The Thing [MA]

In the winter of 1982, a Norwegian research team based in the Antarctic uncover a spacecraft and alien frozen in the ice for over a thousand years. But then the alien, after thawing out, wakes up and wreaks complete havoc on the poor Norwegians. Soon the alien, who escapes detection by shape changing, finds its way into the company of an American research team and the yanks get a taste of true terror as they struggle to be rid of it once and for all. But how can they work together to destroy it when they can’t tell who is human and who is a Thing? 

From a leading name in cinematic horror, John Carpenter, The Thing is one of the more successful science fiction horror movies made, something that I think Alien failed to be. A solid story armed with a psychoanalytical sub-story as well as excellent and gruesome special effects, this is rather a good horror movie. I don’t think I could watch it again any time soon, but I still enjoyed it and it got a few starts and squirms out of me. 

In the winter of 1982, a Norwegian research team based in the Antarctic uncover a spacecraft and alien frozen in the ice for over a thousand years. But then the alien, after thawing out, wakes up and wreaks complete havoc on the poor Norwegians. Soon the alien, who escapes detection by shape changing, finds its way into the company of an American research team and the yanks get a taste of true terror as they struggle to be rid of it once and for all. But how can they work together to destroy it when they can’t tell who is human and who is a Thing? 

Science fiction and alien movies in particular can be scary because it’s all to do with the unknown and therefore, leaves plenty of room for imagination on the parts of the director and art, costume, and makeup designers. The Thing in this movie was brilliant and the reason it was so scary was because it never really took on a shape the audience could recognise or make out. You couldn’t tell what was the head, tail, top, bottom, or anything with this thing and it was constantly opening and spewing out inordinate amounts of slime and gore and stuff and so it was just impossible to give it a shape or a name. It really was a thing! And the special effects were absolutely brilliant! Alien may have paved the way for this sort of science fiction gore, but The Thing pushed it to the utmost limit of its potential making it, I think in gore terms, a cross between Alien and David Cronenberg’s The Fly: absolutely revolting but compelling at the same time. 

The other thing that made this movie a good horror film was not just the gory and gruesome special effects that the alien brought, but the slow breakdown of the men’s minds and spirits as they struggle to fight it. It’s a great exploration of the fragility of the human mind and how it can break down under extreme pressure such as that of fighting an enemy that could be one of your own. A mixture of cabin fever and paranoia, the breakdowns of the men, one by one, is really intriguing to watch and it’s that that makes this movie quite scary as well. 

Starring Kurt Russell, A. Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter, David Clennon, Keith David, Richard Dysart, Charles Hallahan, Peter Maloney, Richard Masur, Donald Moffat, Joel Polis, Thomas Waites, and featuring a great spooky soundtrack by Ennio Morricone, The Thing is a great science fiction horror filled with gore, drama, breakdowns, explosions, and suspense. Spooky and gruesome, the special effects are the real star of the show, making The Thing one of the most iconic and scary monsters in horror history.