Review: The Thing Proves That John Carpenter is the Undisputed Master of Horror.
- Jan 13, 2017
- 2 min read
In an Antarctic research base, a creature that can take the form of any man, of any living being, has taken up residence, and it doesn’t plan on leaving any time soon.
When a Norwegian helicopter pursues a lone dog into an American research camp, complete with assault rifle and hand grenades, it’s quickly made apparent that something has happened, and whatever it was, it’s come here. A man from the helicopter pursues the dog into the camp, firing and shouting something unknown. It’s the first week of winter and the bad times are just beginning.
From Ennio Morricone’s ominous score to John Carpenter’s slow and purposeful directing, The Thing is all about the set up, the long wait ending in an explosive and visceral reveal. It’s generally considered to be a classic of the genre, sitting alongside the likes of Alien and The Fly. But is it really that good? In short, yes, but, it’s complicated.
One cannot talk about The Thing without mentioning the impressive practical effects put to work by John Carpenter and Rob Bottin. From the moment the dog thing makes its presence known to the blood test, the puppets, animatronics and prosthetics on display are legendary. And there’s no shortage on unpleasantries on show, to quote the film, “It’s weird and pissed off, whatever it is.” If the movie was to be judged on the grotesque effects on display it’s be top of the line, but, effects aren’t everything.
While visually unforgettable, The Thing doesn’t fair too well in the character department with only Kurt Russell’s MacReady and Keith David’s Childs, both of whom do great work and have some excellent one liners. While the rest of the cast are hardly slouches, you’ll be hard pressed to remember much of what they do after the film ends.
Fortunately that’s as bad as it gets. A bunch of decent performances but only two that have any real impact is hardly the worst thing to ever happen to a movie. But, what really stands out is the tension. It’s not a long movie and the monsters don’t really start showing up until well into the last half of the film but until then it’s nothing but the scientists trying to determine who’s been infected and who hasn’t. The concept of a small, isolated group of people slowly turning on each other is nothing new but throw in the occasional creature and you have something that’s truly thrilling.
Ultimately, The Thing is a good one to watch, even if a lot of it is forgettable, the parts that you remember will stick with you. It’s gloomy and oppressive, packed with creepy critters and nasty deaths, it’s thrill ride that surpasses almost all of the competition.
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