Richard Matheson's The Twilight Zone Scripts (Volume 2) [Paperback]

Richard Matheson (Author), Stanley Wiater (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2002

Apart from Rod Serling, screenwriter Richard Matheson wrote more teleplays for the cult classic The Twilight Zone than any other writer. Many of these episodes became the series' most acclaimed and most frequently aired. Published here for the first time are eight original scripts. Each is preceded by an introduction and commentary that lends insight into Matheson's creative process, how he felt about the adaptation of his scripts, and his relationship with Rod Serling. Information about the fate of two "lost" scripts and suggestions for further reading and viewing are also included. Volume Two includes the final six complete Twilight Zone scripts Matheson wrote for the show.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Richard Matheson's The Twilight Zones Scripts: Volume 2, edited by horror expert Stanley Wiater, collects six of Matheson's teleplays from Rod Serling's classic TV series. This has been a banner year for the veteran author, whose recent work includes a novel, Hunted Past Reason, and a children's book, Abu and the 7 Marvels.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"(Matheson's) 14 episodes are among the most memorable of the entire Twilght Zone series." -- scifidimensions.com

"Matheson is a Master of the craft and makes today's bestselling authors look poor in comparison." -- Steve Gerlach, Richard Laymon Lives! (www.rlk.cjb.net)

"Read this marvelous collection, and you'll discover why so many of his episodes are considered classics." -- David Pitt, Bookloons.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: Gauntlet Press; First Trade Paperback Edition edition (May 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887368523
• ISBN-13: 978-1887368520
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 4.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #769,064 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Praised by Stephen King as "a very talented journalist," Stanley Wiater is a widely acclaimed observer of the dark side of popular culture. He has interviewed more major horror and suspense authors, filmmakers, actors, and artists than any other journalist. He is the creator of "Dark Dreamers" (available on DVD at Amazon), a television series profiling these personalities, which has been broadcast in Canada and Great Britain.

Rue Morgue magazine has hailed him as "the top horror journalist in North
America for the past twenty-five years." He has won the coveted Bram Stoker
Award three times, and been nominated for the International Horror Guild, Hugo, Rondo, Eisner, Harvey, and Readercon awards. A collection of his short stories, "Intimate Strangers," has been dramatized and is available as an audio book at Amazon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More From the Master, August 31, 2002

By 

Edward Garea "Edward Garea" (Branchville, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Richard Matheson's The Twilight Zone Scripts (Volume 2) (Paperback)

This sceond volume of Richard Matheson's classic scripts for "The Twilight Zone," covers his work for the 1963-64 seasons. Scripts included in this volume are as follows:
"Mute"
"Death Ship"
"Steel" (Great performance by Lee Marvin)
"Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" (The classic with William Shatner. Much better than its remake in "Twilight Zone: The Movie")
"Night Call"
"Spur of the Moment"

Like the first volume, worth your money and time.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful scripts, perfect for performances., October 1, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Richard Matheson's The Twilight Zone Scripts (Volume 2) (Paperback)

At my camp, we recently performed a play in two acts using "Mute" from this collection, and "Nick of Time" from the other. These are easy to follow scripts, and are great bed reading.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great scripts; disappointing presentation, March 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Richard Matheson's The Twilight Zone Scripts (Volume 2) (Paperback)

Fans of the original series know of Richard Matheson's

stellar thirteen episodes, which include some of the finest in the series: "The Invaders", "Death Ship", "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet". And at long last, here they are in readable form.

Unfortunately, the two volumes offer little more than

the scripts themselves. Those familiar with the "TZ Companion"

by Zicree and the newly-released "TZ Scripts of Earl Hamner"

(with commentary by Tony Albarella) or "Forgotten Gems from The Twilight Zone" (with commentary by Andrew Ramage) know of the in-depth commentary offered for nearly all the episodes.

Stanley Wiater does little more than repeat what has

been said elsewhere about Matheson's episodes. No

real analyses or significant insight precedes the

scripts themselves, thus making the book rather uninteresting

on the whole.