ABOUT / PLOT

"I don't know what the hell's in there, but it's weird and pissed off whatever it is."

As the title suggests, The Thing is a remake of the classic Howard Hawks production The Thing From Another World (Christian Nyby, 1951), which was loosely based on the seminal science fiction novella “Who goes there?” by John W. Campbell, Jr. However Carpenter thankfully avoids a mere faithful retelling of the revered classic film.

The Thing presents the members of an Antarctic station battling a relentless alien threat that absorbs and imitates living creatures, and transforms human flesh into gruesome creatures. For the characters in this film, the destruction of the monster is just as important as being able to figure out which members of the team are infected with the extraterrestrial menace. Carpenter created a complex web of paranoia where trust is completely nonexistent, and offered a unique study of the conflictive relationships generated among the group of men.

REPUTATION

Although initially a critical and commercial disappointment The Thing is possibly John Carpenter’s most accomplished and successful work to date.

The theatrical performance of the film was poor. The poor opening has been attributed to many factors, including Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which was released at the time and features a more optimistic view of alien visitation.

The film's special effects were simultaneously lauded and lambasted for being technically brilliant but visually repulsive.

Like many of his films The Thing, has been rediscovered on VHS, laserdisc and DVD and has since been embraced by many fans. Retrospectively, the film has gained much critical appreciation. 

REVIEWS

"its special effects, which are among the most elaborate, nauseating, and horrifying sights yet achieved by Hollywood's new generation of visual magicians"

Roger Ebert, Review from the Suntimes

Jay Scott in his review for the Globe and Mail called the film "a hell of an antidote to E.T.".

"Shows more originality, wit and invention than possibly any other film you might call a remake… as influential as Alien for its blend of action, sci-fi and chilling horror."

Review from Film4

"The Thing stands as a solid argument for considering John Carpenter as a visionary director ahead of his own time."

Marco Lanzagorta, Senses of Cinema