THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (1964)

Cast

Plot

Before 'I am Legend' there was 'The Omega Man' and before 'The Omega Man' there was 'The Last Man on Earth' - the first adaptation of Richard Matheson's cult novel. Vincent Price stars as the lone human routinely barricading his house at night while scouring the city for vampires to stake by day. After three years of post-apocalyptic desperation, of fruitless radio messages, of mourning both the loss of his family and the failure of his work as a scientific researcher to cure 'the plague', he is desperate for human contact. There are moments when 'The Last Man on Earth', itself an inspiration for Romero's 'Night of the Living Dead', looks way ahead of its time and moments when it looks dated - it's not genre stereotypical, but its portrayal of women as acting like brainless children is way, way over the top.