The Thing

John Carpenter’s film, an adaptation of the John W Cambell Jr novella Who Goes There? is a great example to throw out whenever people moan about remakes!  The tale had already been adapted, of sorts, in the 1951 film The Thing From Another World – and, indeed, Carpenter references that film right from the start with a title logo burning onto screen reminiscent of the manner it did on that earlier film.  Telling the tale of a team of researchers at an Antarctic station who discover an alien vessel, and find their base under interior attack by a creature that can alter its form, the claustrophobic horror is tense, chilling, and creative in the visuals, making it one of the defining sci-fi horrors of the 20th century.

Kurt Russel, who was already involved in the production before he was cast – he helped Carpenter flash out the ideas  – was the last cast member added, and plays McReady, the helicopter pilot for the group.  His third time working with Carpenter, he seems a perfect fit behind his mammoth facial hair (which took about a year and a half to grow according to reports), and surrounding him are names such as Keith David as Childs, A Wilford Brimley as Blair, TK Carter as Nauls, David Clennon as Palmer, Donald Moffat as Garry, and Ricahrd Masur as Clark.  Much like early Carpenter, Dark Star, we have a low-fi approach, with a bunch of inhabitants of the remote station who don’t necessarily work well together, and tensions are certainly already frayed even before the creature appears.

The creature itself is where the film really excels.  Having it being able to adopt any form, meaning anyone and everyone could be the creature at any point in time, makes the film a guessing game as to who can be trusted.  Comparable to Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the film plays a little into the cold-war paranoia of the era.   The score by Morricone lends to the atmosphere beautifully – even in the Carpenter remixed form.

But the effects are what make this film stand out to many, and indeed when I first saw this I was absolutely captivated by the sequences, pausing and rewinding the VHS tape until it was almost at breaking point through overuse.  I’d seen glimpses of moments on TV shows such as the late night Film show (presented by Barry Norman) when the film was released, but getting to see them myself on home release was an utter pleasure.  I first got chance to see this on the big screen around 20 years ago when UGC cinemas screened it as a ‘classic’ choice – the print was scratched and damaged, but that didn’t diminish the experience of seeing the film in that environment.  DVD and BluRay versions have allowed for more clarity of the effects…and allowed us to see how well they hold up today!  Rob Bottin’s creature designs are frighteningly twisted, creatively chilling, and perfectly used.  From the unfolding dog, to the chest cavity bite, to the spider-head – everything is twisted and horrific to perfection. 

The Thing was poorly received on release – critics hated it, and audiences avoided it – but like many other films of the time it found a home on VHS, where new audiences lapped it up, and a new generation of critics got a chance to explore the themes and design, making it a film that has been re-evaluated over the years to now be more than just a cult classic, but actually be highly regarded, often making lists of the top films of the 20th Century.

The Thing from Another World (1951)
	Rating: 7.1/10 (32,898 votes) Director: Christian Nyby, Howard Hawks Writer: Charles Lederer, John W. Campbell Jr., Howard Hawks Stars: Kenneth Tobey, Margaret Sheridan, James Arness Runtime: 87 min Rated: Approved Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi Released: 07 Apr 1951
Plot: Scientists and American Air Force officials fend off a bloodthirsty alien organism while at a remote arctic outpost.

The original film, The Thing From Another World, adapted the tale, but changed characters and even the creature design from the book – instead just using the basic framework (cold monitoring station, ship in ice, creature killing the base inhabitants) as the story.   But, despite skipping some elements of the book, and changing the creature to be a vegetation-like species, it works, and is considered one of the best B-Movie sci-fi films of the era.   Whilst it was directed by Christian Nyby, reports suggest that Howard Hawks was on set and in control for most, if not all of the film (suggestions that Nyby got credit just so he could get guild membership).   Again, the film played into the 50s era paranoia of communism, with parallels with McCarthyism being drawn by critics over the years.

The Thing (2011)
	Rating: 6.2/10 (145,428 votes) Director: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. Writer: Eric Heisserer, John W. Campbell Jr. Stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen Runtime: 103 min Rated: R Genre: Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi Released: 14 Oct 2011
Plot: At an Antarctica research site, the discovery of an alien craft leads to a confrontation between graduate student Kate Lloyd and scientist Dr. Sander Halvorson.

In 2011 another film named The Thing was made, confusingly keeping the exact same name, but playing out as a prequel, it was met with mixed reviews and performed poorly at the box office.  Confusion from the public as to whether this was a remake or reboot or prequel didn’t help.   Whilst the story claims to be a prequel, focussing on the Norweigan base from which the dog and helicopter that open the first film are coming from, it follows all the beats of Carpenters film, and simply rehashes them.  Practical effects were used well, but then given a CGI addition that slightly diminishes them, but the overall film is not too bad.  Cast are good in it, but it all felt a little too familiar to be memorable.