Ranking up there with "Alien" and "The Exorcist" as one of the most ripped-off (and, by proxy, most influential) horror films of all
time, John Carpenter's "The Thing" has really found its place in horror history. Between the nihilistic, paranoiac, claustrophobic
atmosphere generates throughout and Rob Bottin's absolutey amazing (and still unmatched) gore and transformation effects, this
film manages to generate genuine scares and shocks...something which many films since have strived to achieve, but fall far short of
accomplishing.
The synopsis...
A US scientific expedition in Antarctica comes across an abandoned Norwegian base, only to find that its inhabitants have been gruesomely
slaughtered by some unknown force. The only survivor is a sled dog, which is taken into the care of the American dog handler. The dog proves to
be a rather nasty guest and not at all what it seems to be, however, as it has brought into the camp some mysterious organism that is
able to perfectly mimic the physical forms of other creatures. One by one, the American crew is overtaken by this "thing", and in doing so,
also spreads distrust and total paranoid terror through the ranks. Soon, super tough guy "Mac", the American helicopter pilot (played
with just the right amount of swagger by Kurt Russell) becomes the de facto leader of the troupe, and devises a test that will help
them decipher just who is real and who is a "thing". As their numbers dwindle, the crew begin to realize that this "thing" just wants to
take over everyone in the camp, and then go into hibernation, undisturbed, so that it can then be found by yet another expedition, and another...and
another...until someone brings it back to "civilization", thus setting off a terrifyingly quick and efficient domination of every living thing
on the planet. So, the crew decide to stage a dramatic, last-ditch effort to kill the "thing", knowing full well that in order to completely do so,
all of the crew members will probably have to die in the process, thus eliminating any living host organisms in which the monster can safely
"hide out".
First of all, let me start the review proper by stating that, in my mind, this is by far John Carpenter's most ambitious, effective, and
professional work. It's also, I think, his scariest movie (and yes, that means it's scarier than "Halloween", though I love that movie, too).
The problem that many people have with this film, I think, is that none of the characters are really, truly sympathetic...or even likable.
Only Mac, with his cool demeanor and handiness with a flamethrower, even comes close...but this is by design. These aren't supposed to be
"likable" guys. They aren't supposed to be cute 'n' cuddly. They're supposed to be guys who have been trapped in the freezing asshole of the
world for so long, they are not only bitter, but they already inherently distrust one another. It's basically taking a tense situation and making it
a whole helluva lot worse. One gets the idea that, had the "thing" not come into their lonely, isolated lives, at least one of them would have
just snapped anyway and killed everyone in the camp. To my mind, that's the real meat of this particular dish (story-wise, anyway)...that these guys
are half-crazy in the first place (there's your explanation for why they chose such a shitty assignment to begin with, if you needed an explanation). All
it took was a little thing like a hybridizing alien bacteria to set them off. Heh...
But, all of this claustrophobia and angst would get boring were it not for some truly jaw-dropping effects work. Whenever one of these poor
saps gets "thinged", it's invariably a squishy, unsettling, yet strangely satisfying affair. We all know that, once the ball starts rolling, just about
every one of these dudes is going to die a horrible, grisly, gooey death. Rob Bottin pulled off some amazing shit in this movie, effects-wise, and
people are still trying to figure out how he did some of it. In many ways, from its effects work, to its minimalist music score (by Ennio Morrone & John Carpenter himself),
to its stark cinematography, to its totally downbeat and ambiguous ending, "The Thing" was way ahead of its time. Upon its initial release more than twenty years ago,
I'm sure that audiences and critics didn't quite know what to think of all these depressing and gory goings-on, but time, I think, has been
exceptionally kind to this film. I've seen it probably two or three times a year for the last twenty or so years, and every time I revisit it, it just keeps getting
better and better. Personally, I think John Carpenter has never matched his work on this film, not before, not after...and probably (the
way things are looking, anyway) never again.
This "Collector's Edition" from Universal Home Video does a smash-up job of presenting "The Thing" in all its gory glory, and they are to be
applauded for giving this seminal film the treatment it deserves. The extras are plentiful (for a single-disc release, anyway). They include: Comentary by John Carpenter
and Kurt Russell (very informative and very funny), an 80 minute documentary feature about the making of the film, behind the scens footage, a huge stills gallery,
storyboards, conceptual art, and an annotated production archive. The film has also been remastered, and is presented in Dolby 5.1 surround. The sound quality and
the widescreen presentation are excellent. All in all, a phenomenal package.
This one gets my unequivocal Atrocities Cinema Essential award.
By the way, this edition has been superceded by a money grabbing, totally unecessary repackaged "collector's edition" that recycles the same content in a flashy
box, that for some asinine reason eschews the original creepy poster art. Avoid that edition, and go for this one instead. It'll save you a couple of bucks.
Ranking up there with "Alien" and "The Exorcist" as one of the most ripped-off (and, by proxy, most influential) horror films of all
time, John Carpenter's "The Thing" has really found its place in horror history. Between the nihilistic, paranoiac, claustrophobic
atmosphere generates throughout and Rob Bottin's absolutey amazing (and still unmatched) gore and transformation effects, this
film manages to generate genuine scares and shocks...something which many films since have strived to achieve, but fall far short of
accomplishing.
