You know me. That’s as good as it’s likely to get.

So basically, I will never be befriended by a famous person. Hell, I’ve grown weary of my misfortune, why shouldn’t they? But you know what, I didn’t want to be friends with Johnny Depp anyway.

I would love to see a remake based strictly upon the book, which as stated earlier is considerably different than the film — not just in structure, but mood. There’s a young daughter in the novel, for one; for another, Scott’s sexual frustration with his wife is more expressly illustrated. (I am guessing Matheson largely removed this element from the screenplay he adapted because producers wanted to make the story accessible to younger audiences, a significant audience for sci-fi in those days.)

Finally, I should also note that Matheson wrote a followup script, “The Fantastic Little Girl,” in which Louise herself begins to shrink (was this transmitted through earlier sexual contact with her husband?), somehow finds Scott after they’ve both reduced to a miniscule size (one assumes Scott’s shrinking had eventually stopped for some reason), and they fight off someone challenges before they discover they are beginning to grow again. Matheson has admitted he wrote this script, which was never produced, strictly for the money. It was reprinted in some compilation of his a few years ago.

It’s a moving film that also has fascinating reflections on male/female relationships — the marriage, as it changes to adjust to his stature, is de-sexed, naturally, but still loving — and I always loved Randy Stuart as his wife. (I always hated how the cat was framed as the bad guy, though!)

I need to watch this one again soon. I’ve seen it countless times and I loved reading your tribute.

And no matter what happens to us in our lives, at least we won’t have to fight a giant spider with a hatpin — let’s hope!