Glad to see Bill agree with me about Matheson. I was afraid
that connection might have been seen as a stretch by some.
But I've been thinking about Matheson and his work ever since
I posted last night and I'm struck by how very influential he
has been on "pulp fiction" over the last forty odd years. Not
only his novels, but his film (even the Corman films) and
television work
(particularly his Twilight Zone episodes) embrace a real
blending of these styles and genres and I think just about
anyone working in the hard boiled or horror fields, from
Stephen King to Joe Lansdale, owes him a debt of gratitude.
(I know I certainly do.) Even his novel (and subsequent film)
HELL HOUSE is really a detective story set in a haunted
house. I think Matheson's work paved the way (and in many
cases set the template) for much of what has been written in
these genres since.
(And isn't the jazz score to THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN one
of the greatest of the era? How many science fiction films
can boast of that? And as someone pointed out, noir generally
has an existentialist element to it. Stories don't come more
existentialist than THE SHRINKING MAN.)
Bill Crider wrote:
> Glad to see Terrill Lankford back. He's right about
Joe Lansdale's work,
> and he's really right about Richard Matheson. I AM
LEGEND is a hardboiled
> horror novel for sure. And THE SHRINKING MAN is
hardboiled SF. I think
> Anthony Boucher even mentioned something like this
in his original review
> of one or the other of them. They were both done for
Gold Medal, which is
> a clue.
>
> Bill Crider
>
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