), and a science fiction vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
novel, I Am Legend, (filmed as The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Omega Man
The Omega Man
The Omega Man is a 1971 American science fiction film directed by Boris Sagal and starring Charlton Heston. It is based on the novel I Am Legend by American writer Richard Matheson...
(1971), and I Am Legend
I Am Legend (film)
I Am Legend is a 2007 post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Will Smith. It is the third feature film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name, following 1964's The Last Man on Earth and 1971's The Omega Man. Smith plays virologist Robert...
(2007)). Other Matheson novels turned into notable films include What Dreams May Come
What Dreams May Come
What Dreams May Come is a 1978 novel by Richard Matheson. The plot centers on Chris, a man who dies and goes to Heaven, but eventually descends into Hell to rescue his wife...
, A Stir of Echoes
A Stir of Echoes
A Stir of Echoes is a 1958 novel by Richard Matheson that served as the inspiration for the 1999 film, Stir of Echoes.-Plot synposis:...
(as Stir of Echoes
Stir of Echoes
Stir of Echoes is a supernatural horror / thriller released in the United States in 1999, starring Kevin Bacon and directed by David Koepp. The film is loosely based on the novel of the same name by Richard Matheson.-Plot:...
), Bid Time Return
Bid Time Return
Bid Time Return is a 1975 science fiction novel by Richard Matheson. It concerns a man from the 1970s who travels back in time to court a 19th century stage actress whose photograph has captivated him...
(as Somewhere in Time
Somewhere in Time (film)
Somewhere in Time is a 1980 romantic science fiction film directed by Jeannot Szwarc. It is a film adaptation of the 1975 novel Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson, who also wrote the screenplay...
), and Hell House (as The Legend of Hell House
The Legend of Hell House
The Legend of Hell House is a 1973 British horror film directed by John Hough and starring Pamela Franklin, Roddy McDowall, Clive Revill, and Gayle Hunnicutt. The screenplay was written by Richard Matheson based on his own novel Hell House.-Plot:...
), the last two adapted and scripted by Matheson himself. Three of his short stories were filmed together as Trilogy of Terror
Trilogy of Terror
Trilogy of Terror is a three-part made-for-television horror film, first aired as an ABC Movie of the Week on March 4, 1975...
(1975), including "Prey" (initially published in the April 1969 edition of Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine) with its famous Zuni warrior doll.
Matheson's short story "Button, Button", was filmed as The Box in 2009, and was also adapted for a 1986 episode of The Twilight Zone.
In 1960, Matheson published The Beardless Warriors, a nonfantastic, autobiographical
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
novel about teenage American soldiers in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was filmed in 1967 as The Young Warriors
The Young Warriors (film)
The Young Warriors is a war film filmed in 1966 by Universal Pictures based on Richard Matheson's 1960 novel The Beardless Warriors that was the working title of the film. The novel was inspired by Matheson's own experiences as an 18 year old infantryman with the 87th Infantry Division in Germany...
though most of Matheson's plot was jettisoned. During the 1950s he published a handful of Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
stories (later collected in By the Gun); and during the 1990s he published Western novels such as Journal of the Gun Years, The Gunfight, The Memoirs of Wild Bill Hickok
Wild Bill Hickok
James Butler Hickok , better known as Wild Bill Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West. His skills as a gunfighter and scout, along with his reputation as a lawman, provided the basis for his fame, although some of his exploits are fictionalized.Hickok came to the West as a stagecoach...
and Shadow on the Sun. He has also written a blackly comic locked-room mystery novel, Now You See It..., aptly dedicated to Robert Bloch
Robert Bloch
Robert Albert Bloch was a prolific American writer, primarily of crime, horror and science fiction. He is best known as the writer of Psycho, the basis for the film of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock...
, and the suspense novels 7 Steps to Midnight and Hunted Past Reason.
Matheson cites specific inspirations for many of his works. Duel derived from an incident in which he and a friend, Jerry Sohl
Jerry Sohl
Gerald Allan Sohl Sr. was an American scriptwriter for The Twilight Zone , Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Outer Limits, Star Trek and other shows...
, were dangerously tailgated by a large truck on the same day as the Kennedy assassination
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
. (However, there are similarities with a William M Robson script of the July 15, 1962 episode of the radio drama, Suspense: Snow on 66.) A scene from the 1953 movie Let's Do It Again in which Aldo Ray
Aldo Ray
Aldo Ray was an American actor.-Life and career:Ray was born in Pen Argyl, PA, to an Italian family of five brothers and one sister. His brother Mario lettered in football at USC in the years 1952-54...
and Ray Milland
Ray Milland
Ray Milland was a Welsh actor and director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985, and he is best remembered for his Academy Award–winning portrayal of an alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend , a sophisticated leading man opposite a corrupt John Wayne in Reap the Wild Wind , the murder-plotting...
put on each other's hats, one of which is far too big for the other, sparked the thought "what if someone put on his own hat and that happened," which became The Shrinking Man. Bid Time Return began when Matheson saw a movie poster featuring a beautiful picture of Maude Adams
Maude Adams
Maude Ewing Kiskadden , known professionally as Maude Adams, was an American stage actress who achieved her greatest success as Peter Pan. Adams's personality appealed to a large audience and helped her become the most successful and highest-paid performer of her day, with a yearly income of more...
and wondered what would happen if someone fell in love with such an old picture. In the introduction to Noir: 3 Novels of Suspense (1997), which collects three of his early books, Matheson has said that the first chapter of his suspense novel Someone is Bleeding (1953) describes exactly his meeting with his wife Ruth, and that in the case of What Dreams May Come, "the whole novel is filled with scenes from our past."
According to film critic
Film criticism
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films, individually and collectively. In general, this can be divided into journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, and other popular, mass-media outlets and academic criticism by film scholars that is informed by film theory and...
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
, Matheson's scientific approach to the supernatural in I Am Legend and other novels from the 1950s and early 1960s "anticipated pseudorealistic fantasy novels like Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary's Baby is a 1967 best-selling horror novel by Ira Levin, his second published book. Major elements of the story were inspired by the publicity surrounding the Church of Satan of Anton LaVey which had been founded in 1966.-Plot summary:...
and The Exorcist
The Exorcist
The Exorcist is a novel of supernatural suspense by William Peter Blatty, published by Harper & Row in 1971. It was inspired by a 1949 case of demonic possession and exorcism that Blatty heard about while he was a student in the class of 1950 at Georgetown University, a Jesuit school...
."
Awards
In 2010, Matheson was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of FameMatheson received a World Fantasy Award
World Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
in 1984 for Lifetime Achievement. Richard Matheson: Collected Stories won the World Fantasy Award in 1990 for Best Collections and his novel Bid Time Return
Bid Time Return
Bid Time Return is a 1975 science fiction novel by Richard Matheson. It concerns a man from the 1970s who travels back in time to court a 19th century stage actress whose photograph has captivated him...
won in 1976.
Other writers
Stephen KingStephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
has listed Matheson as a creative influence and his novel Cell
Cell (novel)
Cell is an apocalyptic horror novel published by American author Stephen King in 2006. The story follows a New England artist struggling to reunite with his young son after a mysterious signal broadcast over the global cell phone network turns the majority of his fellow humans into mindless vicious...
is dedicated to Matheson, along with filmmaker George A. Romero
George A. Romero
George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
.
In the August 7, 2009, issue of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
devoted to vampires, Anne Rice
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
stated that when she was a child, Matheson's short story "A Dress Of White Silk", was a prime early influence on her interest in vampires and fantasy fiction.
Tributes
Richard's son, Richard Christian MathesonRichard Christian Matheson
Richard Christian Matheson is an American writer of horror fiction and screenplays. He is the author of the short story collections Scars and Other Distinguishing Marks and Dystopia; the novel Created By; and the screenplay for the Showtime Masters of Horror installments Dance of the Dead and...
, wrote a novel Created By, in which the hero's father is named Burt, a reference to Matheson senior's middle name.
Richard Christian Matheson adapted his father's short story "Dance of the Dead
Dance of the Dead (Masters of Horror episode)
Dance of the Dead is the third episode of the first season of Masters of Horror. It originally aired in North America on November 11, 2005. Richard Christian Matheson adapted the episode from a short story of the same name by his father, Richard Matheson...
" for the TV series Masters of Horror
Masters of Horror
Masters of Horror is an informal social group of international film writers and directors specializing in horror movies and an American television series created by director Mick Garris for the Showtime cable network.- Origin :...
. It was directed by Tobe Hooper
Tobe Hooper
Tobe Hooper is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in the horror film genre. His works include the cult classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre , along with its first sequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 ; the three-time Emmy-nominated Stephen King film adaptation...
and starred Robert Englund
Robert Englund
Robert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
and Ryan McDonald
Ryan McDonald
Ryan James McDonald is a Canadian actor born 5 August 1984 in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. He is sometimes mistakenly credited as Ryan MacDonald.-Filmography:* "The Ballad of Jack and Rose" * "Terry"...
.
He Is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson edited by Christopher Conlon was released in a limited hardcover edition in February 2009. This book is an anthology of 16 original stories inspired by Matheson's works. Contributors include Nancy A. Collins
Nancy A. Collins
Nancy A. Collins is a United States horror fiction writer best known for her series of vampire novels featuring her character Sonja Blue. Collins has alsowritten for comic books, including the Swamp Thing series, Jason Vs...
, Joe R. Lansdale
Joe R. Lansdale
Joe R. Lansdale is an American author and martial-arts expert. He has written novels and stories in many genres, including Western, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense...
, Whitley Strieber
Whitley Strieber
Louis Whitley Strieber is an American writer best known for his horror novels The Wolfen and The Hunger and for Communion, a non-fiction account of his perceived experiences with non-human entities. Strieber also co-authored The Coming Global Superstorm with Art Bell, which inspired the film about...
, F. Paul Wilson
F. Paul Wilson
Francis Paul Wilson is an American author, primarily in the science fiction and horror genres. His debut novel was Healer . Wilson is also a part-time practicing family physician. He made his first sales in 1970 to Analog while still in medical school , and continued to write science fiction...
, and Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
collaborating with his son, horror author Joe Hill
Joe Hill (writer)
Joseph Hillstrom King , better known by the pen name Joe Hill, is an American author and comic book writer. He has published two novels—Heart Shaped Box and Horns—and a collection of short stories entitled 20th Century Ghosts. He is also the author of the graphic novel series Locke & Key...
. On Sept. 14, 2009, it was released in paperback.
Richard Christian Matheson penned the screenplay for "Battleground" for the first segment of Stephen King's Nightmares & Dreamscapes
Nightmares & Dreamscapes (TV Series)
Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King is an 8-episode anthology series on TNT based on short stories written by Stephen King. It debuted on July 12, 2006, and ended its run on August 2, 2006. Although most of them are from the collection of the same name, there are some...
. He paid homage to his father by including the Zuni
Zuni mythology
Zuni mythology is the oral history, cosmology, and religion of the Zuni people. The Zuni are a Pueblo people located in New Mexico. Their religion is integrated into their daily lives and respects ancestors, nature, and animals. Due to a history of religious persecution by non-native peoples, they...
fetish doll from the last segment of Trilogy of Terror
Trilogy of Terror
Trilogy of Terror is a three-part made-for-television horror film, first aired as an ABC Movie of the Week on March 4, 1975...
in a scene.
A character named "Senator Richard Matheson" appeared in several episodes of The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
. The series' creator, Chris Carter
Chris Carter (screenwriter)
Christopher Carl Carter is an American screenwriter, film director and producer. He is the creator of The X-Files and Millennium.- Ten Thirteen Productions :...
, was a fan of Matheson's work on two series that influenced The X-Files (The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
and Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Kolchak: The Night Stalker is an American television series that aired on ABC during the 1974-1975 season. It featured a fictional Chicago newspaper reporter — Carl Kolchak, played by Darren McGavin — who investigates mysterious crimes with unlikely causes, particularly ones law...
).
Novels
- Someone is Bleeding (1953)
- Fury on Sunday (1953)
- I Am Legend (1954) filmed as The Last Man on Earth, The Omega ManThe Omega ManThe Omega Man is a 1971 American science fiction film directed by Boris Sagal and starring Charlton Heston. It is based on the novel I Am Legend by American writer Richard Matheson...
, I Am OmegaI Am OmegaI Am Ωmega is a 2007 direct-to-DVD American doomsday film produced by The Asylum and starring Mark Dacascos of Iron Chef America.The film is an unofficial adaptation of the novel I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, the title being a portmanteau of The Omega Man and 2007's I Am Legend with Will Smith,...
and I Am LegendI Am Legend (film)I Am Legend is a 2007 post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Will Smith. It is the third feature film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name, following 1964's The Last Man on Earth and 1971's The Omega Man. Smith plays virologist Robert... - The Shrinking ManThe Shrinking ManThe Shrinking Man is a novel by Richard Matheson published in 1956. It was adapted into a motion picture called The Incredible Shrinking Man in 1957 by Universal Pictures. A remake has been proposed which has been pushed back several times from 2001 to the current day; at one point it was to have...
(1956); filmed as The Incredible Shrinking ManThe Incredible Shrinking ManThe Incredible Shrinking Man is a 1957 science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold and adapted for the screen by Richard Matheson from his novel The Shrinking Man ....
and subsequently reprinted under that title; also the basis of the film The Incredible Shrinking WomanThe Incredible Shrinking WomanThe Incredible Shrinking Woman is a 1981 science fiction/comedy film, starring Lily Tomlin, Charles Grodin, Ned Beatty, John Glover and Elizabeth Wilson, and directed by Joel Schumacher. The film was written by Tomlin's longtime life partner and frequent collaborator, Jane Wagner. The original... - A Stir of EchoesA Stir of EchoesA Stir of Echoes is a 1958 novel by Richard Matheson that served as the inspiration for the 1999 film, Stir of Echoes.-Plot synposis:...
(1958); filmed as Stir of EchoesStir of EchoesStir of Echoes is a supernatural horror / thriller released in the United States in 1999, starring Kevin Bacon and directed by David Koepp. The film is loosely based on the novel of the same name by Richard Matheson.-Plot:... - Ride the Nightmare (1959); adapted as an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and later filmed as Cold Sweat (1970 film)Cold Sweat (1970 film)Cold Sweat is a 1970 film starring Charles Bronson, directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1959 novel Ride the Nightmare by Richard Matheson.-Plot:Joe Martin, an American, rents boats in the South of France...
- The Beardless WarriorsThe Beardless WarriorsThe Beardless Warriors is a 1960 World War II novel written by Richard Matheson, author of I Am Legend. It was based on his experiences as a young infantryman in the 87th Division in France and Germany.-Plot synposis:...
(1960); filmed as The Young WarriorsThe Young Warriors (film)The Young Warriors is a war film filmed in 1966 by Universal Pictures based on Richard Matheson's 1960 novel The Beardless Warriors that was the working title of the film. The novel was inspired by Matheson's own experiences as an 18 year old infantryman with the 87th Infantry Division in Germany... - The Comedy of Terrors (1964), with Elsie Lee; filmed as The Comedy of TerrorsThe Comedy of TerrorsThe Comedy of Terrors is an American International Pictures comedy horror film directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, and Joe E. Brown . The film also features Orangey the cat, billed as "Rhubarb the Cat"...
- Hell HouseHell House (novel)Hell House is a novel by American novelist Richard Matheson, published in 1971. The novel has significant similarities with the earlier work, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, though rendered with much more violence and sexual imagery.-Plot:The story concerns four people - Dr...
(1971); filmed as The Legend of Hell HouseThe Legend of Hell HouseThe Legend of Hell House is a 1973 British horror film directed by John Hough and starring Pamela Franklin, Roddy McDowall, Clive Revill, and Gayle Hunnicutt. The screenplay was written by Richard Matheson based on his own novel Hell House.-Plot:... - The Night Strangler (1973)
- Bid Time ReturnBid Time ReturnBid Time Return is a 1975 science fiction novel by Richard Matheson. It concerns a man from the 1970s who travels back in time to court a 19th century stage actress whose photograph has captivated him...
(1975); filmed as Somewhere in TimeSomewhere in Time (film)Somewhere in Time is a 1980 romantic science fiction film directed by Jeannot Szwarc. It is a film adaptation of the 1975 novel Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson, who also wrote the screenplay...
and subsequently reprinted under that title - What Dreams May ComeWhat Dreams May ComeWhat Dreams May Come is a 1978 novel by Richard Matheson. The plot centers on Chris, a man who dies and goes to Heaven, but eventually descends into Hell to rescue his wife...
(1978); filmed as What Dreams May ComeWhat Dreams May Come (film)What Dreams May Come is a 1998 American supernatural drama film, starring Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Annabella Sciorra. The film is based on the 1978 novel of the same name by Richard Matheson, and was directed by Vincent Ward. The title is taken from a line in Hamlet's To be, or not to... - Earthbound (editorially abridged version published under the pseudonymPseudonymA pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"Logan Swanson", 1982; restored text published under Matheson's own name, 1989) - Journal of the Gun Years (1992)
- The Gunfight (1993)
- 7 Steps to Midnight (1993)
- Shadow on the Sun (1994)
- Now You See It... (1995)
- The Memoirs of Wild Bill Hickock (1996)
- The Path: A New Look at Reality (1999)
- Passion Play (2000)
- Hunger and Thirst (2000)
- Camp Pleasant (2001)
- Abu and the 7 Marvels (2002)
- Hunted Past Reason (2002)
- Come Fygures, Come Shadowes (2003)
- Woman (2006)
- Other Kingdoms (2011)
Short stories
- "Born of Man and WomanBorn of Man and WomanBorn of Man and Woman is a science fiction short story by Richard Matheson, originally published in 1950 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. It was his first professional sale, written when he was twenty-two years old...
" (1950) - "Third from the Sun" (1950); adapted as a Twilight ZoneThe Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
episodeThird from the Sun"Third from the Sun" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It is based on a short story of the same name by Richard Matheson.-Synopsis:...
(1960) - "The Waker Dreams" (AKA "When the Waker Sleeps") (1950)
- "Blood SonBlood Son"Blood Son" is a short story that was written by Richard Matheson. It was first published in 1951 under the title "Drink My Red Blood". It was recently adapted as short film by Michael McGruther. It is the first production of BuffaloNickel Films....
" (1951) - "Through Channels" (1951)
- "Clothes Make the Man" (1951)
- "Return" (1951)
- "The Thing" (1951)
- "Witch War" (1951)
- "Dress of White Silk" (1951)
- "F---" (AKA "The Foodlegger") (1952)
- "Shipshape Home" (1952)
- "SRL Ad" (1952)
- "Advance Notice" (AKA "Letter to the Editor") (1952)
- "Lover, When You're Near Me" (1952)
- "Brother To The Machine" (1952)
- "To Fit the Crime" (1952)
- "The Wedding" (1953)
- "Wet Straw" (1953)
- "Long Distance Call" (AKA "Sorry, Right Number") (1953)
- "Slaughter House" (1953)
- "Mad House" (1953)
- "The Last Day" (1953)
- "Lazarus II" (1953)
- "Legion of Plotters" (1953)
- "Death Ship" (1953); adapted as a Twilight ZoneThe Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
episodeDeath Ship (The Twilight Zone)"Death Ship" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:The Space Cruiser E-89, crewed by Captain Paul Ross, Lt. Ted Mason and Lt. Mike Carter, is on a mission to analyze new worlds and discover if they are suitable for colonization by Earth...
(1963) - "Disappearing Act" (1953)
- "The Disinheritors" (1953)
- "Dying Room Only" (1953)
- "Full Circle" (1953)
- "Mother by Protest" (AKA "Trespass") (1953)
- "Little Girl Lost" (1953); adapted as a Twilight ZoneThe Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
episode (1962) - "Being" (1954)
- "The Curious Child" (1954)
- "When Day Is Dun" (1954)
- "Dance of the Dead" (1954)
- "The Man Who Made the World" (1954)
- "The Traveller" (1954)
- "The Test" (1954)
- "The Conqueror" (1954)
- "Dear Diary" (1954)
- "The Doll That Does Everything" (1954)
- "Descent" (1954)
- "Miss Stardust" (1955)
- "The Funeral" (1955); adapted as story segment for Rod Serling's Night GalleryNight GalleryNight Gallery is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, The Twilight Zone, served both as the on-air host of Night Gallery and as a major contributor of scripts, although...
- "Too Proud to Lose" (1955)
- "One for the Books" (1955)
- "Pattern for Survival" (1955)
- "A Flourish of Strumpets" (1956)
- "The Splendid Source" (1956); The basis of the Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
episode "The Splendid SourceThe Splendid Source"The Splendid Source" is the nineteenth episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. Directed by Brian Iles and written by Mark Hentemann, the episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 16, 2010. The episode follows Peter, Joe and Quagmire as they set out...
". - "Steel" (1956); adapted as a Twilight ZoneThe Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
episodeSteel (The Twilight Zone)"Steel" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Opening Narration:-Synopsis:In a future where boxing between human fighters has been criminalized, the sport is dominated by fighting robots. Former boxer Steel Kelly manages a B2-model robot called "Battling...
(1963); loosely filmed as Real SteelReal SteelReal Steel is a 2011 American science fiction film starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy. The film is based in part on the 1956 short story "Steel" by Richard Matheson, though Levy placed the film in U.S. state fairs and other "old-fashioned" Americana settings. Real Steel was in...
(2011) - "The Children of Noah" (1957)
- "A Visit to Santa Claus" (AKA "I'll Make It Look Good," as Logan Swanson) (1957)
- "The Holiday Man" (1957)
- "Old Haunts" (1957)
- "The Distributor" (1958)
- "The Edge" (1958)
- "Lemmings" (1958)
- "Mantage" (1959)
- "Deadline" (1959)
- "The Creeping Terror" (AKA "A Touch of Grapefruit") (1959)
- "No Such Thing as a Vampire" (1959)
- "Big Surprise" (AKA "What Was In The Box") (1959)
- "Crickets" (1960)
- "Day of Reckoning" (AKA "The Faces," "Graveyard Shift") (1960)
- "First Anniversary" (1960)
- "From Shadowed Places" (1960)
- "Finger Prints" (1962)
- "Mute" (1962); adapted as a Twilight ZoneThe Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
episodeMute (The Twilight Zone)"Mute" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It was written by Richard Matheson, based on his own short story of same name.-Synopsis:...
(1963) - "The Likeness of Julie" (as Logan Swanson) (1962); adapted into "Julie" in the 1975 TV film Trilogy of TerrorTrilogy of TerrorTrilogy of Terror is a three-part made-for-television horror film, first aired as an ABC Movie of the Week on March 4, 1975...
- "The Jazz Machine" (1963)
- "Crescendo" (AKA "Shock Wave") (1963)
- "Girl of My Dreams" (1963)
- "'Tis the Season to Be Jelly" (1963)
- "Deus Ex Machina" (1963)
- "Interest" (1965)
- "A Drink of Water" (1967)
- "Needle in the Heart" (AKA "Therese") (1969); adapted into "Millicent and Therese" in the 1975 TV film Trilogy of TerrorTrilogy of TerrorTrilogy of Terror is a three-part made-for-television horror film, first aired as an ABC Movie of the Week on March 4, 1975...
- "Prey" (1969); adapted into "Ameilia" (with the ZuniZuni mythologyZuni mythology is the oral history, cosmology, and religion of the Zuni people. The Zuni are a Pueblo people located in New Mexico. Their religion is integrated into their daily lives and respects ancestors, nature, and animals. Due to a history of religious persecution by non-native peoples, they...
fetishFetishismA fetish is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular, a man-made object that has power over others...
doll) in the 1975 TV film Trilogy of TerrorTrilogy of TerrorTrilogy of Terror is a three-part made-for-television horror film, first aired as an ABC Movie of the Week on March 4, 1975... - "Button, Button" (1970); filmed as a The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
episode in 1986; filmed as The Box (2009) - "'Til Death Do Us Part" (1970)
- "By Appointment Only" (1970)
- "The Finishing Touches" (1970)
- "Duel" (1971); filmed as DuelDuel (film)Duel is a 1971 television film about a terrified motorist on a remote and lonely road being chased and stalked by the unseen driver of a tanker truck...
(1971) - "Big Surprise" (1971) Adapted as story segment for Rod Serling's Night GalleryNight GalleryNight Gallery is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, The Twilight Zone, served both as the on-air host of Night Gallery and as a major contributor of scripts, although...
- "Where There's a Will" (with Richard Christian Matheson) (1980)
- "And Now I'm Waiting" (1983)
- "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" (as The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
episodeNightmare at 20,000 Feet"Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" is a 1963 episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone, based on the short story of the same name by Richard Matheson.-Plot summary:...
in 1963; as segment four of Twilight Zone: The MovieTwilight Zone: The MovieTwilight Zone: The Movie is a 1983 science fiction horror film produced by Steven Spielberg and John Landis as a theatrical version of The Twilight Zone, a 1959 and '60s TV series created by Rod Serling. Those starring in the film are: Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks, Vic Morrow, Scatman Crothers,...
, 1983; first published in 1984) - "Getting Together" (1986)
- "Buried Talents" (1987)
- "The Near Departed" (1987)
- "Shoo Fly" (1988)
- "Person to Person" (1989)
- "Two O'Clock Session" (1991)
- "The Doll" (as Twilight ZoneThe Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
episodeLiving Doll (The Twilight Zone)"Living Doll" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Little Christie's mother, Annabelle, buys her a new doll, trying to make up for her new stepfather's indifference. As they pull into the driveway, Annabelle instructs Christie to run upstairs with...
, published as a story in 1993) - "Go West, Young Man" (1993)
- "Gunsight" (1993)
- "Little Jack Cornered" (1993)
- "Of Death and Thirty Minutes" (1993)
Short story collections
- Born of Man and WomanBorn of Man and Woman (collection)Born of Man and Womanis the first collection of science fiction and fantasy stories by Richard Matheson, published in hardcover by Chamberlain Press in 1954. It includes an introduction by Robert Bloch...
(1954) - The Shores of Space (1957)
- Shock! (1961)
- Shock 2 (1964)
- Shock 3 (1966)
- Shock Waves (1970) Published as Shock 4 in the UK (1980)
- Button, Button (1970)
- Richard Matheson: Collected Stories (1989)
- By the Gun (1993)
- Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (2000)
- Pride with Richard Christian Matheson (2002)
- Duel (2002)
- Offbeat: Uncollected Stories (2002)
- Darker Places (2004)
- Unrealized Dreams (2004)
- Duel and The Distributor (2005) Previously unpublished screenplays of these two stories
- Button, Button: Uncanny Stories (2008) (Tor Books)
- Uncollected Matheson: Volume 1 (2008)
- Uncollected Matheson: Volume 2 (2010)
- Steel: And Other Stories (2011)
Movies
- The Incredible Shrinking ManThe Incredible Shrinking ManThe Incredible Shrinking Man is a 1957 science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold and adapted for the screen by Richard Matheson from his novel The Shrinking Man ....
(1955) - Beat Generation (1959)
- House of UsherHouse of Usher (film)House of Usher is an American International Pictures horror film starring Vincent Price, Myrna Fahey, and Mark Damon: the story is about a New England family cursed with madness, criminal conduct, and debauchery...
(1960) - Master of the WorldMaster of the World (1961 film)Master of the World is a 1961 science fiction film based upon the Jules Verne novels Robur the Conqueror and Master of the World. The movie stars Vincent Price, Charles Bronson, and Henry Hull, was written by Richard Matheson, and directed by William Witney.The film was an attempt by American...
(1961) - The Pit and the PendulumThe Pit and the Pendulum (1961 film)The Pit and the Pendulum is a 1961 horror film directed by Roger Corman, starring Vincent Price, Barbara Steele, John Kerr, and Luana Anders. The screenplay by Richard Matheson was based on Edgar Allan Poe's short story of the same name. Set in 16th century Spain, the story is about a young...
(1961) - Burn Witch Burn (1962) aka Night of the EagleNight of the EagleNight of the Eagle is a 1962 British horror film directed by Sidney Hayers. The script by Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson and George Baxt was based upon the 1943 Fritz Leiber novel Conjure Wife. The film was retitled Burn, Witch, Burn! for the US market .-Synopsis:Norman Taylor , a...
(screenplay co-written with Charles BeaumontCharles BeaumontCharles Beaumont was a prolific American author of speculative fiction, including short stories in the horror and science fiction subgenres. He is remembered as a writer of classic Twilight Zone episodes, such as "The Howling Man", "Miniature", and "Printer's Devil", but also penned the...
and George baxtGeorge BaxtGeorge Baxt was a prolific American screenwriter and author of crime fiction, best remembered for creating the gay black detective, Pharoah Love.-Life and work:...
based on the novel Conjure Wife by Fritz LeiberFritz LeiberFritz Reuter Leiber, Jr. was an American writer of fantasy, horror and science fiction. He was also a poet, actor in theatre and films, playwright, expert chess player and a champion fencer. Possibly his greatest chess accomplishment was winning clear first in the 1958 Santa Monica Open.. With... - Tales of TerrorTales of TerrorTales of Terror is an American International Pictures horror film starring Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Basil Rathbone; it is the fourth in a series of adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe stories directed by Roger Corman and released by AIP.-Plot:...
(1962) - The RavenThe Raven (1963 film)The Raven is a B movie horror-comedy produced and directed by Roger Corman. The film stars Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Boris Karloff as a trio of rival sorcerers. Part of a series of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations produced by Corman through American International Pictures, the film was written by...
(1963) - The Comedy of TerrorsThe Comedy of TerrorsThe Comedy of Terrors is an American International Pictures comedy horror film directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, and Joe E. Brown . The film also features Orangey the cat, billed as "Rhubarb the Cat"...
(1963) - The Last Man on Earth (as "Logan Swanson", based on Matheson's novel I Am Legend)(1964)
- FanaticFanatic (1965 film)Fanatic is a 1965 British thriller directed by Silvio Narizzano for Hammer Films. It stars Tallulah Bankhead, Stefanie Powers, Peter Vaughan, Yootha Joyce, Maurice Kaufmann and Donald Sutherland....
(1965) - The Young WarriorsThe Young Warriors (film)The Young Warriors is a war film filmed in 1966 by Universal Pictures based on Richard Matheson's 1960 novel The Beardless Warriors that was the working title of the film. The novel was inspired by Matheson's own experiences as an 18 year old infantryman with the 87th Infantry Division in Germany...
(1967) - The Devil Rides OutThe Devil Rides Out (film)The Devil Rides Out is a 1968 British film based on the 1934 novel The Devil Rides Out by Dennis Wheatley...
(1968) - De SadeDe Sade (film)De Sade is an American-German 1969 drama film starring Keir Dullea and Senta Berger...
(1969) - The Legend of Hell HouseThe Legend of Hell HouseThe Legend of Hell House is a 1973 British horror film directed by John Hough and starring Pamela Franklin, Roddy McDowall, Clive Revill, and Gayle Hunnicutt. The screenplay was written by Richard Matheson based on his own novel Hell House.-Plot:...
(based on his novel) (1973) - Somewhere in TimeSomewhere in Time (film)Somewhere in Time is a 1980 romantic science fiction film directed by Jeannot Szwarc. It is a film adaptation of the 1975 novel Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson, who also wrote the screenplay...
(based on his novel) (1980) - Twilight Zone: The MovieTwilight Zone: The MovieTwilight Zone: The Movie is a 1983 science fiction horror film produced by Steven Spielberg and John Landis as a theatrical version of The Twilight Zone, a 1959 and '60s TV series created by Rod Serling. Those starring in the film are: Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks, Vic Morrow, Scatman Crothers,...
: Fourth segment "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" (1983) - Jaws 3-DJaws 3-DJaws 3-D is a 1983 thriller film directed by Joe Alves and starring Dennis Quaid, Bess Armstrong, Lea Thompson and Louis Gossett, Jr...
(1983) - Loose CannonsLoose CannonsLoose Cannons is a 1990 comedy film, written by Richard Matheson, Richard Christian Matheson, and Bob Clark, who also directed the film. The film is about a hard-nosed cop who is teamed up with a detective with multiple-personality disorder to uncover a long-lost Nazi sex tape, featuring Adolf...
(1990)
Television
- BuckskinBuckskin (TV series)Buckskin is an American Western television series starring Tom Nolan, Sally Brophy, and Mike Road. The series aired on the NBC from July 3, 1958 until May 25, 1959, followed by summer reruns in 1959 and again in 1965.-Synopsis:...
: "Act of Faith" (1959) - Wanted Dead or Alive :"The Healing Woman" (1959)
- Twilight ZoneTwilight zone-Television series and spinoffs:*The Twilight Zone, the anthology television series and its franchise:**The Twilight Zone , the 1959–1964 original television series***Twilight Zone: The Movie, a 1983 film based on the original series...
: (16 episodes)(1959–1964) - Have Gun Will Travel: "The Lady on The Wall" (1960)
- Bourbon Street BeatBourbon Street BeatBourbon Street Beat is a private detective series which aired on the ABC network from 1959-1960 and featured Andrew Duggan as Cal Calhoun, Richard Long as Rex Randolph, Van Williams as Kenny Madison, and Arlene Howell as Melody Lee Mercer, the secretary at the New Orleans detective agency in which...
: "Target of Hate" (1960) - Cheyenne: "Home Is The Brave" (1960)
- LawmanLawman (tv series)Lawman is an American Western television series originally telecast from 1958 to 1962 starring John Russell as Marshal Dan Troop and featuring Peter Brown as Deputy Marshal Johnny McKay on the ABC Television Network. The series was set in Laramie, Wyoming during the mid to late 1870s. Warner Bros....
(Six episodes) (1960–1962) - Thriller: "The Return of Andrew Bentley" (1961)
- Combat!: "Forgotten Front" (as Logan Swanson) (1962)
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: "Ride the Nightmare" (1962)
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: "The Thirty-First of February" (1963)
- The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. is an American spy-fi TV series that aired on NBC for one season from September 16, 1966 to April 11, 1967. The series was a spin-off from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and used the same theme music composed by Jerry Goldsmith, which was rearranged into a slightly different,...
: "The Atlantis Affair" (1966) - Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theater : "Time of Flight" (1966)
- Star Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
: "The Enemy Within" (1966) - The Night Stalker (1972)
- Night GalleryNight GalleryNight Gallery is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, The Twilight Zone, served both as the on-air host of Night Gallery and as a major contributor of scripts, although...
(1972): " The Funeral" (1972) - Duel (1971)
- The Night StranglerThe Night Strangler (film)The Night Strangler is a made for television movie which first aired on ABC on January 16, 1973 as a sequel to The Night Stalker.-Plot:...
(1973) - Dying Room Only (1973)
- Circle of Fear (originally titled Ghost Story (1973))
- Bram Stoker's Dracula (1974)
- Scream of The WolfScream of the WolfScream of the Wolf is a 1974 television movie starring Peter Graves and directed by Dan Curtis.-Plot:Adventure writer John Weatherby is called in to investigate a series of brutal murders that has investigators confused. The clues are not clear and leave no clear trail. The tracks left at the...
(1974) - The Morning After (1974)
- Trilogy of TerrorTrilogy of TerrorTrilogy of Terror is a three-part made-for-television horror film, first aired as an ABC Movie of the Week on March 4, 1975...
(1975) - Dead of Night (1977)
- The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver(1977)
- The Martian Chronicles Mini-SeriesThe Martian Chronicles (TV miniseries)The Martian Chronicles is a television miniseries based on Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles and dealing with the exploration of Mars and the inhabitants there. The series starred Rock Hudson, Darren McGavin, Bernadette Peters, Roddy McDowall, Barry Morse, and Maria Schell...
: (1979, 1980) - Twilight ZoneTwilight zone-Television series and spinoffs:*The Twilight Zone, the anthology television series and its franchise:**The Twilight Zone , the 1959–1964 original television series***Twilight Zone: The Movie, a 1983 film based on the original series...
: "Button, Button" (as Logan Swanson) (1986) - Amazing StoriesAmazing Stories (TV series)Amazing Stories is a fantasy, horror, and science fiction television anthology series created by Steven Spielberg. It ran on NBC from 1985 to 1987, and was somewhat erratically screened in Britain by BBC1 and BBC2 - billed in the Radio Times as "Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories" - with episodes...
: "One for the Books" (1987) - Dreamer of Oz (1990)
- Rod Serling's Lost ClassicsRod Serling's Lost ClassicsTwilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics was a 1994 telefilm consisting of two Rod Serling stories. The film was co-produced by Serling's widow Carol Serling. Reportedly, she found the two pieces in a trunk in the family's garage....
(1994) - Trilogy of Terror 2 (1996)
External links
- Matheson biography at tabula-rasa.info
- Richard Matheson featured on AMC-TV's Sci-Fi Department webshow
- Richard Matheson Archive of American Television Interview