The Thing (HD-DVD)

THE THING

John Carpenter once commented that “you’ll never see anything like The Thing again”. Unless old Johnny boy allows for a remake (the treatment many of his earlier films are now receiving) or a much discussed sequel, this statement is likely to hold true for quite some time. Since its release in 1982, the whole bastion of the horror genre has tried, and failed, to deliver anything as eye-opening, visually perplexing, beguiling, ...
...a Norwegian science team, awaking the creature aboard from its deep frozen slumber. But this is no ordinary creature. This alien has the capacity to assimilate any biological organism it touches, producing a perfect copy, and only reveals its true form in a defence mechanism of blood soaked tentacles, sharp teeth and an orgy of gore. After devouring its way through the Norwegian camp, The Thing finds company in the presence of an American team of ... more

THE THING

John Carpenter once commented that “you’ll never see anything like The Thing again”. Unless old Johnny boy allows for a remake (the treatment many of his earlier films are now receiving) or a much discussed sequel, this statement is likely to hold true for quite some time. Since its release in 1982, the whole bastion of the horror genre has tried, and failed, to deliver anything as eye-opening, visually perplexing, beguiling, claustrophobic, tense, shocking, horrifying or superbly scripted and acted as Carpenter’s re-imaging of Howard Hawks’ 1951 flick ‘The Thing From another World’. Not bad for a remake, huh?

An alien ship crash lands in Antarctica over a millennia ago and is subsequently dug up by a Norwegian science team, awaking the creature aboard from its deep frozen slumber. But this is no ordinary creature. This alien has the capacity to assimilate any biological organism it touches, producing a perfect copy, and only reveals its true form in a defence mechanism of blood soaked tentacles, sharp teeth and an orgy of gore. After devouring its way through the Norwegian camp, The Thing finds company in the presence of an American team of bored and bickering hippies, including enigmatic helicopter pilot R.J MacReady (Kurt Russell). Following one of the greatest monster reveals ever conceived (involving a dog’s head splitting open) and with paranoia and mistrust beginning to splinter the group, MacReady must work out who amongst his colleagues is The Thing before all are transformed into perfect imitations.

Whilst The Thing owes many a nod to the cold war paranoia and assimilation shared by Invasion of the Bodysnatchers (thanks to the themes of John W. Campbell’s original short story “Who Goes There?”), it’s the addition of an enclosed and desolate Antarctic environment, bickering bored scientists played by a wonderful ensemble cast and an original take on the ‘creature feature’ that makes Carpenter’s movie so highly memorable. The crimson bloodbath on show may seem the pre-eminent factor of The Thing, yet the ease with which it moves from horror, to science fiction, to character drama exposes the film as so much more than your typical bog-standard horror flick. Carpenter ensures scenes swing between set pieces of flying gore and dismembered limbs to themes of paranoia and mis-trust to make for an equally compelling exercise in characterisation and suspense.

Indeed, some of the more intense scenes are delivered as the survivors within the camp argue which of them, if any, might still be human. A good thing then that Carpenter hired the finest ensemble cast of the time to deliver a convincing portrayal of a group going bat-shit crazy in a claustrophobic setting. Allowing enough time for the audience to care for and understand the motivations of characters (Palmer always antagonising Windows is brilliantly understated) it is the skill of the actors when faced by the incomprehensible threat amongst them that ensures the tension is wracked up to ten. And when you have the rugged charm of Kurt Russell (who previously starred in Carpenter’s Escape from New York) on board, an actor of the old-school hero variety where he uses brains rather than brawn, you have someone to root for against the titular beast as well.

Despite the refreshing intelligence of the screenplay (intelligent in that it avoids the usual quagmire of horror clichés), it really does play second fiddle to The Thing. Moving away from the bland and not particularly scary man-in-a-monster-suit, Carpenter revolutionised the way an alien encounter could be perceived on screen. Horror had a new face, so to speak; one that remains hidden and transforms with every new incarnation assimilated. You never know where the damn Thing is! Ironically, Carpenter had created a genre-defining monster-in-a-man-suit horror flick and, with that, scope for a breed of terror reminiscent of Alien’s chestburster sequence.

Indeed for the film to really work it is vital that the tension built up in previous scenes is provided with the release it deserves. So, when The Thing bursts open from its warm human hiding place in a hideously twisted mutation of blood, gore, slime, puss and tentacles, it’s unlikely to disappoint. In the assured hands of Rob Bottin, the effects are both shocking and original, serving to illustrate not only how realistic prosthetics and fake blood are compared to the elaborate and over-done CGI employed today, but also why The Thing has stood the test of time as a sci-fi classic. What really makes The Thing unique within the vaults of horror are the sequences that have come to transcend the movie and take on a reputation of their own, for which Bottin is mostly responsible. A revered film usually contains at least one such sequence. The Thing contains three…

When Doc Copper (Richard Dyshart) pushes the heart paddles against Norris’ (Charles Hallahan) chest for the second time, the sequence that follows will leave your jaw dropping. Palmer’s (David Clennon) response of “You’ve got to be fucking kidding” only adds to the extremity of one of cinema’s greatest visually realised scenes. The now often copied blood test scene (recently spoofed in The Faculty) produces one of the biggest jump out of your seat moments, as a seemingly dialogue driven moment is suddenly injected with another of Bottin’s twisted concoctions (this time with a venus fly-trap styled head). A masterclass of slow-burning intensity resulting in a terrific pay-off! These are sequences most other films would struggle to recover from, so just how do you end a film following such excess? With no real conventional ending, just a final beautifully scripted sequence ending with probably the greatest final line from any film, ever…

For a film that plays its hand right from the start by showing the titular monster near enough at the beginning of the film, The Thing certainly has some balls. When you add a brilliant opening shot of the wide, desolate expanse of Antarctica (the antithesis of the claustrophobic action that will later take place), a fantastic and haunting synth score by Ennio Morricone and some fine tuned action set pieces, one starts to recognise the genius encapsulated throughout The Thing. That its influence stems as wide as Predator (which re-uses Carpenter’s opening shot) and Reservoir Dogs (essentially the same film – bickering men in an isolated warehouse where not everyone is who they seem) is a timely reminder of how far reaching the film has proved in cinema lore. Indeed, The Thing has many faces to its name – not only is it Carpenter’s best film, it’s also the best remake ever produced and one of the best films ever crafted. They simply don’t make them like this anymore.

Overall - If in space no one can hear you scream then in Antarctica your screams are simply snuffed out by Morricone’s haunting score! The Thing is a masterclass of suspense and excessive gore-filled moments, featuring a number of genre-defining twists, an intelligent script and classic scenes aplenty. What more could you want?

Where to buy - Well Amazon currently have it available for near enough £15. Whilst it's worth the money, you're likely to find it cheaper at other retailers if you shop around. £7 is a typical price in HMV and the like.

Director: John Carpenter

Screenplay: Bill Lancaster

Cast:

Kurt Russell ... R.J. MacReady
Wilford Brimley ... Dr. Blair
T.K. Carter ... Nauls
David Clennon ... Palmer
Keith David ... Childs
Richard A. Dysart ... Dr. Copper (as Richard Dysart)
Charles Hallahan ... Vance Norris
Peter Maloney ... George Bennings
Richard Masur ... Clark
Donald Moffat ... Garry
Joel Polis ... Fuchs
Thomas G. Waites ... Windows

Rating: 18

Running Time: 109 minutes

Genre: Horror / Mystery / Sci-Fi / Thriller

© Clownfoot, June 2007.

Please note: This is a re-write of my previous The Thing review. If you have any comments on which you prefer, please let me know. 

...less