4. What Dreams May Come (1998) - Film
Taken from Matheson's 1978 novel of the same name, What Dreams May Come is a journey into the depths of heaven and hell. The film stars Robin Williams as Chris Nielsen, a man who goes to heaven after dying in a car crash and learns that his wife is trying to communicate with him in the afterlife. Chris' spiritual guide (played by Cuba Gooding, Jr.) explains that heaven is derived from our dreams while hell is based on our nightmares. Chris learns that his wife has committed suicide which will send her directly to hell. Convinced that she is his soul mate, Chris travels to hell in order to save his wife from her own personal damnation. The film was directed by Vincent Ward and is one of the only films in history to be shot using film designed for landscape photography. There were several differences from the novel and Matheson has refused to comment on the film only to say that someone involved with the film told him that they should have shot his book instead. It was a box office failure but received good critical response and received an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and nominated for Best Art Direction.