The thing of it is... I haven't really been enjoying the way he has titled many of his stories. Although they aren't all bad. "Mute" was appropriate. "Button, Button" is tolerable. But the other stories that I have been reading of his has not really, I feel, been very representative of the work of which they were attached to. There may be a small, or subtle reason why they make sense, but for the most part, I have enjoyed his stories far more than his titles.
I'm sure it must just be the ones I have been exposed to so far. I'm getting these stories from a relatively small collection. Matheson was a prolific author who has more stories than I can dream of reading. Maybe I'll get to them someday, but who knows. I just wanted to point this opinion out.
Now, what do you think about when you see the title "The Creeping Terror"? My mind immediately went straight for something Lovecraftian. You might have as well. It does sound as if Cthulhu is about to invade one of Matheson's stories, doesn't it? Clearly this story is going to be a horror, right?
Before I tell you anything about this story, I do want to point out that he does have an alternate title for this one that I learned about after I finished the story. Are you sure you want to see it? Okay, here it is: "A Touch of Grapefruit." I'm not joking. "A Touch of Grapefruit" is the alternative title to "The Creeping Terror." I'm pretty sure you have absolutely no idea what this story is about now. All semblance of predictability has washed away. Thank you, Richard Matheson, for being no help at all.
Oh, I'll stop making you wait. The story is actually really good, so I'll just get into it.
"The Creeping Terror," otherwise known as "A Touch of Grapefruit," is a story about Los Angeles. The city itself suddenly becomes alive in the year 1983 and begins stretching out across the country. It was even scientifically proven that it was happening by scientists who saw it happening on the microscopic level. So you have an actual city in the world that is moving across the country and eating up other cities and states.
No, it's not really serious. This story is a comedy.
It's a comedy because it's not really eating up the states as much as it's changing the culture of the country as it progresses. The fakeness and elitism of Los Angeles and Hollywood begin to corrupt the rest of the country as its influence spreads. People start watching more movies, driving in convertibles, and plant palm trees everywhere, stuff like that. It's all very silly, but it has a good point.
Honestly, I rather feel that this story did eventually come true to a degree. We have all become slaves to Hollywood. We watch movies too much and we let them control how we think. It's all pretty tragic, even if it was intended as a comedy.
If you want to feel both laughter followed by swift depression, I do recommend "The Creeping Terror" or "A Touch of Grapefruit." I think it's worth it. At the very least, try and take this comedy a little seriously. It kinda happened. Los Angeles really is a virus. We'd probably be better off as a nation if it had never existed with the influence that it ended up having.
This blog was written on May 2, 2023.
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The joke is on us. The madness of "Hollywood Babylon" has corrupted our country into a madhouse of people actually believing they can change what they innately are by sheer imagination. All they have to do is believe and insist everyone play along. Unfortunately, reality is not sound stages, make-up and post production editing to make the fake work.
ReplyDeleteThat sad thing is that this is kind of an old story. It's been going on for a long time now.
DeleteInteresting, "The Creeping Terror" could be seen as a cautionary tale for the virus of the left. Too bad we didn't listen. But as long as we aren't part of the problem we can lead by example and maybe even cure a few of the virus.
ReplyDeleteI agree. It's a real problem.
DeleteThis is what was intended, but it did not entirely achieve the desired result. Perspectives are changing, and the former influence is waning. Other things have gained our interest, and we should be wary of them being utilized in a similar manner.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I have seen the shift a little, but it still feels all over the place.
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