The Thing (Also known as John Carpenter’s The Thing) is a sci-fi/horror film which is said to be a remake of the 1951 classic A Thing From Another World, although this film is actually closer to the short story "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell that the original.
 
Carpenter fans often regard The Thing as the last of his great Horror films, alongside Halloween (1978) and The Fog (1980).

Although this film might not be considered as revolutionary as Halloween in terms of kick-starting a horror sub-genre, it is still considered to be one of the greatest horror films ever made. Despite not having huge success in the box office upon release, it has gone on to become something a cult classic among sci-fi and horror fans alike.

The movie starts and ends in the Antarctic, a perfect secluded location for the film to obtain maximum intensity.

The opening of the film sees a dog running around in the snow, attempting to avoid gunshot from a sniper in a helicopter above. Fortunately for the dog, due to reckless flying, the helicopter goes down and the pilot is killed. One of the researchers comes to the dog’s rescue and without knowing exactly what to do, the crew takes the dog in. This turns out to be the crew’s first fatal mistake, and leads to most of their eventual deaths.

Much time at the start of the film is spent getting to knew this isolated crew, in particular R.J. MacReady (Kurt Russell). MacReady, a helicopter pilot is the most likable character of the lot, and through the film we really get to care for him. Kurt Russell fit’s the role perfectly, and made quite a name for himself in the film, later going on to star in Carpenter’s films Escape From New York (1981) and Escape From L.A. (1996).

There’s already an apparent tense atmosphere between the crew, which is made worse when the newly adopted dog is found to have been infected in some form. The dog is killed via flamethrower (a weapon which turns out to be used very frequently throughout the movie) and an autopsy is carried out. Scientist Dr. Blair (Wilford Brimley) reveals that the dog was in fact a dangerous alien, capable of taking the form of any living thing.

As it turns out, evidence is found which reveals that at least one crew member is also one of extra terrestrials or “things”.

From here on out, the movie plays out in a “who-dunnit” fashion. The intensity increases as the characters (and the audience) are suspicious of everybody, and no one knows who to trust. This works brilliantly in the film’s favor, with the audience kept on the edge of their seats. When the shocks start happening, rest assure that popcorn will be flying everywhere. And trust me, there are shocks aplenty along the way. The film should be applauded for it’s terrific use of makeup and effects. The monstrous creations and masses of gore will always be remembered as some of the best in horror history. A final blood test towards the end of the film to reveal who is human and who isn’t is incredibly intense, and erupts into a fantastically scary scene. I won’t spoil how it all turns out. You’ll have to see that for yourself.

Overall, The Thing is a genius, terrifying concoction of sci-fi and horror. It gets heart from Kurt Russell’s terrific performance as MacReady, and dramatically helped in the advancements of special make-up effects technology. It’s a horror classic, totally deserving of it’s cult status and should be required viewing by anyone who calls themselves a horror fan.

  -- Joe O'Brien