John Carpenter’s The Thing is one of finest horror films of all time (only second to The Shining in my book) and it is criminal to think that it bombed on release back in 1982. It encapsulates everything I love about the genre: the palpable sense of unease, unbearable tension and terrifying body horror.

One thing that separates this from many other genre films (particularly modern ones) is how brilliantly realised each and every character is. Whilst the charismatic MacReady (brilliantly played by the ever reliable Kurt Russell) is the undeniable star and focus, each and every unfortunate soul stuck in the God forsaken research facility is instantly identifiable. Whilst the characterisation is far from complex you still invest in…

My dad and I were searching Netflix looking for a movie to watch, and The Thing was available in HD. My dad is a huge fan of Halloween, and he had remembered liking The Thing when he first saw it 31 years ago, so that's what we ended up watching! 2 hours later I was sleeping with my lamp on. The amount of fear and paranoia director John Carpenter generates had me scared shitless, and this unquestionably deserves its reputation as one of the scariest movies ever made.

Carpenter establishes a visual pattern of repetitive editing throughout the film that hypnotizes us and makes us completely unaware of when the violence and gore will strike. The minimalist score by fucking…

I have waited roughly four years to revisit John Carpenter's The Thing and unsurprisingly it is still every bit as effective, every bit as scary and every bit as iconic as I had it in memory. Renowned for being critically panned when it came out and being buried under the immense success of Spielberg's E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial this is a film that redefined what horror means in cinema. Its amalgation of state-of-the-art practical effects, which incidentally hold up incredibly well, and an unnerving sense of paranoia and dread has rightfully earned this gem of a film the status of a classic. It honestly baffles me to no end how it could've possibly been received so poorly in 1982 and the…

There are only really two things wrong with The Thing.

1) Its title. I've never been a fan of it. It's just so inconsequential and getting the cast to say "thing" a lot does not excuse it! Funnily enough, it seemed to fit the original a lot better (albeit extended and exaggerated), but that was from a decade populated with daftly named sci-fi films. This really did deserve a lot better. I thought the name of the source story, Who Goes There?, was far better and more fitting. Or they could have called it 'It's Weird And Pissed Off Whatever It Is'. A much better summing up!

2) The opening scene where we see the flying saucer hurtling towards the…

I watched this dvd again last night for the first time in a few years. I enjoyed it as much as ever, and maybe appreciated it even more!
From the unique opening titles and typically atmospheric and minimal Carpenter music, to the opening scene of the dog being chased by the helicopter, you are instantly hooked.
The special fx are among the best of all time, so inventive, just incredible. Far creepier than any cgi. (See the remake/prequel for details..............actually, don't bother).
The intense feeling of paranoia is well sustained with clever direction throughout and the performances are great. Kurt Russell has never been better than in this film.
It's a gloomy little number that never really offers much hope!…