The Thing (Exclusive Series) (Hulu/Amazon Prime - Starz add-on)

Initial release date: June 25, 1982

Studios: Universal Pictures

Tagline: Anytime. Anywhere. Anyone.

The ultimate in alien terror

Plot: In remote Antarctica, a group of American research scientists are disturbed at their base camp by a helicopter shooting at a sled dog. When they take in the dog, it brutally attacks both human beings and canines in the camp and they discover that the beast can consume the shape of its victims. A resourceful helicopter pilot and the camp doctor lead the camp in a desperate, gory battle against the vicious creature before it picks them all off, one by one.

Cast

Kurt Russell (F9: The Fast Saga) - MacReady

Wilford Brimley (Did You Hear About the Morgans?) - Dr. Blair

T.K. Carter (The Way Back) - Nails

David Clennon (Vacation; Gone Girl) - Palmer

Keith David (21 Bridges) - Childs

Richard Dysart (Hard Rain) - Dr. Cooper

Charles Hallahan (Dante’s Peak) - Vance Norris

Peter Maloney (K-PAX) - George Bennings

Richard Masur (Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black) - Clark

Donald Moffar - Garry

Joel Polis - Fuchs

Writer: Bill Lancaster (The Bad News Bears)

Director: John Carpenter (Ghosts of Mars; Vampires; Halloween)

Rated R (109 minutes)

In 1982, acclaimed director John Carpenter put together a little alien/horror feature called ‘The Thing.’ This film, which is loosely based on ‘The Thing From Another World,’ still holds up to this very day.

‘The Thing’ is extremely entertaining and is really well made. The 1982 film delivers a lot of intensity and this alien feature does an incredible job keeping your eyes glued to the screen from start to finish.

As soon as the alien is revealed, the intensity kicks into high gear and the thrills just keep on coming. I have seen this film numerous times and I still enjoy it every single time.

Throughout the movie, you get a feel of paranoia as the remaining characters are trying to figure out what’s going on and who’s human and who’s the shape-shifting alien.

And speaking of alien, the practical effects used for this film are amazing. Even with today’s standards, the visual effects stand out and hold up.

Overall, ‘The Thing’ is definitely one of Carpenter’s best films. Delivers lots of thrills, suspense and great effects.

You can catch this alien horror flick on Hulu and Amazon Prime via the Starz add-on.

FYI - ‘The Thing’ will be turning 40 next year!!!

Here are quite a few interesting tidbits about 1982s ‘The Thing’:

• A tradition for British Antarctic research stations to watch ‘The Thing’ is a part of their Midwinter feast and celebration held every June 21.

• John Carpenter has stated that of all his films, this is his personal favorite.

• The film is considered a benchmark in special makeup effects. The effects were created by Rob Bottin (Seven; RoboCop; Legend), who was only 22 when he started the project.

• The film’s budget ($15 million) was substantially larger than the average horror movies of the time. ‘Friday the 13th’ had cost a mere $700,000 while the original ‘Halloween’ had been a paltry $375,000.

• Opened the same day as ‘Blade Runner.’ The similarities don’t end there; both movies met with unfavorable reactions by critics at the premiere, but are now considered as some of the greatest films ever made.

• Based on the classic short story ‘Who Goes There?’ by pioneering sci-fi editor John W. Campbell Jr.

• The original movie, ‘The Thing from Another World’ (1951), took place in the Arctic region of the North Pole. This version takes place in Antarctica.

• John Carpenter’s first foray into major studio film-making.

• Development of the film began in the mid 1970s when producers David Foster and Lawrence Turman suggested to Universal an adaptation of the 1938 Campbell novella. It had been loosely adapted once before in Howard Hawks’/Christian Nyby’s 1951 film, but Foster and Turman wanted to develop a project that stuck more closely to the source material.

• Screenwriters Hal Barwood and Matthew Robbins (Batteries Not Included; Mimic; Crimson Peak) held the rights to make an adaptation, but passed on the opportunity to make a new film, so Universal obtained the rights from them.

• The lack of information about the film’s special effects drew the attention of film exhibitors in early 1982. They wanted reassurance that ‘The Thing’ was a first rate production capable of attracting audiences.

• During its opening weekend, the film earned $3.1 million from 840 theaters - finishing No. 8 film of the weekend behind ‘Poltergeist,’ which was in its fourth weekend, and ahead of action film ‘Megaforce.’

• It dropped out of the top ten grossing films after three weeks. It ended its run earning a total of $19.6 million against a $15 million budget, making it only the 42nd highest grossing film of 1982 - wasn’t a failure, nor was it a major hit.

• Since its release, cultural historians and critics have attempted to understand what led to the film’s initial failure to connect with audiences. Some blamed an over-saturation of sci-fi and fantasy films released that year, including ‘Conan the Barbarian,’ ‘Poltergeist,’ ‘Star Trek II,’ ‘Mad Max 2’ and ‘Tron.’

• While ‘The Thing’ wasn’t initially successful, it was able to find new audience and appreciation on home video, and later on TV.

• In the years following its release, critics and fans have reevaluated the film as a milestone of the horror genre. It has been called one of, if not the best film directed by Carpenter.

• A prequel film, released in October 2011, earned heavily mixed reviews and was a box office disappointment. In 2020, Universal and Blumhouse announced the development of a remake. The remake was described as incorporating elements of ‘The Thing from Another World’ and ‘The Thing,’ as well as the novella.

https://youtu.be/ySvzHdtCiWE