E's Reviews RETRO: John Carpenter's The Thing

“ We're gonna draw a little bit of everyone's blood, 'cause we're gonna find out who's the Thing. Watching Norris in there gave me the idea that every little part of him was a whole. Every little piece was an individual animal with a built-in desire to protect its own life. You see, when a man bleeds, it's just tissue. But blood from one of you Things won't obey when it's attacked. It'll try and survive. Crawl away from a hot needle, say. “ - MacReady

So...imagine this...you’re part of  a crew in Antarctica and find a neighboring camp destroyed and its crew dead. Whatever killed them is nowhere to be found, unless it's hidden in plain sight. And that thing that’s hidden in plain sight? It could be anyone. It could be you. It could be me. And there’s a very good chance it’s pissed off. That’s what we get with horror master John Carpenter’s sci-fi horror/thriller, The Thing.

The Thing was directed by master of terror John Carpenter (Halloween) and stars Kurt Russell as MacReady, Wilford Brimley as Dr. Blair, Keith David as Childs, and a cast of excellent actors (see: victims) for this horrifying creature that came from space and was awakened from it’s frozen slumber. I’m writing this review/opinion piece because on the 25th of June, it celebrated a birthday (37 years) and wanted to give my take on the film. I also watched it again to prepare.

The film itself is excellent. The acting, directing, screenplay, the entire production was so well put together, that it made this film a classic for genre fans. It has such amazing tension and suspense from the fact that, anyone could be the monster. Anyone could be next. And we won’t know who or when. The creature itself masquerades as any one of the crew, being alone with someone who is the Thing could prove to be fatal. But being around your friends could be equally as fatal, as no one trusts anyone anymore. And everyone is on edge, armed with flame throwers, guns, or knives (or even flares, gas cans, even TNT). The screenplay and direction for this reason makes it one of the best, if not the best, thriller to ever grace the silver screen. Then, in true Carpenter fashion, the film gives us some of the coolest body horror imagery I’ve ever seen, with the creature transforming into a monster of tentacles and blood, giving off roars that would make even a lion back down in fear. It was very Lovecraft-esque in that department. The creature effects were very well done, having used traditional prosthetic makeup effects and puppetry to show off the monster. But all this couldn’t have been possible without the amazing ensemble of actors, primarily Kurt Russell, who gives one of his best performances of his entire career.

Even after 37 years, this film does something for me. Each time I watch it, I feel like I’m watching it for the first time. Each jump scare (of which there aren’t many) feels genuine. Each time the monster makes itself known, I sit back and tell myself that it’s not real, that it’s just a movie. I feel my stomach turn at the tension that the film creates, and it’s for this reason that it’s a cinema masterpiece, it makes you feel the terror that these characters are feeling. I watch this movie at least once a month, and I highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it yet. The action, acting, directing, script, the score (which is amazing), everything about this movie is Carpenter in his prime, doing what he does best.

Final Score: 10/10