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Based on the Novel By: ‘I am Legend’ by Richard Matheson

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Welcome back readers to “Based on the Novel By,” a new series devoted to the many horror films and series based on previously published novels and short stories excluding the works of Stephen King. (I love the King, but he’s been adapted so much. It’s just nice to talk about someone else for a change.) This week, we’re diving into I am Legend by the incomparable Richard Matheson.

Read on for more about I am Legend, and tell us your favorite adaptation down in the comments below!

Who is Richard Matheson?

Oh, I’m so glad you asked! Author and screenwriter Richard Matheson was one of the most prolific writers of the 20th century, producing a vast array of short stories, novels/novellas, and scripts. The Twilight Zone series featured 16 tales by the author including “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” “Little Girl Lost,” and “The Invaders.”

You might not know his name, but you most certainly know his work. He’s an author who will most definitely turn up in the series again.

I Am Legend, the Novella

Published in 1954, Matheson’s novel is a bit of a hybrid, blending survivalist horror with ideas that would become standard tropes in both the zombie and vampire genres.

The story centers on Robert Neville who, so far as he knows, is the last remaining human being alive. The rest of the world’s population has been decimated by a pandemic. Those who did not die have become vampires of sorts that seem, for all intents and purposes, to follow the known “rules:” living entirely in the dark, feeding on human blood, repelled by garlic and crucifixes.

Neville spends his days in solitude, gathering supplies, surviving, and killing as many of the creatures as he can in hopes of surviving. At night, he barricades himself inside his house as the creatures surround his home, entreating and taunting him to leave the safety of his home.

Then, late one afternoon, he spies a young woman who seems “normal.” He brings her home and asks her permission to look at her blood, to see if she is immune to the ravages of the contagion that has transformed the rest of the world.

I won’t tell you the rest. I’ll only say that the finale of the book is one of the most chilling I’ve ever read, and though the novella has problems in pacing, and in following through on some of its brilliant ideas, it remains one of my favorites.

From Page to Screen

Many filmmakers have credited I am Legend for inspiring their own work. George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead was undeniably influenced by the story. The novella has been directly adapted three times to varying degrees.

The Last Man on Earth

The first of these adaptations was The Last Man on Earth, released in 1964 and starring Vincent Price as Dr. Robert Morgan–the only time in three adaptations that the character’s name was changed. Of the three, this is by far the most faithful to Matheson’s original novel, though after a series of changes he asked that his name be changed in the credits to Logan Swanson.

Price takes to the role beautifully. He is entirely believable in his solitude, and the loneliness and depression that is a daily reminder of his predicament. What I love most, however, is that this adaptation seems to capture the feel and atmosphere of the story more than the others, especially where the ending is concerned.

It is an imperfect film adapted from an imperfect book, but it still carries an emotional impact that would be lacking in the next adaptation.

The Omega Man

Ugh, not my favorite adaptation ever, mostly because the director and writers seemed more worried about letting Charlton Heston be a badass than they were about…well, anything else. They removed most of the vampiric qualities from the “vampires,” renaming them The Family and having them act almost like a religious cult.

Gone is the subtlety of Matheson’s treatise on humanity and the other. Instead we have Heston posturing, shirtless whenever possible, firing a gun so often it’s almost comical, and playing the alpha male instead of the “omega man” of the title. They did manage to shake things up a bit by casting the incomparable Rosalind Cash as Heston’s love interest in the film. It was a risky move in the 70s for an interracial couple to appear onscreen.

Don’t worry, though. Heston manages to even flub that with one of the most one-sided love scenes I’ve ever seen on film.

The film is worth seeing if you want to see all the various adaptations of Matheson’s work, but for me, it’s a rent-it-only title.

I am Legend

This is, most likely, the one you’re most familiar with. Released in 2007 and starring Will Smith as Dr. Robert Neville, the film seems to draw upon both the original novel and the Omega Man film.

Again, there were quite a number of changes from the source material. The virus that wiped out humanity was born from experiments intended to eradicate cancer. Instead of intelligent vampire-like beings, the antagonists are feral, monstrous beings that attack en masse.

Still, this version does manage more of the emotional beats of the source material than The Omega Man. It tugs at the heartstrings even as it packs on the pulse-pounding action. One of the more marked differences comes in this film’s ending, however, though I won’t discuss that to avoid spoilers. It is still an emotional moment, but it changes the center of that emotion.

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Movies

‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram

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Longlegs

Neon Films released an Insta-teaser for their horror film Longlegs today. Titled Dirty: Part 2, the clip only furthers the mystery of what we are in for when this movie is finally released on July 12.

The official logline is: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.

Directed by former actor Oz Perkins who also gave us The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs is already creating buzz with its moody images and cryptic hints. The film is rated R for bloody violence, and disturbing images.

Longlegs stars Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, and Alicia Witt.

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Movies

Melissa Barrera Says ‘Scary Movie VI’ Would Be “Fun To Do”

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Melissa Barrera might literally get the last laugh on Spyglass thanks to a possible Scary Movie sequel. Paramount and Miramax are seeing the right opportunity to bring the satirical franchise back into the fold and announced last week one might be in production as early as this fall.

The last chapter of the Scary Movie franchise was almost a decade ago and since the series lampoons thematic horror movies and pop culture trends, it would seem they have a lot of content to draw ideas from, including the recent reboot of slasher series Scream.

Barerra, who starred as final girl Samantha in those movies was abruptly fired from the latest chapter, Scream VII, for expressing what Spyglass interpreted as “antisemitism,” after the actress came out in support of Palestine on social media.

Even though the drama wasn’t a laughing matter, Barrera might get her chance to parody Sam in Scary Movie VI. That is if the opportunity arises. In an interview with Inverse, the 33-year-old actress was asked about Scary Movie VI, and her reply was intriguing.

“I always loved those movies,” the actress told Inverse. “When I saw it announced, I was like, ‘Oh, that would be fun. That would be so fun to do.’”

That “fun to do” part could be construed as a passive pitch to Paramount, but that’s open to interpretation.

Just like in her franchise, Scary Movie also has a legacy cast including Anna Faris and Regina Hall. There is no word yet on if either of those actors will appear in the reboot. With or without them, Barrera is still a fan of the comedies. “They have the iconic cast that did it, so we’ll see what goes on with that. I’m just excited to see a new one,” she told the publication.

Barrera is currently celebrating the box office success of her latest horror movie Abigail.

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Lists

Thrills and Chills: Ranking ‘Radio Silence’ Films from Bloody Brilliant to Just Bloody

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Radio Silence Films

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Chad Villella are all filmmakers under the collective label called Radio Silence. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are the primary directors under that moniker while Villella produces.

They have gained popularity over the past 13 years and their films have become known as having a certain Radio Silence “signature.” They are bloody, usually contain monsters, and have breakneck action sequences. Their recent film Abigail exemplifies that signature and is perhaps their best film yet. They are currently working on a reboot of John Carpenter’s Escape From New York.

We thought we would go through the list of projects they have directed and rank them from high to low. None of the movies and shorts on this list are bad, they all have their merits. These rankings from top to bottom are just ones we felt showcased their talents the best.

We didn’t include movies they produced but didn’t direct.

#1. Abigail

An update to the second film on this list, Abagail is the natural progression of Radio Silence’s love of lockdown horror. It follows in pretty much the same footsteps of Ready or Not, but manages to go one better — make it about vampires.

Abigail

#2. Ready or Not

This film put Radio Silence on the map. While not as successful at the box office as some of their other films, Ready or Not proved that the team could step outside their limited anthology space and create a fun, thrilling, and bloody adventure-length film.

Ready or Not

#3. Scream (2022)

While Scream will always be a polarizing franchise, this prequel, sequel, reboot — however you want to label it showed just how much Radio Silence knew the source material. It wasn’t lazy or cash-grabby, just a good time with legendary characters we love and new ones who grew on us.

Scream (2022)

#4 Southbound (The Way Out)

Radio Silence tosses their found footage modus operandi for this anthology film. Responsible for the bookend stories, they create a terrifying world in their segment titled The Way Out, which involves strange floating beings and some sort of time loop. It’s kind of the first time we see their work without a shaky cam. If we were to rank this entire film, it would remain at this position on the list.

Southbound

#5. V/H/S (10/31/98)

The film that started it all for Radio Silence. Or should we say the segment that started it all. Even though this isn’t feature-length what they managed to do with the time they had was very good. Their chapter was titled 10/31/98, a found-footage short involving a group of friends who crash what they think is a staged exorcism only to learn not to assume things on Halloween night.

V/H/S

#6. Scream VI

Cranking up the action, moving to the big city and letting Ghostface use a shotgun, Scream VI turned the franchise on its head. Like their first one, this film played with canon and managed to win over a lot of fans in its direction, but alienated others for coloring too far outside the lines of Wes Craven’s beloved series. If any sequel was showing how the trope was going stale it was Scream VI, but it managed to squeeze some fresh blood out of this nearly three-decade mainstay.

Scream VI

#7. Devil’s Due

Fairly underrated, this, Radio Silence’s first feature-length film, is a sampler of things they took from V/H/S. It was filmed in an omnipresent found footage style, showcasing a form of possession, and features clueless men. Since this was their first bonafide major studio job it’s a wonderful touchstone to see how far they have come with their storytelling.

Devil’s Due

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