I Am Legend & Other Movies Based on Books by Richard Matheson

A real legend among horror writers is Richard Matheson, author of "I Am Legend," writer of 16 teleplays for Twilight Zone, and screenwriter for the Roger Corman-Vincent Price collaboration on a string of Edgar Alan Poe movies of the early 60's. He's noted for more than just the one book and its three spin-offs. His screen presence, alone, is notable.

The Legend of Hell House (1973). A student of parapsychology, Matheson tried to take what was understood about hauntings and apply it to this story, made into an excellent movie (with an electronic score) featuring Roddy McDowell and a crew of others as psychic investigators challenging the Mount Everest of haunted houses once owned by the evil Belasco, an Aleister Crowley-type character. Belasco was represented by Michael Gough, popular horror actor in hammer films and later Alfred in the Batman movies.

What Dreams May Come (1998). This Robin Williams starrer began as a book that came out years ago about the time as Legend of Hell House with a similar approach, a story encompassing all that was known about what happens after you die. It follows the journey of a man who dies and goes over the "the other side."

The Night Stalker (1972). Dissheveled, irritating, persistent smartass news reporter Carl Kolchak clashes with the Las Vegas power structure when he reveals that a string of deaths is due to a genuine vampire. Matheson wrote the TV movie based on Jeff Rice's manuscript, resulting in the highest network ratings of any TV movie to that date, a sequel about a Jack the Ripper type character in Seattle's underground city, and a 21 episode TV series with a monster a week, low viewer numbers, and cult status. The movie and it's sequel have been on tape and DVD for years; the series reached DVD with the unveiling of a new short-lived Night Stalker TV series, less influenced by the original concept than by X Files.