New: Last Man on Earth (1964)
April 28, 2008
We finally got a chance to see The Last Man on Earth — the 1964 Vincent Price classic about, well, the last man on earth, adapted from Richard Matheson’s novel I Am Legend. It’s obvious (as it’s been noted many times) what an inspiration this film was to Night of the Living Dead. (On the other hand, Last Man probably owes a bit of a nod to Carnival of Souls.)
Of course, Matheson’s story was also the basis for The Omega Man, and while Omega benefited from higher production values, we like Last Man on Earth much better; it’s got that grainy, gritty, documentary feel that makes the horror much more realistic. And while Last Man has plenty of flaws, there isn’t a single ugly, 1970s fashions or hairdos — or characteristic Charlton Heston teeth-grinding — to distract you from the action.
