Writer Richard Matheson — Sci-Fi and Historical Romance

From childhood, I’ve loved The Twilight Zone, the sci-fi TV show (1959-64).  Most episodes were only 24 minutes long, but with a different premise and characters in each, like the short stories in science fiction magazines of the time. Some of the stories were adapted for the show.

Richard Matheson was a prolific author whose writing included sci-fi short stories, but I first heard of him when I watched every Twilight Zone episode on Netflix, one per day.

Matheson wrote sixteen episodes of The Twilight Zone, including the classic “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” in which William Shatner sees a gremlin on the wing of the aircraft. This is sometimes spoofed, maybe because the creature looks like a man in a hairy costume, but the frustration felt by William Shatner’s character is what makes this a classic:  what if you saw impending doom, and nobody believed you?

You can watch Richard Matheson’s Twilight Zone episodes for free by clicking here.  They are easy to view — no signing up for anything. They have modern commercials.

Later, Matheson wrote the novel and screenplay for “Somewhere in Time,” a wonderful time-travel romance. Blending science fiction and a powerful romantic love, the film is beautiful, as are its stars, Jane Seymour and the late Christopher Reeve (heart-breakingly beautiful to me because of his tragic real life).  Click here to see the trailer.  It was filmed on location at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan.

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