Richard Matheson

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Richard Matheson

Born

2/20/1926, Allendale, New Jersey, USA

Birth Name

Richard Burton Matheson

Gender

Male

Also Known As

Richard Matheson, Sr., Logan Swanson
10
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Trivia and Quotes

  • Trivia

    • Richard Matheson insists that he is a "terror writer", not a horror writer.

    • "Night of The Living Dead" was loosely based on Richard Matheson's classic novel, "I am legend". Virtually every zombie movie made since then has it's roots in that novel.

    • In 1994, The Shrinking Man was republished under the title of The Incredible Shrinking Man. The novel also contained the other following Matheson stories:

      - Nightmare At 20,000 Feet
      - The Test
      - The Holiday Man
      - Mantage
      - The Distributor
      - By Appointment Only
      - Button, Button
      - Duel
      - Shoofly

    • Matheson wrote the book I Am Legend, which was rated as "The most clever and riveting vampire novel since Dracula" by author Dean Koontz.

    • Richard wrote The Shrinking Man, the novel that The Incredible Shrinking Man was based off of.

  • Quotes

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Fan Reviews (2)

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  • A 20th century American terror master!

    10
    By jawsthecabbie, Feb 03, 2009
    "I Am Legend" was published in 1954. I was BORN in 1954! Richard Matheson has been scaring the peanuts out of horror fans all of my life with some of the best terror writing (Richard Matheson calls himself a terror writer, not a horror writer...a distinction he insists upon)the world of television and motion pictures has ever seen! Considered an American classic, "I Am Legend" has made it to the big screen in a minimum of three separate incarnations; "The Last Man On Earth" starring Vincent Price, "The Omega Man" starring Charelton Heston and the latest high end but somewhat disappointing production; "I Am Legend" starring Will Smith. Richard Matheson has been responsible for some of the best episodes of The Night Gallery series in addition to The Twilight Zone and has done some marvelous work with the late producer Dan Curtis over the years. Some years back, his novel "What Dreams May Come" was made into one of the most unusual and intensely touching and romantic movies I've ever seen, where Robin Williams gives up the bliss of heaven to rescue his wife's soul from hell after she commits suicide. Dante Alighieri would have been proud of that movie, would that he were alive to see it. Mr Matheson; long life to you, and may you continue to produce quality stories and screen plays for years to come!moreless

  • So far ahead of his time, it scares me.

    10
    By it7276, Jul 01, 2005
    I read "I Am Legend" and "The Incredible Shrinking Man" in 2005, and I knew that Matheson was an older writer, but the stories still seemed so current and relevant, like they were just written last year. So I was stunned to learn that "I Am Legend" was published in 1954, and "The Incredible Shrinking Man" in 1956!



    Some of the content...well, it's taboo now, so I can only imagine the reaction it got when it was first published. A grown man lusting after a 16-year-old-girl, while admitting that she wasn't really that good looking. This is the stuff from "edgy" movies like "American Beauty," and Matheson is doing it more than 40 years before that movie came out. Stephen King credits him as one of his early influences, and I definetly see a similarity in their writing styles. I believe that Matheson outshines King, though, in the way that he writes simple stories and relateable characters.



    It is so amazing to me that I was so easily drawn to a story that was written nearly 30 years before I was born. That is perhaps the best compliment I can pay to Matheson's writing: it is timeless. Someone could read his work in 1954 and enjoy it, or read it more than 50 years later and find the same (if not greater) appreciation. The way he makes the reader identify with the characters is almost heartbreaking. Richard Matheson may be the best writer of the 20th century, and is most definitely the best suspense/horror writer of the last 75 years.moreless
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