The Thing

:This article is about the film. For other meanings of thing, see thing (disambiguation).

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The Thing is a 1982 science fiction film directed by John Carpenter. Ostensibly a remake of the 1951 Howard Hawks film The Thing From Another World, Carpenter's film is actually more faithful to the short story that serves as both films' source material, "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell, Jr.

Related Topics:
1982 - Science fiction film - John Carpenter - Remake - 1951 - Howard Hawks - The Thing From Another World - Who Goes There? - John W. Campbell, Jr.

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The Thing stars Kurt Russell, Keith David, Wilford Brimley, Richard Dysart and Richard Masur, among others. The musical score was by Ennio Morricone, a rare instance of Carpenter not scoring one of his own films.

Related Topics:
Kurt Russell - Keith David - Wilford Brimley - Richard Dysart - Richard Masur - Ennio Morricone

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The story takes place in Antarctica. An American research station (Outpost #31) receives a surprise visit from a seemingly insane pair of Norwegians, who are attempting to shoot a runaway Husky dog. The Norwegians are killed, and an investigation of the burned-out Norwegian research station reveals that they had uncovered an alien spacecraft from under hundreds of feet of ice.

Related Topics:
Antarctica - America - Norwegians - Husky - Spacecraft

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It is soon revealed that the runaway Husky, now in the Americans' care, is in fact an alien life form that has the ability to duplicate any creature it comes into contact with. The result is an alien predator with the ultimate camouflage; it is a perfect reproduction of its host. Gradually, paranoia sets in among the Americans, as none can be certain who has been infected.

Related Topics:
Predator - Camouflage - Paranoia

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Many characters' names are taken directly from the original Campbell story, as is a scene in which Russell's character devises a test to see who may be infected, by exposing a sample of each man's blood to extreme heat. The creature itself is never named but is always referred to as The Thing.

Related Topics:
Blood - The Thing

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Upon its release, the film was lambasted by critics for its special make-up effects, created by Rob Bottin, which were seen as excessively bloody and disgusting. The film fared poorly at the box office, mainly due to the fact that E.T., with its more optimistic view of alien visitation, was released around the same time. Yet its reputation improved in the late nineties through home video releases. It is now regarded by the majority of Carpenter's admirers as one of his finest films. A collector's edition DVD was released in 1999.

Related Topics:
Rob Bottin - E.T. - Home video - DVD - 1999

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In 2004 another The Thing collector's edition DVD was released. The only differences between the two is an improved anamorphic transfer in the 2004 release and removal of the isolated score from the 1999 release.

Related Topics:
2004 - Anamorphic

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This film is the first installment in Carpenter's 'Apocolypse Trilogy'. The second film 1987's Prince of Darkness concerns a group of college students trying to prevent the release of Satan's son from a church prison. The third film is 1995's In the Mouth of Madness about the strange disappearance of a horror novelist. The plots and characters of the films are not connected.

Related Topics:
1987 - Prince of Darkness - Satan - 1995 - In the Mouth of Madness

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Just as the 1951 film had taken advantage of the national mood to enhance its terror effect, this film did likewise. The early 1980's were a low time in American history, as the nation was hit with a poor economy and high unemployment. Internationally, communism was on the move again, following the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan, and American hostages were being held in Tehran, Iran. For many, the United States was appearing more and more isolated and vulnerable to outside attack, much like the crew of the Antarctic outpost in the film. Though strictly unintentional, certain elements of the film (transmission of the alien organism through bodily fluids, the inability to look at a person and determine infection, the use of a blood test to test for infection) paralleled the first reports of a new disease, AIDS.

Related Topics:
Communism - Soviet Union - Afghanistan - Tehran - Iran - AIDS

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