The Thing Review

Who is real, and who is the Thing--that question infuses John Carpenter's film, The Thing. The theme of an enemy within was hardly an original one; used predominantly in films during the 1950's as anti-communist sentiment, and to scare the American public into keeping an eye open for those evil pinko commie bastards. Released in 1982, to an American audience no longer interested in McCarthy-era monster movies, The Thing gained little commercial attention upon its release. Unappreciated then, today the film is a cult classic and is widely considered one of the best in the horror and science fiction genres.

The film takes place on a remote Antarctic research station populated by a handful of men who appear to do little more than drink, smoke and watch taped episodes of television shows--all an effort to remain sane and keep alive some semblance of American society. Without divulging significant plot details, the alien creature finds its way into the base and soon enough it shows its true form, as a deformed, constantly changing creature, seemingly plucked from the mind of a psychopath. Through an autopsy, the men realize that this creature takes on the form of its host and can perfectly imitate that which it inhabits. Communication breaks down as the men realize that any one of them could be the Thing, and soon the men begin to exhibit the true monsters that humans become when an unknown threat enters their environment.

A bleak and nihilistic rumination on the collapse of communication and human camaraderie in a time of panic and uncertainty, The Thing depicts human nature as naturally corrupted and monstrous. The film does a magnificent job of creating a claustrophobic and tense atmosphere with assistance from a terrific score by Ennio Morricone. Alternating between a claustrophobic atmosphere when inside the base and an open isolation when outside, creates an interesting juxtaposition of claustrophobia surrounded by isolation. Playing with a cultural fear of AIDS, the film becomes that much more frightening when exploring the theme of bodies revolting against itself. Owing no small part to the film's effectiveness are the practical special effects; considered to be among the greatest ever put to celluloid, they result in some of the most revolting, nightmare-inducing images in the horror genre.

The cast, led by Kurt Russell's beard, stealing every scene it appears in, is mostly strong with moments of overacting. Kurt Russell, the man behind the beard, does an excellent job of humanizing R.J. MacReady; never depicted as a boy scout trying to keep the men together, instead he becomes monstrous himself at times. The rest of the cast is uniformly solid, and while there are moments of overacting among members of the supporting cast, those moments are few and far apart.

While overshadowed during its release by E.T., a somewhat similar alien movie, minus the violence, cynicism, snow... and really everything except for the presence of an alien, The Thing stands today as one of the best horror/sci-fi films of all time. Well shot and well acted, the film's true strength lies in its writing an atmosphere. Although films such as The Invasion of the Body Snatchers and It Came From Outer Space had similar themes and were released prior to The Thing, they cannot match the intensity or fear that comes from watching this film.

5/5