THE THING - a true masterpiece of horror!
July 5th 2010 16:20
The Thing - a film by John Carpenter
Placing us in the depths of destructive paranoia, The Thing is John Carpenter’s masterpiece. Faintly resembling the fabric of Ridley Scott’s Alien, in it’s set up and unfolding. The Thing is a truly terrifying excursion into a dehumanised view of humanity. It remains a masterful study of man's primal reaction to fear and there are so many astonishing strengths to it, as it works both, as a horror and science fiction film. Made in 1982, causing all film critics at the time to screech in disgust when comparing it to the family fun of Spielberg’s E.T. The Thing surpasses it’s 1951 original by Howard Hawks, in every way conceivable.
Beginning it’s first shot with a UFO hurtling across the galaxy, visually amusing and rudimentary by today’s standards. The Thing establishes the presence of an alien life form which will soon turn the baron land scape of Antarctica into a thickly inescapable nightmare for a group of American scientists posted on the icy terrain. The ruthless conditions already find them removed from all other contact with humans, as Norwegian explorers from another base hunt down a beautiful dog fleeing through the unkind winds of the North Pole. This gorgeous animal takes shelter with the protective group of American scientists who put the raving Norwegian men down to a case of cabin fever, disregarding their hysteria. When they finally do look, they find something which strikes fear and distrust into all of them, all the way to the the final tense frame of this absolute classic.
A crew of 12 men dwell here, on this remote station, with the only female to be found in the form of the voice of a computer, the first sign of humanity disconnected. R. J. MacReady (Kurt Russel) sits playing chess, not with a person but with a machine, the only sign of any connection between man and the world is the limited affection this crew have for their new pet which is but an illusion, that will soon take on a new form, as it imitates the appearance of the very life it kills. By the time the crew and the audience realize how deep into disaster they are, it will be too late. This alien ‘thing’ remains constantly threatening as a mood of distrust swells thick among the decreasing number of men on the station, as the prospect of living becomes more disconcerting for them. Questions rise up as other dreaded discoveries are made, only to be followed by several, cliff hanging, fade to black’s.
It’s all masterfully executed in this thickened atmosphere created by John Carpenter (Halloween, Escape From New York, The Fog, Big Trouble In Little China), who has consistently proven to be the master of these kinds of stories. The Thing twists you around it’s little finger with it’s technically sublime scripting and joyful manipulations. It’s nightmare vision permeates in the form of uncertainty. The film's perfect pacing, minimalist score by musical maestro Ennio Morricone (The Mission, A Fist Full Of Dollars, The Good The Bad & The Ugly) and the brooding camera’s tracking shots heighten unbearable tension, amplify thrills and bring new meaning to the word ‘menacing’. The cinematography by Dean Cundy is brilliant creating intense visuals for both the horror and sci-fi elements. An ensemble of actors, including Kurt Russel (Deathproof), Wilford Brimley (Hard Target), Keith David (Requiem For A Dream), T.K. Carter (Space Jam) and David Clennon (Bound For Glory) fire away on all cylinders, bringing a fervent authenticity to the pot of madness bubbling away through the film’s duration, as well as some damn impressive animatronic special effects which are all the more impressive when put in to the context of it's pre-CGI period and the film’s limited budget.
It’s a certifiably ghastly experience that can terrify as well as come eerily close to commenting on man’s disconnection with humanity. There are some gross out shocks along the way as the tension of the film works your heartbeat and stomach into knots. The effects remain unnervingly authentic, in fact lets just call them ‘gloriously disgusting’. One scene in particular, which is the common trauma ground for most fans of the film, will stay clear in your memory long after other details have faded.
Kurt Russel has rarely been better than he is here and his regular collaborations with Carpenter have always been a treat. Through out the film you're never sure whether your safe or not and what Carpenter does so brilliantly is he takes an already tensely built story and transposes the fears of his characters on to the audience, the heightened sense of terror in each character, no matter how much they try to act in control reveals itself and spreads like a flame on gasoline, right out of your TV and on to you.
Speaking of horror, a nightmare of the worst sort continues, as the remake of The Thing is due out in 2011, lets all promise to stick with the original, shall we.
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Few films manage to draw the atmosphere of doom with such ease. Carpenter's skills can never be in question after watching.
Amazing FX that still dazzle in that how-did-they-do-it-way. A definite classic.
Comment by Matt Shea
20/20 Filmsight
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
aint this movie just the best!
Comment by Deni
Abstract Magick
Cinema Herald
The spider-head always freaks me out. I hate spiders!
Great pick, Shaun!
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
The Thing is where my thoughts lie.
Dare I suggest it Shaun, but it seems as though your site is looking more and more like JDs ...? You just raised the point size too ...
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
I'm sticking to my size.
The spider head is indeed quite a spin out Deni