6. Giving A Whole Generation Of Kids An Irrational Fear Of Tribal Dolls - Trilogy Of Terror
Working with TV horror maestro Dan Curtis (Dark Shadows), Matheson helped create one of the most infamous TV monsters of our time in the anthology thriller, Trilogy of Terror. There were three Matheson-based short stories in this collection, all of them starring Karen Black in the lead, but if Im honest, I can only remember clearly the last one, entitled Amelia. Chances are, its the one you remember too. Blacks Amelia has just moved into a new apartment, and bought a strange antique for her new boyfriend; a Zuni hunting festish doll, which is said to possess the soul of a dead warrior. Structured similarly to other Matheson work, this segment is a close-quarters affair, featuring Black and the murderous, relentless doll in a battle through her shadowy apartment. This little bastard is one tough customer, and the final twist ending is a doozy. Seeing this at a tender young age resulted in not being able to walk through those artifact wings of the museum without glancing nervously over my shoulder. The Zuni doll returned in 1996 for another TV go-round in Trilogy of Terror 2, this time assaulting Lysette Anthony. The monster was just as good as ever, but the rest was lacking the sinister sting that Black brought to the original.