Author: Lee Fenton
‘The Thing’ is a grotesquely eloquent special FX extravaganza; a startling exploration of suspense and paranoia, a psychological horror-thriller (that can mentally scar the uninitiated), and it’s an absolutely ingenious film; directed by horror aficionado – John Carpenter. This movie leaves a lasting impression on anyone who watches it.
It’s a truly well-crafted piece of cerebral horror, playing off a person’s natural phobias and the human inclination to suspect those around them, watching ‘The Thing’ is a paranoia inducing experience. The majority of us do not deal well with isolation and claustrophobic environments, this is an absolute truth. As a piece of cinema, ‘The Thing’ highlights this truth; and succeeds in exploring the effects it can have on the human psyche.
‘The Thing’ (1982) is a remake of ‘The Thing from Another World’ (1951), a black & white classic film that also helped to pioneer cutting-edge techniques in the area of visual effects.
The general premise is this:
A scientific research team is stranded (due to inclement weather) in a research outpost located in the Antarctic. The men have already begun exhibiting symptoms of cabin fever, illustrated by a scene, in which MacCready (Kurt Russell) pours water into a computer’s harddrive after losing a chess match with it, taking out his anger on government property. The other parts of the team are seen acting irritable towards one another – in a normal setting this would be a non-issue. However when all access to the outside world is cut off, these minor grievances can lead to serious inter-relational disputes; or in the worst case scenario; displays of violence.
Now all this is a fine setup for a slow-paced psychological thriller, a glimpse into a group of individuals slowly losing their minds (without any external force involved). Something more akin to ‘The Hole’ (2001): a bleakly riveting; disturbing, dread-filled, British horror feature that will make you crawl out of your skin. But this story delves into the territory of the unknown, when some THING alien invades the research outpost, in the form of a seemingly benign husky.
This sled dog is the only survivor of a Norwegian research team – after one man blows himself and his helicopter up, and his frantic partner then fires upon the critter as it runs toward the American team, the man shouting incomprehensible words (in his native tongue) at Macready and the others. The U.S. station commander gets spooked; fires at the man and kills him, torpedoing any chance at an explanation for the alarming and mystifying encounter.
Upon further inspection of the Norwegians research base, a spaceship of seemingly extraterrestrial origins is found by the U.S. research team, adding to the sense of dread, while also intriguing the more intrepid researchers. Evidently, the ship of unknown origins is a once-in-a-lifetime scientific discovery. It also appears as if the Norwegian scientists found something inside the ship, and began performing tests on it.
Or rather, did something find them….
Famed Italian composer ‘Ennio Morricone’ arranged the score for Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’ (1982), hailed for his work with Sergio Leone on the director’s acclaimed Spaghetti-Westerns, “The Man with No Name Trilogy” – ‘Fistful of Dollars’, ‘For a Few Dollars More’, and ‘The Good the Bad and the Ugly’.
The score adds so much to this creature-feature that I honestly couldn’t imagine what the end product would be like without it.
Morricone’s score is reminiscent of a beating heart; rhythmic and urgent, swelling at moments of great suspense and anxiety. It adds immensely to the overall foreboding and trepidation felt throughout the film.
The acting is masterful in 1982’s ‘The Thing’, the cast really manages to capture the heightened emotional state of a group of men who are slowly turning on each other, fighting for their lives against an unseen, amorphous, otherworldly entity.
Did I mention the special effects are truly terrifying?
Well, hell — I’m going to post a gallery for this one folks, because the imagery that caused a lot of critics (and movie goers) to walk out, revolted, back in 1982; those insanely demonic and disquieting visuals that portray the alien as a creature who can meld with its victims in a painful envelopment of sorts…Well that’s really what this picture is praised for most of all, all these years later.
That and the rest of the meticulous filmmaking techniques that went into the production — but the horrifying visuals on display are the most talked about; and receive the most amount of attention from adulating fans. And honestly, the amount of work and artistry that went into making the practical FX come to life; well that would be an article in itself.
There’s lots of behind the scenes footage, probably a few documentaries out there.
It’s worthwhile to go check them out, especially if you’re enrolled in a course on film or work in the industry; some really revolutionary prosthetic builds and animatronics were designed for this movie, and they created a long lasting impact in the realm of makeup & practical FX.
JOHN CARPENTER’S ‘THE THING’
Rating:
10/10
Scary AF
Afterword:
ON KEITH DAVID’S ACTING
[ Keith David gives a tremendous turn as the character “Childs”, head-mechanic stationed at Outpost 37 – it is memorable, earnest, and ultimately Childs plays an essential part in Act III of ‘The Thing’. Being the deuteragonist; the actor competes with Kurt Russel as the in-world lead, and their chemistry on screen is tremendously successful in communicating the severity of the situation. Both men appear to be above suspicion until the final moments; and both appear to be dead set on not allowing the alien to escape the outpost. David adds to the suspense with his no-nonsense delivery and affected machismo, evoking the feeling of an actual military enlistee – interestingly enough, police, and or military officers, are the roles that Keith David often seems to gravitate towards. I don’t think it’s a leap to state the following: he clearly excels at playing those that are in a position of authority.
I chose not to touch on other actors besides Kurt Russell, for brevity’s sake; yet I feel not mentioning Keith David’s contributions would be highly disingenuous. The man went on to have a very successful career starring in a multitude of globally recognized projects; from John Carpenter’s cult-classic ‘They Live’, to David’s prominent role in ‘Platoon’ (1986), and most recently: a recurring guest appearance on Adult Swim’s hugely popular series, ‘Rick & Morty’ – as the fictional U.S. President. ]
