Imagine the juxtaposition presented to those simply window shopping at their local cinemas during this exact moment in time 38 years ago. Bounded within one of the permanent glass cases is a wholesome, silhouetted image of a young cyclist flying across the moon, visually describing the friendly title ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in his Adventure on Earth’. Contrasting the inviting essence of the aforementioned movie poster is its closest neighbour on display, which boasts bold text exclaiming ‘John Carpenter’s THE THING’ above a mysterious image bathed in black and blue of a snow-suited man with a burst of white light in place of where his face should be. The only clue to the contents of the motion picture is offered by the menacing tagline – ‘The ultimate in alien terror.’
Centralizing around an American crew in Antarctica, the film opens beautifully with a scene of a dog fleeing a Norwegian helicopter into the American’s base. Oddly motivated for reasons yet to be discovered by the Americans, the Norwegians are going to great lengths to destroy the dog, in turn accidentally immolating themselves. Confused and curious, the Americans seek out to discover more about their Norwegian neighbours only to discover their base has been destroyed. Strange happenings continuously unfold, in turn discovering an alien life-form that can perfectly imitate any living organism it absorbs. Paranoia takes hold, a deep claustrophobia settles, and the remainder of the film plays out as a life-threatening game in which the fate of the world is at stake.
Nearly four decades have passed since the release of John Carpenter’s sci-fi horror show, The Thing (1982), yet that ominous tagline still rings true. Initially falling victim to poor box office turnout due to being released in close proximity to Steven Spielberg’s family friendly alien feel-goody, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), the nihilism felt within Carpenter’s macabre masterpiece has aged gracefully, receiving critical acclaim within the horror genre and beyond. Though universally praised in modern day, it received criticism early on for blurring the lines between science fiction and horror resulting in a very dark picture with little pay off, and rightfully so. Carpenter successfully made a violently bleak alien film, only audiences in 1982 didn’t want that. Thankfully, horror has a tendency to progress in a way unlike any other genre. The Thing was an absolute game changer, extending the notion introduced in 1979 by Ridley Scott’s sci-fi terror, Alien, that cataclysmic horror and alien terror go hand-in-hand.
Despite Kurt Russell dominating the leading role as he has in countless Carpenter films, both before and after The Thing, the true star of this film is owed to the horde of Lovecraftian creatures created by special effects master, Rob Bottin. Having been cited as the best cinematic proof of the superiority of practical effects, the various monsters displayed within the film’s 109 minute runtime are still among the gnarliest and most memorable. Bottin, completely dedicated and positively driven, took on the entirety of this project on his own. Successfully doing so save for one scene in which Stan Winston employed his legendary talents, Bottin developed an ulcer from the unfathomable amount of stress he bestowed upon himself. Extreme dedication to the point of risking one’s own health may seem incredibly irrational to some, however The Thing undeniably takes the throne of body horror in a world where the likes of David Cronenberg and Stuart Gordon exist – Proof that it was no easy task.
Being as multidimensional and broad as the horror genre has become, The Thing uniquely caters to several tropes. Lovers of alien horror, body horror, psychological horror, violent horror, claustrophobic horror… The list goes on… This movie surpasses boundaries, and remains one of the most effective and legendary horror films to-date.