They are mostly mindless creatures, searching for blood to drink and even resorting to cannibalism when other prey is scarce. When i say that richard mathesons 1954 classic scifi vampire apocalypse novel i am legend given the vampire novel of the century award in. It was influential in the development of the zombie vampire genre and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease. This article is about the 2007 movie i am legend based on the book by the same name, written by richard matheson. Vampires as depicted in the eclipse comics adaptation. Richard matheson combined the vampires in his novella with zombie. Most people associate vampires with count dracula, the legendary, bloodsucking subject of bram stokers epic novel, dracula, which was published in 1897. Directed by francis lawrence, the film stars will smith as us army virologist robert neville set in new york city after a virus, which was originally created to cure cancer, has wiped out most of mankind, leaving neville as the last human in new york, other than. At first, it seems to combine what we stereotype zombies and vampires to be, but it then moves more towards them being vampires. But it is the book i am legend by richard matheson, first published in. I am legend and other stories book by richard matheson. The book was one of the early apocalypse stories, and one of the novels responsible for normalizing the concept of global pandemics and infectiontype stories in pop.
But in the end, it does not matter so much what the creatures in a film are called. One of the most influential vampire novels of the 20th century, i am legend regularly appears on the 10 best lists of numerous critical studies of the horror. In the book, theres a difference between vampires some are dead vampires and. I am legend blends science fiction and horror by allowing readers to dive into a futuristic world overrun by vampires. I am legend was released on december 14, 2007, in the united states and canada, and opened to the largest ever box office not adjusted for inflation for a nonchristmas film released in the u. The two earlier films are the last man on earth 1964 and the omega man 1971. I am legend is a novel by richard matheson in which robert neville struggles to survive as the sole remaining human in a world overrun by vampires robert neville is the only. They are disgusting creatures who smell bad and are revolting in every way. Years ago, you see, my husband had wanted to talk about the book, probably when the most recent adaptation to movie form had come out, and i am well known for not reading horror, so it wasnt an unreasonable assumption that i would never read this.
Coming from a person with 52 zombie walking dead movies zombies dont shy from light, they are attracted to it. The similarities between the monsters in the novel and in the film is that they both only come out at night to hunt and they both feed on blood. Apr 03, 2012 apologies to stephenie meyer and her sparkly crew of vampires. Richard matheson, an american writer, wrote the book with this book being influential in the development of zombieinspired genre of fiction. I think i am legend was the first true zombie story. Vampiris is a bacillus form of anaerobic bacteria, that can infect humans and bats. The novel has been made into three movies, including omega man 1971 and i am legend 2007. Difference between zombie and vampire difference between. I am legend is a 2007 american postapocalyptic thriller film based on the 1954 novel of the same name by richard matheson. Every other man, woman, and child on earth has become a vampire, and they are all.
The vampires of richard mathesons story i am legend are very similar to vampires of myth and folklore, but whereas classic vampires are believed to be related to demons and have magical qualities about them, the origins of mathesons vampires are based in the realm of science. The matheson vampires could talk, and indeed had their own alternate society of infected built up. Every other man, woman, and child has become a vampire, and they are all hungry for nevilles blood. The omega man from 1971, with charlton heston, isnt too bad either, though the story is changed from the book.
The i am legend novel community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Undead apocalypse edinburgh university press books. While using the title of richard mathesons novel suggested that it would be a more faithful adaptation than previous versions 1964s the last man on earth and 1971s the omega man changing the creatures completely altered the. Thus, if a vampire is cut deep enough, the bacteria will escape into the air, reducing its former host to powder. Entire books have been written about what, exactly, the vampires in i am legend symbolize. And not just bloodsucking monsters incapable of thought or speech like the zombiethings were given in the moviemany of the vampires in the. In the book, humanity is all but wiped out when the population becomes infected by a form of bacteria, transforming. The origins of the vampires in mathesons i am legend are also slightly different than those of the darkseekers in the movie. The rest of the book is a collection of short horror stories and not very good ones either.
Vampire story with a mix of horror and science fiction. The novel and richard matheson are often credited for creating the zombie vampire genre. Author richard mathesons 1954 horror and science fiction novel, i am legend, originated the zombie genre in both fiction and movies. Written long before the recent zombie and vampire booktv show deluge that seemed to be everywhere, i found this novella wellwritten and thoughtful.
They had all the traditional weaknesses of vampires like garlic, fear of holy symbols, stake through the heart. Does anyone else get upset that i am legend is often. Fastforward to current day when i read the book i am legend which the movie. May 31, 2019 are the creatures from the movie, i am legend, really vampires or zombies.
I have actually written a zombie story that is so similar. Every other man, woman, and child has become a vampire hungry for nevilles blood. The book will be a vital reference point for all scholars of horror but ought to. While technically not zombie movies, i feel its more of a bridge from vampire to zombie flick, and it gives me that same fill when im looking for something in the genre.
In richard mathesons novel i am legend, the monsters are vampires which started off as a deadly virus released into the world by scientists. The long and bloody history of vampires in literature. And yet the core characteristics of the nightwalkers in the 2007 film are relatively true to one strand of what we see in the 1950s story. Neither movie was anything like this book and this book was bad. I am legends biggest change from the book broke the movie. With case studies of films like i am legend and 28 days later, as well as tv programmes like angel and the walking dead, this book challenges these popular assumptions and reveals the increasing interconnection of undead genres. The horror genre in i am legend by richard matheson. I am legend, and the everevolving vampire the writers voice. Many people have been calling them zombies for the longest w especially if they have not read the book. Til, in the novel i am legend, the vampires fear crosses.
I am legend author richard matheson was himself a real legend. The novel i am legend written by in 1954 is a classic book that merges horror with science fiction. Francis lawrence also revealed that he wished his i am legend stuck closer to the novel in that regard. The fact that matheson called them vampires is irrelevant. Turning female vampires into sexy creatures is absurd. The last man on earth from 1964, with vincent price, sticks with the plot of the book, and more importantly, it sticks to the mood and feel of the book, and is a very well done film. But i went into reading i am legend knowing the ending, knowing the twist.
Its a 1950s era book when the zombies as we know them today didnt even exist. Jul 09, 2018 i am legend reinvented the vampire, and inspired future writers and film makers, such as, stephen king, and george romero saperstein. The story stops annoyingly suddenly, as if the rest of it has been missed off. I really liked that one, and i wrongly assumed that since they had used the original title from the book that both movies were based on, that it stayed closer to the original source material. In 1954 richard matheson published i am legend, and since its original run it has been adapted for film a total of four times. These vampires exhibit zombielike behaviour, and are not very strong or intelligent. A large part of the novels ending is reliant on the fact that the creatures are vampires something the film changes entirely, sadly making for a worse finale. At one time, the vampires were normal people who were infected by a bacteria later dubbed vampiris, by matheson. The year is 1976one year after a deadly plague sweeps the world, killing virtually all human beings. I am legend is based on the book i am legend by richard matheson.
The novel was a success and was adapted into the films the last man on earth 1964, the omega man 1971, and i am. Bacillus vampiris is a fictional disease in the 1954 novel, i am legend. Outside of its hosts, the bacteria sporulates into dust and escapes into the air. I am legend, and the everevolving vampire the writers. I am legend is named vampire novel of the century this article is more than 8 years old richard mathesons 1954 novel bats off competition from anne rices interview with a vampire. Had the i am legend movie portrayed the darkseekers more like the vampires of the book, this would have been a much easier idea for audiences to go along with. They had all the traditional weaknesses of vampires like garlic, fear of holy symbols, stake through the heart, sunlight, etc.
This version of i am legend is the third movie adaptation of mathesons novel. I am legend mass market paperback october 30, 2007. Were the creatures in i am legend zombies or vampires. The zombies in i am legend are extremely light sensitive, but this is really, the only vampireesque trait. I am meant to be writing a blog about how i am legend, by the late, immensely great, richard matheson, is the king of vampire novels. In mathesons vampire classic i am legend, a plague has decimated the world and transformed the unfortunate survivors into bloodthirsty creatures of the night. Vampires, and frequent jump scares, are the horror elements. In the book, robert discovers that the source of the disease that turns people into vampires is a germ carried by dust storms and mosquitoes that plagued the world in the wake of a recent wars bombings. But after finding my old copy on the shelf downstairs, i ve. I am legend author richard matheson was himself a real. Zombies are creatures of base instinct, they do not plan even with the romero series the zombies planning skills are on the low end. I am legend 910 movie clip let me save you 2007 hd duration. I am legend by richard matheson plot summary litcharts.
Are the i am legend monsters really vampires youtube. So while the monsters took different forms in both stories, the themes of survival and humanity in both stories are the same. I dont think ive ever seen i am legend all the way through. The 2007 film was partially based on the 1971 film as well as the original source. The horror genre in i am legend by richard matheson bartleby. Jun 04, 2011 the vampireszombie things i saw the movie before i read the book, and since the movie doesnt specify what the creatures in it are, i was kind of surprised to find they were vampires in the book. A fair number of elements from legend was adapted for the romero movies. I am legend is split into two, the first part being about how robert neville fights the psychological impacts of solitude, the second part about the evolution of the germ vampires.
In 2012, the horror writers association gave i am legend the special vampire novel of the century award. Vampires were the route that ridley scott wanted for his unmade i am legend. In the book they are basically vampires, he uses mirrors, crosses, garlic, stakes and the like to ward them off. Written long before the recent zombie and vampire booktv show deluge that seemed to be. The less said about the various films, the better, lol. Unlike neville, they had no immunity to the virus and subsequently became creatures previously known only in legend as vampires. The last man on earth 1964, the omega man 1971, i am legend. Jun 25, 20 i am meant to be writing a blog about how i am legend, by the late, immensely great, richard matheson, is the king of vampire novels. The introduction of abnormal creatures that fit in both zombie and vampire tropes represent our need to categorize the unknown in the midst of a drastic change in an early scene, the zombies wait outside of nevilles home, offering the audience a glimpse into a typical night in the. Robert neville is the main character in i am legend and in some ways almost the only character of the novel. One novella, i am legend, followed by 10 short stories. The 1956 i am legend book is a vampire story inspired by dracula. What matters more are the genre conventions, as well as your own expectations of what a vampire or a zombie should lookact like. It would still be a downer ending, as neville happens to come across as a monster, but that change would at least make it fit more logically in the film.
The symbol of vampires in i am legend from litcharts the. The portrayal of vampires in literature has continued to evolve. The novel was a success and was adapted into the films the last man on earth 1964, the omega man 1971, and i am legend 2007. I am legend is very short, not novel length, only 159 pages long, out of the 312 pages in the book. If youd like to join the discussion next month, well be reading vampires by john steakley and watching john carpenters vampires, and our posting date will be sunday, april 24th. In i am legend, the vampires share more similarities with zombies, and the novel influenced the zombie genre and popularized the concept of a worldwide. The novel i am legend 1954, written by american author richard matheson, was adapted for the movie by screenwriters akiva goldsman and mark protosevich. Whisky sour inspired by i am legend all roads lead to the. Vampires have inherited the earth in richard mathesons i am legend. Richard matheson gave vampires a zombie bent in 1954s i am legend, where a vampire plague ravaged the planet. I am legend is a post apocalyptic vision by richard matheson, created in 1954 it tells the story of robert neville, the last surviving human in the world, surrounded by bloodthirsty vampires both living and undead. I am legend is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by american writer richard matheson that was influential in the modern development of zombie and vampire literature and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease. That section of horror was inundated years ago, much like the zombies.
From what i understand, romero was largely influenced by this book movie for night of the living dead. These fields come together in undead apocalypse, which authoritatively maps out a series of compelling contexts for the imbrication of vampires and zombies from richard mathesons i am legend, via the walking dead, to the newly conscious zombies of recent years. This is essential to the story because he is the last human alive in a population. The book is often credited as the first modern vampire. They arent depicted as being able to turn into bats, afraid of garlic, or afraid of a cross, as other movies would have us believe. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of i am legend by richard matheson. After their deaths, the worlds human beings rise from the grave and become vampires. But other versions of zombie, like from the i am legend film suggests that zombies are indeed vicious, stays out from the sun, but they have emotions really strong, they move very fast, and they, too, could be as clever as the normal person. This months assignment was i am legend the book by richard matheson and the omega man movie. And, true, if you are seeking sexy vampires, you can skip richard mathesons book. I am legend is about a zombie like horde wiping out much of humanity, but its confusing ending becomes clear if you understand the personal journey of its hero. The novel released in 1954, around 53 years before the film released in 2007. This novel, i am legend, a perfect little bricolage of apocalyptic, dystopian, scifi, horror, vampire, zombie, is probably his best known work, although im partial to.
In mathesons original novel, the monsters inhabiting the postinfection landscape are supposed to be vampires. Buy a cheap copy of i am legend and other stories book by richard matheson. Also they cant be zombies as the book i am legend gave rise to the zombie. The first, the true vampires, are corpses reanimated by vampiris.
To their credit, they kept the 2009 year in the movie that matheson had in his novel. Although the creatures depicted in the outbreak are technically vampires, mathesons original work is considered by many science fiction and horror fans to be the impetus for the modern zombie horror genre entire, introducing many of its core themes well before night of the living dead. Popular vampire zombie books meet your next favorite book. It dives deep into a plot with diseaseinfested zombie vampires taking over the world through an apocalypse. When nevilles dog sam got into a fight and bit a chunk out of another. He researches their symptoms as if they are vampires. Written long before the recent zombie and vampire booktv show deluge that seemed to be everywhere. They are humans, both living and undead, who were infected with vampiris.
Adapted from acclaimed author richard mathesons influential novelette of the same name, constantine director francis lawrences i am legend. The creatures in richard mathesons novel, i am legend, were vampires. The alternate ending to i am legend where they respect him and growl at him in an acknowledging way is odd and feels out of place. Richard mathesons story of a world overrun by the undead, i am legend, has been. Mar 28, 2020 we have an intriguing problem with comparing the book and film.
I am legend zombie virus in nyc by 2009 the i am legend film is based on a novel of the same name that was written in by richard matheson. Vampires have inherited the earth in richard mathesons i am legend at one time, the vampires were normal people who were infected by a bacteria later dubbed vampiris, by matheson. I am legend is named vampire novel of the century books. I am legend and other stories by richard matheson goodreads. In the book theyre the same as in the 1979 movie nothing like in the i am legend movie, yet the book is entitled i am legend theres some references to them being some sort of vampire and neville does experiments on ones he finds during the daytime in an attempts to prove that but only finds that they decompose quickly in sunlight, garlic. In i am legend, a plague has decimated the world, and those unfortunate enough to survive are transformed into bloodthirsty creatures of the night. I am legend is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by american writer richard matheson.
In the original book they were definitely vampires. The francis lawrencehelmed film was an adaptation of richard mathesons 1954 postapocalyptic novel of the same name. What is i am legend considered a zombie film when theyre. The successes and failures in adapting i am legend film inquiry.
1038 1523 834 947 1050 835 1140 668 1023 171 1142 875 881 968 1355 409 562 456 691 315 1568 255 455 114 486 262 712 1349 1131 506 606 412 239 336