Review by Sheila Merritt © 2008
Richard Matheson has been thrilling readers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror for decades. Matheson’s initial contributions were to the SF magazines, although there was always a leaning toward the macabre: his first sale was a short story about a mutant, entitled “Born of Man and Woman,” 1950. That title was used for his first collection in 1954: 17 stories, mainly science fiction. His screenwriting began with the adaptation of his novel The Incredible Shrinking Man (novel 1956, film 1957). For those of a certain age, he is best remembered for some loosely adapted screenplays of Edgar Allan Poe’s tales for films of Roger Corman (starring Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, and others of that ilk/generation.) Matheson's stories were translated to TV on many Twilight Zone episodes, including “Mute," which is based on a tale included in this volume. He also wrote the teleplays for The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler, TV movies which introduced the character of reporter/occult observer Carl Kolchak. His novels of Hell House, A Stir of Echoes, and What Dreams May Come have also been translated into successful, if controversial, films. Is he best known for creating a Zuni fetish doll that stalked and unhinged Karen Black in the teleplay Trilogy of Terror and for having written Duel (directed by a very young Steven Spielberg). His body of work is enormous.
Button, Button, his latest compilation, consisting of a dozen previously printed short stories, dating from 1950 to 1970, confirms Matheson's mastery of many genres. His signature work is well represented in this volume. The book's cover capitalizes on recent and future adaptations on film: "New York Times bestselling author of I Am Legend" and "features 'Button, Button,' soon to be a major motion picture: The Box, starring Cameron Diaz." It is good publicity, if a trifle obvious. After reading the titular tale, it is impossible not to ponder how the twelve pages of it will translate into a full length feature film. The story is about: Would one accept $50,000 by pushing a button knowing it would cause the death of someone “unknown” to them? It is made clear that when one pushes the button on the device/gizmo/machine that they do not have to witness the demise of the person selected to die. The husband in the story finds the concept immoral, but the wife … has other ideas. The taut narrative, rife with irony, is a reflection on materialism and moral values. There is a nifty twist ending, handled with lean prose; devoid of literary curlicues. The film version is, in all likelihood, using the premise of the story for something much bigger, and probably much less satisfying. As short fiction, "Button, Button" stands on its own; the air of inevitably that it evokes lingers long after reading.
The relationship of a husband and wife is what fuels the action in the story of "Button, Button." Relationships between male and female characters are a thematic thread in this collection. Women are often pivotal to the plot development; dictating the course of the action. Whether engaging in infidelity, or destroying or salvaging a situation, there is an emphasis on female power. In "Mute", for example, a telepathic young boy is torn between the powers of two women. Each believes (or rationalizes) that she wants merely to help the child who will not speak. Neither woman comprehends the child's mental abilities; they simply perceive a deficiency in his communication skills which needs to be rectified in some way. Paal, the mute child, fears words but has a need for emotional warmth: "Like a pendulum he swung from dread to need and back to dread again." Words are a source of discordance for Paal, more like noise than conveyance of thoughts: "Words. Blunt, sawed-off lengths of hemmed-in meaning; incapable of evocation, of expansion."
Words become drummed into Paal's head by the teacher determined to socialize him: "Her touch was cool and dry. Dark wrenching terrors ran down her veins and poured into him. Inaudibly, the fragment of a scream tightened his throat. Their eyes met again and Paal saw that, for a second, the woman seemed to know that he was looking into her brain." In contrast to this vastly verbal relationship, Paal forges an emotional bond with a maternal woman who lost a male child. It is through this love that he finds the means to communicate fully, leaving behind his prior life as an experiment in mental capability. "Mute," at 39 pages, is the longest story in the volume. It is also the most emotional and evocative tale.
For something much lighter and humorous, there is "The Creeping Terror", in which the culture of Los Angeles infiltrates and dominates the USA. In this sly and scathing treatise, Matheson pokes fun at the influence Los Angeles has over the country. It inspires lunacy in states that become engulfed by emulation of the city: "In conjunction with the increase in automotive fabrication, there began a near maniacal splurge in the building of drive-in restaurants and theaters. These sprang up with mushroomlike celerity through Western and Midwestern United States, their planning going beyond all feasibility. Typical of these thoughtless projects was the endeavor to hollow out a mountain and convert it into a drive-in theater." Peppered with fictional footnotes for verisimilitude, this riotous romp on societal silliness is also a bit of a cautionary tale, told with a smile and a wink.
There is much to enjoy on various levels in this collection. Whether you're familiar with or new to the varied works of the masterful Matheson, you're assured a good read.
Button, Button is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
Sheila Merritt was a contributing editor to Horrorstruck magazine and currently does horror book reviews for the Hellnotes website. Her interests include science fiction, travel, cooking, movies, reading, and theatre.
