John Carpenter's The Thing (1982) is now classic horror, but seems a whole lot less known than the various slashers with too many sequels (Michael Myers/Jason/Freddy/Ghostface) or monster movies that go much farther back (Dracula/Frankenstein/Mummy). I think The Thing represents the best kind of horror, with a well thought out plot and almost unbearable building tension instead of only cheap jump scares and/or over-the-top gore. When I wrote 31 Days of Halloween a few years ago I included it in my top group with other movies I'd probably like to write about at some point (like Alien!) and are similar in the most basic of ways: they feature a person, or persons, stranded and being hunted.
When I wrote that post I'd only seen The Thing once, but it stood out in my mind as more than just good horror, it's a great film in any respect. I've wanted to rewatch and write about it for a while and ended up buying the Blu-Ray. I finally put it in, just in time for Halloween.
Maybe (hopefully) you've heard of John Carpenter. He was most busy in the 80s, when he had commercial successes like The Fog (1980) and Escape from New York (1981). But he's best known for being the creator of Halloween (1978) and Michael Myers, and even composed its haunting score. Horror has always been his wheelhouse. In 1982 he made The Thing, casting frequent collaborator Kurt Russell. It sounds like he needed to be convinced to make the film, as he was a fan of Howard Hawk's The Thing from Another World (1951), the first film attempt at this story, and didn't think it could be improved upon. This, it should be noted, is the movie Laurie and Tommy watch Halloween night before the attack of the 'Boogie Man.' Carpenter's version ended up getting reviewed poorly, tanked at the box office, and only later had its reputation revived. It's the definition of a cult classic.
Here's the plot, without spoiling too many details.
At an American research base in Antarctica an unknown helicopter approaches, shooting at a sled dog running through the snow. The dog reaches the base, the helicopter lands and the gunman gets out, continuing to shoot and yelling in Norwegian. He hits one of the Americans who's outside in the commotion. The American base leader kills the raging gunman before they find out what's happened. In attempting to report the incident their radioman can't reach anyone. The group is stranded with deep winter about to begin.
They set out to learn what they can. The escaped dog becomes a problem. A body, one that's horribly deformed, is found and examined, revealing they're dealing with a creature that can perfectly imitate other beings. It kills and takes over the host, hiding in plain sight. They also discover that whatever it is came out of a spaceship lodged in ice at least 100,000 years old, meaning it's not from Earth and pre-dates humanity.
Soon the alien starts taking members of their crew. The only way to fight back is with fire, this monster needs to be consumed and destroyed. For about half the movie you have no idea where it is or who is no longer themself, it's a guessing game. This includes Russell's main character 'Mac,' a long-haired, Scotch (J+B!) drinking helicopter pilot. His most important trait is an ability to see what's happening and ruthlessly do what's required. But even being proactive the situation worsens quickly, no one can trust anyone else and everyone starts going a little crazy.
It's really well done. There are a few times you think you know where the monster is, but you (and the crew) have been misled. The paranoid tension never lets up and it's all rather bleak, it's not like there's comedic relief. This supposedly is a big part of the film's box office failure, audiences didn't dig the hopelessness, especially when they could go see a friendly alien, E.T., instead. At the time the special effects were the main aspect that drew praise. 40 years later some of them will be a distraction. I don't think what they did looks bad, unlike in many other 80s films, but it does look old compared to what can be done today. Still, the main draw of this movie isn't seeing the grotesque Thing exposed, it's watching the human (we think) crew trying to figure it out without wholly destroying themselves in the process. Then, after it all, you're still left wondering who won.
Carpenter is indeed a master of horror. This film is one of his best, and most influential, and is worth seeking out. I'm certainly glad it developed a cult following.
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