Salewm's Lot had a similar type of Vampire, if I understand you correctly. My knowledge of the "Legend" book is constructed mostly from people telling me why I should read it though.

'Salem's Lot vampires are very much like Carpenter's, and to a degree Matheson's, but they retain their supernatural elements and also retain much of their original personalities, which is something Matheson vampires seem unable to do.  Neville's next door neighbor and good friend becomes his principal undead antagonist, nearly mindless (although he continues to scream "come out, Neville" throughout the book and thus seems to remember his friend, if not the friendship) and savage.

'Salem's Lot, incidentally, is my second favorite vampire novel of the 20th Century.  King manages to meld his own style with a surprisingly faithful take on Stoker's mythos (I mean, call him Barlow if you want, but he's Dracula through and through, down to the mustache).  Also, vicious child vampires = awesome.

~Nachty

I saw it last night for a buck at a movie theater.  Wasn't that bad, although it seems as if that story has been done a million times.

There are very few "original" stories anymore. Does anyone remember the movie "Suburbia" released in 1984? It was a twist on "The West Side Story". How many times has a movie based on the foundation of "Romeo and Juliet" been performed? It has been done and will be done again.

The true Matheson vampires were more of people infected by a virus who went insane with the animalistic mindset Nacht mentioned. These were people who thought themselves to be vampires and believed in all the weaknesses of vampires and acted like a pack of jackals or dingos.

The part of the book (or any book for that matter) which has difficulty translating into a movie is the internal dialogue occurring. For the true Matheson book to be put on the screen, it would become more of a droning narrative with the back drop of minimal motion. It would appeal to some but not marketable in the long run.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse I come across an/the alternate ending.

WARNING: SPOILER FOLLOWS

The "head zombie" is trying to smash through the glass doors in the lab when he recognises WS's "patient" by a butterfly tattoo. (No, I'm not making this up.) WS catches on to this and wheels her out through the doors, gives her a serum jab before she is picked up by head zombie who heads off into the night with his pals leaving the trio to drive off to the sanctuary.

If you still don't believe me head over to Mininova.

Just watched the movie and I am disappointed. It's more along the same screenplay as Omega Man with less speaking. I sum it up in the fact that they swapped certain aspects from the book and updated the Omega Man.

I wish they wouldn't have used the title 'I Am Legend'. I was expecting much more of a following with the book. Total lacking is the psychological aspect of being assaulted every night by your neighbors and others who have turned in your not-quite-so-soundproof home. Traveling everyday and delivering bodies to the burn pit. Existing alone. Hope returns when you find the dog. A return to the pit when the dog perishes the way your wife and child did. Hope arrives again by the entrance of a woman into the lonely world of your existence. And the Legend you have become is much different than the 'Savior-of-the-world'.

I give the movie a thumbs down mainly do to very little connection between the movie and the book bearing the same name.