15 Horror Movies You Probably Didn't Know Were Based On Books
11. I Am Legend
By this point most of us are familiar with the general premise of 2007's I Am Legend. Everything has gone to hell, and only one man and his dog are all that's left between humanity and utter extinction.. or are they?
This Will Smith flick is actually the third major screen adaption of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel I Am Legend, with the other two being 1964's The Last Man on Earth and 1971's The Omega Man.
Surprisingly, despite there being three movies based on it, not a single one has yet to truly capture what the original book was going for. Whereas the book explored themes such as man's place in the world and identity, the movies paid little more than lip service to anything outside its central concept. If you are interested in watching one however, your best bet is The Last Man on Earth, as you can never go wrong with Vincent Price and the lack of color give the whole thing an unsettling gothic feel.
As a bit of a side note, while the Will Smith flick features mutants as the main threat, the novel and both previous adaptions use vampires instead.