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Richard Matheson

Richard Matheson

Writer, also producer · Died June 23, 2013, aged 87 · Allendale, New Jersey, USA

Richard Burton Matheson (February 20, 1926 – June 23, 2013) was an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. He is best known as the author of I Am Legend, a 1954 science fiction horror novel that has been adapted for the screen three times, the first of which, The Last Man on Earth, was co-scripted by him and starred Vincent Price. (The other two adaptations are The Omega Man with Charlton Heston and I Am Legend with Will Smith.) Matheson also wrote 16 television episodes of The Twilight Zone, including "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" and "Steel", as well as several adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe stories for Roger Corman and American International Pictures – House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, Tales of Terror and The Raven. He adapted his 1971 short story "Duel" as a screenplay directed by Steven Spielberg for the television film Duel that year. In addition, to I Am Legend and Duel, nine more of his novels and short stories have been adapted as motion pictures: The Shrinking Man (filmed as The Incredible Shrinking Man), Hell House (filmed as The Legend of Hell House), What Dreams May Come, Bid Time Return (filmed as Somewhere in Time), A Stir of Echoes, Steel (filmed as Real Steel), and Button, Button (filmed as The Box). The movie Cold Sweat was based on his novel Riding the Nightmare, and Les seins de glace ("Icy Breasts") was based on his novel Someone is Bleeding. Both Steel and Button, Button had previously been episodes of The Twilight Zone. Description above from the Wikipedia article Richard Matheson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 20, 1926
Died
June 23, 2013 (aged 87)
From
Allendale, New Jersey, USA
Works as
Writer, also producer
Titles
50 on MovieCove · 76 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 65 days to Oct 28Down 13% in 30 days

What are Richard Matheson's films like?

Across their 35 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Morality.

Genres

Drama10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Horror9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Horror movies
Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 29th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 34th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 45th percentile
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
27%
Morality
19%
Bonds
16%
Self
13%
Society
11%
Ideas
11%
Power
5%
Survival8 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession6 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation7 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma5 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 35 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 7 · Serious 13 · Dark 15

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 11 · Stylized 17 · Heightened 7

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 13 · Intense 19

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 13 · Shifting 21 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 28 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 5

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 25 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 11 · Engaged 22 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 9 · Affecting 16 · Heavy 10

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 21 · Open-ended 10 · Ambiguous 4

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
28
Dread
23
Melancholic
13
Absurd
7
Warm
4
Other
23

How their films linger

Unsettling14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 11 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet15
  • Tragic8
  • Ambiguous5

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Richard Matheson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 31 of their 50 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (15).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Richard Matheson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

76 credits, 50 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Shrinking Man(2025)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • De 6 à 8 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Original Story

  • The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Writer

  • Real Steel(2011)

    Short Story

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • The Box(2009)

    Original Story

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • I Am Legend(2007)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • I Am Omega(2007)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • My Ambition (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Short Story

  • Dance of the Dead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Short Story

  • Masters of Horror(2005)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Stir of Echoes(1999)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Family Guy(1999)

    Show 1 episode · Short Story

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • What Dreams May Come(1998)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Trilogy of Terror II(1996)

    Screenplay · Short Story

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • The Outer Limits(1995)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics(1994)

    Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Dreamer of Oz(1990)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Amazing Stories: The Movie II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Writer

  • Loose Cannons(1990)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Amazing Stories(1985)

    Show 2 episodes · Writer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • The Twilight Zone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

  • Jaws 3-D(1983)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Twilight Zone: The Movie(1983)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Prey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Short Story

  • The Incredible Shrinking Woman(1981)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Somewhere in Time(1980)

    Novel · Screenplay · as Astonished Man [1912]

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • The Martian Chronicles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Show 3 episodes · Writer

  • Dead of Night(1977)

    Original Story · Writer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Associate Producer · Writer

  • Trilogy of Terror(1975)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Godfather Part II(1974)

    as Senator #3 (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Stranger Within (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Short Story · Teleplay

  • Someone Is Bleeding(1974)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Dracula(1973)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Morning After (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Teleplay

  • Scream of the Wolf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Teleplay

  • Dying Room Only (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Short Story · Teleplay

  • The Legend of Hell House(1973)

    Novel · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Night Strangler(1973)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Ghost Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 1 episode · Creator · Writer

  • The Night Stalker(1972)

    Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Duel(1971)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Omega Man(1971)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Cold Sweat(1970)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Night Gallery(1969)

    Show 2 episodes · Writer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • De Sade(1969)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • The Devil Rides Out(1968)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Late Night Horror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 1 episode · Short Story

  • No Such Thing as a Vampire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Writer

  • The Young Warriors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Writer

  • Soy leyenda (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Novel

  • The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.(1966)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows

  • Star Trek(1966)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Die! Die! My Darling!(1965)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Last Man on Earth(1964)

    Novel · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Comedy of Terrors(1963)

    Associate Producer · Novel · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

  • The Raven(1963)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Combat!(1962)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • The Alfred Hitchcock Hour(1962)

    Show 2 episodes · Novel · Writer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Tales of Terror(1962)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Night of the Eagle(1962)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Pit and the Pendulum(1961)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Master of the World(1961)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Thriller (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

  • House of Usher(1960)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Private Lives of Adam and Eve(1960)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • The Twilight Zone(1959)

    Show 16 episodes · Writer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • The Beat Generation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Writer

  • Lawman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Show 3 episodes · Writer

  • Have Gun, Will Travel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

  • The Incredible Shrinking Man(1957)

    Novel · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Cheyenne(1955)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • I Am Legend 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Characters

  • Now Is Tomorrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Writer

  • The AckerMonster Chronicles! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

A full career of 75 titles, 72 of them dated from 1955 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Jaws 3-D (1983)

$88M worldwide

Highest rated

Duel (1971)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

Jaws 3-D (1983)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting3 of 75: 2 only acting, 1 with another roleWriting73 of 75: 69 only writing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score70thProducing2 of 75: 0 only producing, 2 with another roleOther crew1 of 75: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

75 titles, 4 with more than one role — writing and acting overlap on 1 of them.

By decade

1950s6 · crew1960s21 · crew1970s18 · 1 acting · 17 crew1980s8 · 1 acting · 8 crew1990s9 · crew2000s6 · crew2010s2 · crew2020s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Richard Matheson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 62nd percentile, the median of all 39; across their 35 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 35

Approval · how many liked their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 35

Reach · how many have seen their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 35

Midcredits score across 50 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up23
  • 50th to 74th12
  • 25th to 49th10
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

25 of their 50 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved11
  • Universally Panned2
  • Crowd Pleaser25
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · writer

I Am Omega (2007)

72nd percentile spread · 69% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Godfather Part II (1974)

Midcredits 99th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 52/100 and the plot and story 49/100 in their films, across 35 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Richard Matheson's work okay for kids?

Across up to 19 MovieCove titles with content scores, frightening / intense runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore15 titles32–65 · median 42 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity19 titles4–47 · median 22 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity15 titles6–62 · median 30 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs14 titles11–45 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense15 titles41–72 · median 63 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Richard Matheson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Richard Matheson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; James H. Nicholson shares the most, 9.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles