The Thing (1982)

Average rating

(72%)

Starring:	Kurt Russell \| T.K. Carter \| Richard Dysart \| Richard Masur
Director:	John Carpenter
Studio:	UNIVERSAL
Run time:	104 mins
Collections:	100 Horror Films
Genres:	Horror \| Sci-Fi/Fantasy \| Thriller
Languages:	English
Dubbed:	French, Italian, Polish, Spanish
Subtitles:	Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish
Released:	October 06, 2007

Based on both the short story by John W. Campbell, Jr. and the 1951 film produced by Howard Hawks, THE THING is John Carpenter's stunning masterpiece of horror. A group of weary scientists enduring the winter in an isolated camp deep in Antarctica chance upon an alien spacecraft buried in the ice. Near the strange craft is the body of an alien being, frozen solid. Thinking they have made the find of a lifetime, the scientists bring the alien body back to camp and thaw it out. The alien awakens, not in the best of moods, and proceeds to take over the identities of the scientists, one by one, body and all. Helicopter pilot MacCready (Kurt Russell) must lead the surviving men in discovering who among them is human and who is not and how they can destroy "the thing" before it takes them all and moves on to the heavily populated mainland and the rest of humanity. Rob Bottin supplies the awe-inspiring special effects of the creature in its many, ever-changing forms. The effects were groundbreaking at the time and hold up flawlessly over the passing years. But Carpenter does not rely solely on special effects, utilizing his spectacular cast, which includes Wilford Brimley and Richard Dysart, to create three dimensional characters enduring an unthinkable situation. The score from Ennio Morricone is understated, yet increases the tense mood tenfold. Shooting was difficult and done in below freezing conditions, but despite the discomfort the cast and crew produced a truly terrifying film that will stand the test of time. THE THING is surely one of Carpenter's definitive films and a true horror classic.

Radio Times

John Carpenter's remake of Howard Hawks and Christian Nyby's influential 1951 creature feature, is a special-effects extravaganza of the highest order. In fact, the updated screenplay by Bill Lancaster (son of Burt) sticks more closely to the plot of the classic John W Campbell short story that inspired the original movie, as the occupants of a polar research station are menaced by an alien with the ability to change its shape and impersonate its enemies. Carpenter stresses the slimy ET at the expense of characterisation, mood and practically everything else, yet it's precisely this one grisly facet that makes it such compelling science fiction. Even Alien can't hold a candle to the nightmarish images on offer here, so be warned.

Highest rated reviews

48 out of 53 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5.0 stars
A Genuine Classic

jezfernandez from , 3rd March, 2004

Set in the frozen wastes of Antarctica, 1982, John Carpenter brings us a genuine ?re-imagining? of Howard Hawkes? 1957 classic, ?The Thing From Another World?. The premise is the same - a group of scientists working at a remote outpost discover the frozen remains of the titular ?thing?, an alien creature which has been buried in the ice for 100,000 years. When the specimen is brought back to base, havoc ensues as it goes on a ravenous rampage.

Yet here is where Carpenter takes an audacious detour, deftly abandoning Hawkes? Frankenstinian tall-man-in-a-suit, and employing the considerable talents of FX whiz-kid Rob Bottin. Gone is the lumbering bi-ped, shuffling down the corridors like some geriatric basketball player. In comes a shape-shifting terror which assimilates its host and imitates it to perfection, revealing its identity only when survival is threatened. It?s a bold move by Carpenter, extraordinarily executed through restrained performances from the cast and an eye-poppingly gruesome turn from the thing itself.

The movie kicks off with a lone dog running franctically through the snow and into the US outpost, pursued relentlessly by a Norwegian helicopter. When the crew suddenly pull out a rifle and start shooting, the Yanks suddenly twig that all is not well. One misplaced grenade later and the Norwegians are history. So is any hope of an explanation. The US team take their own helicopter out to the Norwegians base, where a grim discovery is made?

This is a movie about survival and perhaps works so well because the characters (all male) don?t suffer from stupidity syndrome. These are not nubile teenagers, butchered to death because they were daft enough to wander semi-naked into the basement unaccompanied. These are scientists, thrown into a terrifying scenario as they battle against an unseen intruder.

Shot with a genuine sense of mounting claustrophobia and paranoia (the camera frequently weaves silently through empty corridors), Carpenter avoids the usual bag of horror cliches and instead allows the concept itself to chill. What if man is the warmest place to hide (as the tagline says) and the creature you?re most afraid of is impossible to find?

Kurt Russell is well cast as the reluctant leader of the team, a man with little to lose and enough attitude to take this creature apart. He?s supported by a competent array of actors who play it straight and react believably to Rob Bottin?s mesmerisingly grotesque ?thing?. The level of imagination here is mind-blowing, particularly when the thing takes every conceivable step to preserve itself. Be prepared to catch your jaw when you get to the operating room scene ? it?s one of cinema?s finest.

The Thing is a tremendous effort from a director who?s sadly gone the way of the dogs in recent years. Hailing from a pre-CGI era, the special effects are streets ahead of anything you will see today (sincerely) and the action cracks along at a relentless pace. A must-have addition to anyone DVD collection.

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11 out of 11 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5.0 stars
Horror, fear & 'edge of your seat' suspense

Spok from Buckinghamshire, 14th November, 2003

I had seen the original 1950's film but never this 1982 classic version, brilliantly directed by John Carpenter ("The Fog" and "Halloween"). So often I find that re-makes are never as good as the original, but not in this case.

'The Thing', set in the cold, icy wastes of the Antarctic, is a marvelous mixture of horror, fear and 'edge of your seat' suspense. You get the urge to run from the room on several occasions. Carpenter takes you through the scientific quarters, sharing every uncomfortable moment with the men, until you begin to feel as if you are in there with them. How long will it be before you are The Thing's next victim?

The score to the film is skillfully provided by Ennio Morricone, setting exactly the right mood throughout the film's phases. The acting is also superb, led by Kurt Russell and Wilford Brimley. They start out as good scientists but soon become paranoid with themselves and each other, as The Thing goes about its business of removing them one by one.

Technically the DVD is pretty good. The print from which this disc was cast was unfortunately a little dirty, made more obvious when out in the white backdrops of the Antarctic. The sound track is a good 5.1 re-mix, bringing an extra dimension to the frightening drama.

This is a fantastic movie and is well worth renting for your DVD player.

However, don't expect to get any sleep if you make it a late night viewing, as I did!

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9 out of 10 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5.0 stars
In Antarctica no one can hear you scream..

Jason Hood from Birmingham, 9th April, 2004

To begin with, the whole premise of The Thing is very similar to Alien - a group of people isolated with no chance of rescue, with a malevolent alien being wandering around, obviously intending to pick them off one by one.

But The Thing very quickly becomes its own film and a very good one at that, thanks to strong leading cast members, a good script and some truly horrible special effects. It's been said before, especially by me, but it's another film that proves that hand-made effects can look better than just relying on CGI.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a remake of this some time soon, but it'd be hard to improve on the work of Russell, Carpenter and effects man Stan Winston (Terminator, etc).

Classic film, with the genuine scares you don't get in supposed 'horror' films these days.

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