Released: June 1982
Director: John Carpenter
Rated R
Run Time: 109 Minutes
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Genre: Science Fiction/Horror
Cast:
Kurt Russell: MacReady
Keith David: Childs
Wilford Brimley: Dr. Blair
Richard Dysart: Dr. Copper
Richard Masur: Clark
Charles Hallahan: Norris
Peter Maloney: Bennings
Donald Moffat: Garry
Joel Polis: Fuchs
Thomas G. Waites: Windows
T.K. Carter: Nauls
David Clennon: Palmer
Cult Classic: Something, typically a movie or book, that is popular or fashionable among a particular group or section of society. I’ve been on a horror movie binge lately. I recently reviewed the 2005 version of House of Wax, which I mentioned had gotten me back into the genre, but I also watched Spiral, Jigsaw, and recently, A Quiet Place Part II. I’ve also watched lesser known indie horror films like Girl Next, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I feel that it will become a cult classic of its own. I’m a huge fan of old cult classics like Evil Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and DeepStar Six. I’ve reviewed a lot of horror movies, but to my eternal shame, there’s one movie that I haven’t reviewed on this site yet: John Carpenter’s The Thing. Certain names are associated with certain movies, because those names are directly responsible for the existence of those films. Sean S. Cunningham was responsible for Friday The 13th. Wes Craven: Nightmare on Elm Street. Tobe Hooper: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Sam Raimi: Evil Dead. These names are forever etched in the minds and hearts of many a horror fan. But there is one name that nobody should ever forget: John Carpenter.
The Thing follows a group of scientists and workers in the isolated Outpost 31 in Antarctica. It’s the beginning of winter, but the scientists witness a lone dog being chased by a Norwegian helicopter. One of the Norwegians gets out of the helicopter and begins shooting at the dog, hitting Bennings in the process before being shot by the group’s leader, Garry. Mystified as to why the Norwegians appeared to to be insane, helicopter pilot MacReady and resident physician Dr. Copper head to the Norwegians’ outpost, only to find it completely destroyed. Discovering an empty ice block and the remnants of a horrendously disfigured body, they head home. Meanwhile, the lone dog is put into the kennel with the other dogs and it begins to change. After burning the creature, the scientists discover that the organism has the ability to perfectly imitate any life-form that it absorbs. Soon, they begin to realize that not everybody is who they appear to be. The story is remarkably simple, but compelling. You have a vicious alien life-form that can take the shape of anyone that it comes into contact with and you have an atmosphere rampant with paranoia and suspicion. The movie drops you in without telling you what’s going on, so you’re discovering things at the same time as the crew of Outpost 31 is. Some people refer to John Carpenter’s movie as a remake of The Thing From Another World from the 50s. In point of fact, The Thing more closely resembles its source material, which is Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell. It’s a great story, and John Carpenter’s film is a wonderful adaptation.
When this movie was released in June of 1982, it was torn to shreds. You see, two weeks earlier, Steven Spielberg’s family-friendly E.T.: The Extraterrestrial was released. So, most people were not willing to go see a vicious alien terrorizing a group of isolated scientists. The movie bombed at the box office. Yet, when VHS became widely available, more and more people discovered The Thing and began to appreciate it more. John Carpenter’s The Thing is the very definition of a cult classic. Yet now, it’s considered to be more than just a cult classic. It’s widely regarded as one of the best sci-fi/horror movies ever made. There’s a reason why I said that John Carpenter is a name that should never be forgotten. This guy helped revolutionize the slasher genre with 1978’s Halloween, and crafted another cult classic that he did with Kurt Russell called Escape From New York. The Thing is the first film in what Mr. Carpenter calls his “Apocalypse Trilogy.” The second film being Prince of Darkness and the final one being In the Mouth of Madness. The reason he calls these films his Apocalypse Trilogy is that they all deal with events that could lead to the end of the world. The Thing works brilliantly in so many different ways. It’s atmospheric, it’s intense, and for us gore-hounds, it’s a bloody good time.
Let’s start off with the effects. The special effects in The Thing were incredibly revolutionary for 1982. CGI was extremely rudimentary, so that obviously wasn’t considered. No, they had to rely on practical effects, prosthetics, and puppets for this movie. They brought in Rob Bottin, who became a special effects superstar overnight and put in the same category as Stan Winston. It’s gruesome, gory, and slimy. The creature designs are nightmarish to say the least, and the funny thing is: We don’t actually get to see the true form of this monster. We see glimpses of it and what it can do, but we never actually see the whole thing, even at the end of the movie. It works better when left to the imagination, because what I think the actual beast looks like may very well differ from what YOU would think it originally looked like. Most monster movies make the mistake of showing you the creature too early, but The Thing mixes it up by never keeping it the same shape. Half the time, it’s disguised as a human being, and that’s where the atmosphere comes in. In combination with the claustrophobic and isolated setting, it’s a lot easier for paranoia to spread, because not only does this thing imitate the looks, but also their memories and behaviors, right down to their little quirks, so the characters never know who is who.
Speaking of characters, we got a real motley crew of diverse folks here. At helm is MacReady, the resident helicopter pilot and all-around bad-ass, played to perfection by Kurt Russell. David Clennon plays Palmer, the resident stoner and conspiracy theorist. The late Wilford Brimley plays Dr. Blair, the resident surgeon and the guy that figures out how dangerous this creature is later on, and while he’s level-headed for most of the movie, when he goes crazy, he goes crazy. Thomas G. Waites plays Windows, the high-strung communications guy who can’t seem to get a hold of anybody in Antarctica. Keith David just knocks it out of the park as Childs. In fact, The Thing was David’s first real big role in a movie, which is outstanding. All the actors do an outstanding job. There isn’t one weak link in the casting here. One of the best things about this movie is the score by famed composer Ennio Morricone. It’s never over-the-top bombastic. It’s very low-key and minimalist which really adds to the atmosphere. There’s a lot of simple beats and synthesized elements that fit incredibly well with the film’s tone.
As a matter of fact, there’s very little to complain about with this movie, if anything. It’s very rare to see a horror movie that works on every single level and doesn’t falter, even at the end. It’s a credit John Carpenter and his team that The Thing works as well as it does. While it wasn’t well-received when it was first released, it has since garnered a HUGE following since the advent of home video. Horror fans around the world have claimed that The Thing is one of the best movies of its kind, with amazing practical effects that hold up after nearly 40 years. The tension, the paranoia and the overall atmosphere of the film makes it a classic. If you’re a huge fan of horror and haven’t seen this yet, what’s wrong with you? John Carpenter’s film would get a follow-up movie called…The Thing in 2011. It was more of a prequel than anything, as it followed the events of what happened at the Norwegian camp. It’s not a bad movie, but the over-use of CGI for the creatures was very disappointing. It’s still worth checking out at least, but John Carpenter’s film is an absolute must-own/must-see by any self-respecting horror movie enthusiast.