I love so many things about THE THING – the setting, story, and visceral horror make John Carpenter’s 1982 film a classic. I watched this movie last year in preparation for my trip to Antarctica; it’s one of the only films entirely set in the polar continent (HAPPY FEET is the other that comes to mind). I love it when a movie’s plot is intertwined with its setting, and THE THING relies on the isolated, desolate, and perpetual darkness of winter in the South Pole.
THE THING plays out almost like whodunnit; something has infiltrated a group of researchers and seems to be picking them off one by one. This isn’t a unique plot per sé, but layering in the science fiction horror elements elevates the film to its groundbreaking, cult classic position. The movie moves briskly, never letting its viewer get too comfortable. Kurt Russell stars as R.J. MacReady, as the helicopter pilot, but the rest of the cast shines as scientists, doctors, and the support staff for the research base. Like many good horror movies, the real terror is how humans react when presented with a nightmarish scenario, and THE THING shines in its exploration of paranoia, distrust, and isolation.
I’d be remiss not to mention the gut-churning body horror of the film. Like many, I’m not the biggest fan of viscera and gore, mostly because it can feel like a cheap trick to get viewers uncomfortable. But when it’s done well and contributes to the world-building (and in the case of THE THING, literal character-building), the movie just wouldn’t be the same without it (I’m thinking of ANNIHILATION and HEREDITARY). One of the reasons that THE THING holds up so well today is its use of practical effects to achieve the bone-chilling and bone-breaking scenes of extraterrestrial transformation.
THE THING is one of the most innovative, creative, and frightening horror films I’ve seen. If you haven’t seen it yet, pour yourself some whiskey and rent or buy it wherever you get your movies.
