Richard Matheson
Horror Timeless Classics From Great Authors
When people think of authors that have published horror classics over the years, they usually think of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, McCammon, and possibly a couple of others. All of these writers are certainly the best selling of the ton but certainly not the entire spectrum. The horror genre has grown to be even more famous through the years considering that Stephen King 1st wrote his best-selling novel “Carrie”, the one book that did greater than any other to push the limits of scary literature in the 20th century. And then emerged a slew of copycat writers, Koontz included, and even Stephen King himself started to be relatively trapped in the genre, in spite of his repeated attempts later in life to sneak out.
Horror classics may be the most difficult form of books to publish because of the expansion of horror films, a lot of people believe they are jaded. Since most folks today do not read but rather wait for the film (which is often a huge mistake because just one book out of many gets made into a motion picture) they do not know the many electrifying chills they’re missing out on. Excellent horror classics in literature form are a great deal more frightening than their celluloid (or digital) knock-offs. Very few great scary films have been produced from excellent horror books but the best of the gang are “The Exorcist” (original book written by William Peter Blatty), “Carrie” (Stephen King), and “The Shining” (King once more).
One of the greatest books ever published and of the true modern horror classics is “Song of Kali” by Dan Simmons. Published in 1985, Song of Kali tells the story of a poetry editor who visits Calcutta along with his better half and newborn baby girl in order to find some poetry left behind by a supposedly deceased poet. What he finds is a dirty, horrible, criminally insane town that holds serious mysteries, crazed cults, and unnatural terrors far beyond anything he could ever have imagined. Go through this one with the light on.
“Carrie” by Stephen King is still widely considered the author’s finest and 1 of the enduring horror classics of the last hundred years. King’s ability to turn the ordinary, in this case the story of a nerdy, introverted woman being bullied in secondary school, into a riveting story of the supernatural is awesome and pure genius. The excellent characters that populate Carrie, including her religion crazed mother, are certainly memorable and you will never forget the ending. Although the film was great, the book is much better, as they usually are.
Some other terror classics include “Something Wicked This Way Comes” by the late, excellent Ray Bradbury who’s better known for his science fiction than his shocking horror, and “Ghost Story” by Peter Straub. Both of them are excellent books and you should not miss them. Another excellent author of horror classics is Ramsay Campbell and his excellent book “The Hungry Moon” will certainly leave you howling. “I Am Legend” by Richard Matheson was converted into a hit Hollywood motion picture but once more the book is much better. These are just some of the horror classics made into movies, of which some are shot in green screen studios making use of green screen backgrounds.
Richard Matheson – Archive Interview Part 1 of 7
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Pledge of Allegiance Statue and Scott M. Matheson Courthouse, Salt Lake City, Photo Mugs Pledge of Allegiance Statue and Scott M. Matheson Courthouse, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America, North America…. |
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Three O’Clock High $6.97 A high school nerd accidentally rouses the ire of the class bully, and now must fight him after school. His mounting anxiety and desperate attempts to avoid the inevitable make for a wild comedy. Casey Siemaszko, Richard Tyson, Stacey Glick, Philip Baker Hall star. 90 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital Surround; Subtitles: Spanish, French; theatrical trailer…. |
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Verdi: Don Carlos $67.43 All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed…. |
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Verdi: Macbeth $33.29 All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed…. |
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The Comedy of Terrors [VHS] $9.99 … |
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Trilogy of Terror [VHS] $9.99 Dan Curtis, the creator and producer of such out-of-the-ordinary TV classics as the willfully offbeat gothic soap opera Dark Shadows and the proto-X-Files series The Night Stalker, remains best known for the Zuni fetish doll that terrorizes Karen Black in Trilogy of Terror. The wild-eyed doll, with its snapping jaws and screeching yells, borders on camp, yet its relentless attacks and single-minde… |
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Somewhere in Time [VHS] $2.00 It’s silly, it’s superficial, it’s so desperately earnest about its tale of time-spanning love that you almost wish for a cheap flatulence gag just to break the solemn mood. But there’s something so unabashedly gushy and entertaining about Somewhere in Time that you can’t begrudge its enduring popularity. The film has become a staple of romantic-movie lovers since its release in 1980, and endless … |
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Real Steel $9.44 Rocky meets the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots in this inspiring underdog tale loosely based on the short story “Steel” by Richard Matheson. It’s the year 2020 and the sport of boxing is dominated by high-tech mechanical fighters. A washed-up former pug-turned-promoter (Hugh Jackman) bonds with his estranged son (Dakota Goyo) as they work together to turn a broken-down, obsolete robot into a real conten… |
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Somewhere in Time (Collector’s Edition) $3.78 Christopher Reeve stars in this lush romantic fantasy about a present-day artist, obsessed with a beautiful Victorian woman’s portrait, who inexplicably finds himself transported back in time. Gorgeous scenery and Jane Seymour as the enigmatic lover make this Richard Matheson story sparkle. 104 min. Widescreen; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: Spanish;… |
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I Am Legend [Blu-ray] $4.97 Superb sci-fi actioner, the third film version of Richard Matheson’s novel, stars Will Smith as Robert Neville, a brilliant New York City-based scientist who is seemingly the sole survivor of a virus that has decimated mankind. While attempting to find a cure and figure out if anyone else has survived, he struggles to stave off murderous mutants who have fallen victim to the plague. With Alice Bra… |
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