THE OMEGA MAN
1971, Warner Bros., 98 min, USA, Dir: Boris Sagal
Whiskey-drinking, WOODSTOCK-watching scientist Charlton Heston faces the possible extinction of mankind, while bug-eyed Anthony Zerbe and his legions of soul-brother vampires prowl the night, in this whacked-out adaptation of Richard Matheson’s classic novel I Am Legend. Here, Heston remade himself as an über-cool 1970s action star, who cruises the plague-ridden streets of L.A. in a convertible Mustang.
THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (DAMNED WALK AT MIDNIGHT)
1964, MGM/Park Circus, 86 min, USA, Dir: Sidney Salkow
The first terrifying adaptation of Richard Matheson’s landmark sci-fi horror novel I Am Legend, with Vincent Price as the lone survivor of a vampire plague that has left the world population a shambling, nocturnal undead race thirsty for immune Price’s blood. Full of starkly surreal, nightmare images, this is an underrated gem.
