John Carpenter's The Thing

Seriously, what is better than classic John Carpenter? His golden days as a filmmaker are long over, but he had a run of films for a period that were simply to die for [poor choice of words maybe]. The Fog, The Thing, They Live, Prince Of Darkness, Escape From New York and of course Halloween. He hit a stride that was simply off the charts brilliant. John Carpenter's The Thing [1982] is a pure classic. Is there anyone out there who hasn't seen this film?

This was a remake of the Howard Hawk-Christian Nyby film The Thing From Another World [1951], another classic, and Carpenter's take is allegedly closer in content to the short story from which it is based, Who Goes There?. Although, running through The Thing From Another World it's easy to see where the two films intersect.

To pick one perfect scene out of the deliciously entertaining yarn that is The Thing is no easy task as shot for shot it is near perfect from start to finish. It also ranks as one of actor Kurt Russell's best in the role of R.J. MacReady. Russell also starred in Carpenter's Escape From New York, Big Trouble In Little China and Escape From L.A..

To complement the icy cold temperatures of the film's Arctic research station, Carpenter gives us isolation, paranoia and bloody terrific visual effects thanks to one Rob Bottin. It's more body-snatching, body horror with one of the best executions of the concept to ever grace film. An extra-terrestrial is unearthed and de-iced killing a Norwegian research group. Before long a Siberian Husky brings it back to the American Unit where it begins assimilating its victims one by one, leaving distrust as the group's only friend. Slowly, the wonderful, all-male cast begins to tear one another apart out of self-preservation.

Films like Slither owe a debt of gratitude to films like The Thing as The Thing does to films before it. Not unlike Event Horizon, The Thing was a box office failure financially speaking, but cultivated its support base following its departure from theatres. Oddly, The Thing has become a phenomenon and achieved classic status that rivals it initial competition, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, within its own genre.

The mood and atmosphere is taut and heightened by a simple score from composer Ennio Morricone. The simplicity of the music merely serves to underscore the tension in the silence. Either way both serve to emphasize the group's trapped, claustrophobic isolation within the station. The amazing direction of the film is buoyed by an all-star male cast of terrific character actors that give the proceedings genuine credibility. They ground the horror in a sense of reality. Richard Dysart, Peter Maloney, David Keith, Wilford Brimley, Richard Masur and a host of others make this film something special. The Thing is a treasure to own and must be part of any proper film library.

Here is one of the classic gross out moments from the film. I must have replayed the scene a hundred times just to hear Palmer's reaction to the critter. Actor David Clennon's delivery is bloody hysterical.

Yeah, that hideous sound will raise the hair on your back. I've also clipped a scene exemplifying a bit of the chemistry between the characters in the film. It's really part of what makes this film work so well. It's hard to believe, in retrospect, but when the film originally came out it was lambasted by critics. Time has treated the film kindly and critical reassessment has garnered it a certain respect giving the entire production the prestige it deserves.



For more on this amazing film be sure to check out the original documentary Terror Takes Shape which is included on most DVD versions of the film. It's an 80 minute humdinger that interviews everyone and their brother involved in the film. It's a real inside look that gives you insight into how they pulled a film like this off. Folks, it still looks brilliant today. Trust me. It is really me. I swear.

The Thing: A