313. The Thing; movie review

 

THE THING

Cert 18

108 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong violence, gore, horror

I was never a fan of John Carpenter in my youth so I gave The Thing a wide berth. Now on its 40th anniversary, I have taken it in - and, boy, was it a surprise.

Indeed, I confess to being gripped by this tale of a battle with aliens in Antarctica.

The Thing focuses on the paranoia which grips an iced-in American station after it emerges that extraterrestrials could have taken over the bodies of some of the team.

This becomes clear after a dog, resembling a husky, turns into a horrific creature which can pass organisms on to other living forms.

A young Kurt Russell plays the station pilot - a hothead who soon emerges as the leader at a time of crisis.

There is little time to get to know the characters but the attempt to save themselves in the face of unfolding horror is the foundation of the film.

And I suspect that the nuances will not live nearly as long in the memory as the special effects.

They may seem tame by today's standards but 40 years ago they would have been groundbreaking.

Yep, the blood would have been bad enough but contorted faces of men and huskies emerging from bloodied body parts are the hallmark of The Thing.

Among the chaos, Carpenter's movie is a portrait of paranoia and isolation. It poses the question of what happens when you trust nobody - even yourself.

Thus, it was much deeper than I had expected.

I was glad I finally caught up with it after so long.

Reasons to watch: A Carpenter horror classic

Reasons to avoid: The gore

Laughs: None

Jumps: One

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? Special effects supremo Rob Bottin literally lived on the set and worked for one straight year without taking any days off. He was eventually hospitalised for double pneumonia, a bleeding ulcer, and exhaustion - all a result of the stress and workload. Bottin was 21 at the time.

The final word. John Carpenter on a potential sequel: "There have been some discussions about The Thing and what we could do because, as far as we know, two characters are still alive." ign

Share this post