The Thing (1982)

Some of my favorite movies ever come from John Carpenter's work between the 1970s and the 1990s. Assault on Precint 13, Halloween, Escape from New York, The Fog. He was a young visionary and an inspiration to me in film school. While The Thing had a very mixed reception when it premiered, I think it's John Carpenter's best work, perfectly balancing story, interesting characters, and special effects.

I don't want to give too much away because part of the fun is watching the story unfold, but the basic premise is a group of researchers stationed at an outpost in Antarctica that are faced with an organism they affectionately refer to as "the thing." The entire film takes place at or around the outpost, a bleak and isolated location that draws the viewer in and leaves little room for hope of rescue. It's the kind of carefully crafted atmosphere that becomes a character in and of itself, a signature of Carpenter's early work.

Carpenter has gently pulled you into this Antarctic mystery before unleashing one of the most grotesque and unnerving scenes you've ever watched… animal lovers beware. And he doesn't stop there. Soon you are trapped in the same nightmare as the researchers, trusting nobody but yourself, unsure how to proceed.

Atmosphere is good, but you need real talent to fill it out. I'm a big fan of Kurt Russel and he turns in a fine performance, but it's great fun watching younger versions of Keith David, Wilford Brimley, and Richard Masur trapped in a white hell, desperate to figure out who they can trust. In fact, no one in the entire film turns in a lousy performance. This is a cast of believable characters, all of whom you can have some level of empathy for.

You might notice the mood and plot share similarities with Ridley Scott's Alien, which came out just a few years before, but The Thing is based on a novella written back in the 30s and, from what I've heard, is pretty faithful in its adaptation. That's not to say that Carpenter wasn't inspired in some ways by Scott, from the epic wide shots and the shape and flow of character dialog. In fact, this was Carpenter's first project with a major studio… it's curious to wonder if he would have received a green light without the success of Alien.

However it ended up being made, I'm thankful. The Thing is one of the most visceral and entertaining movies I've ever seen.