On October 25, 1978, John Carpenter’s “Halloween” was released and grossed 70 million dollars. In the film there is a small reference to “The Thing From Another World,” a 1951-film adaptation of “Who Goes There?” by John W. Campbell.
A few years later in 1982, John Carpenter’s much more accurate take on the story “The Thing” would be released. While it wasn’t considered a success at first, a cult following soon grew in popularity and is now recognized as Carpenter’s masterpiece.
The film stars Kurt Russell as R.J. MacReady, Keith David as Childs and Wilford Brimley as Dr. Blair.
The film is about the 12-man crew at Outpost 31 in Antarctica and their attempts to kill a shape-shifting alien that kills and/or infects people to take their form.
One of the main draws to the film is the unanswered questions, who got infected first isn’t said, and the question of who of the surviving two is the thing or if any of them are infected at the end is not answered and has been in debate for 42 years.
“The Thing” has also had other media based on the film such as the poorly received 2011 prequel film, the beloved 2002 video game sequel and various tie-in comics.
The film’s special effects were done by Rob Bottin and is another reason the film is so good. The effects are gross and gory, and give it a real and very horrifying feel. Bottin worked on the film tirelessly for seven-day weeks, and it wasn’t until Bottin was hospitalized that Stan Winston took over for the dog thing.
Carpenter’s “The Thing” is one of, if not the best, horror movie of all time and is no doubt Carpenter’s masterpiece, with it’s thrilling and suspenseful story, ground breaking effects, and mysteries that are still being talked about today, it makes for an unforgettable film.
