might come back---
I did not hear of his death until this morning when I read a full page tribute on page 2 of the
Cleveland Plain Dealer. It is detailed, hugely respectful and covers not only his work but his influence.
http://www.cleveland.com/tv-blog/index.ssf/2013/06/richard_matheson_legendary_fantasy_writer_and_twilight_zone_contributor_dies_at_age_87.htmlNot surprising given that the author, the PD television critic, was not just a friend but a colleague, having edited three of Matherson's short story collections.
Matheson was the prolific author who wrote and shaped the terror and horror genre. His good friend Ray Bradbury was better known to the general public, but Matheson's work was the base of much of what came later
He didn't like the term horror because it had been taken over by, "Blood, guts (&) body parts."
He wrote, (Are you ready?)
I Am Legend
The Incredible Shrinking Man
Duel
Trilogy of Terror
The Legend of Hell House
The Night Stalker TV show.
More
Twilight Zone scripts than Serling, including:
Little Girl Lost
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
Steel
The InvadersMost of the Vincent Price, Poe movies including:
The Pit and the Pendulum
The Raven
Fall of the House of Usher
The RavenGeorge Romero, Stephen King and many others credit him as their major influence.
He wrote Steven Spielberg's first movie script.
Although I have been aware of Matheson most of my adult life, even met him on one occasion, most of the above detail was stolen from the
Cleveland Plain Dealer tribute.
Quote: "I don't like the word horror. --- Horror is something visceral, whereas terror is something mental. . . I prefer terror.Horror has become a dirty word. It means blood and guts...body parts. Boris Karloff was a horror actor... Lovecraft a horror writer. Now everyone just thinks of the gruesome movie stuff."