An American research station in the Antarctic has an unexpected visitor in the shape of a dog which is being chased by gun-toting Norwegians in a helicopter. But this is no ordinary dog...
John W. Campbell's story "Who Goes There?" had already been adapted for the big screen as The Thing From Another World during the 1950's. John Carpenter and screenwriter Bill Lancaster took the original idea of a shape-shifting alien (as opposed to the vegetable-man used in the previous film) and used it to great effect for his version.
The isolated research station, surrounded by an icy, white landscape, becomes claustrophobic here. The paranoia of the story is one of its main advantages as the alien becomes the spitting image of anyone it reaches, and you'll spend the whole movie trying to work out who's been infected and who's not - even after the movie has finished. It keeps you guessing.
The Thing itself is mysterious throughout; the only certainty is that it wants to take over at any cost. The exact nature of its modus operandi is never entirely clear, and it is equally as intelligent as its human prey: it outwits them at every turn. Rob Bottin's special make-up effects are terrific, and the scenes where the Thing creates mayhem are the real highlights.
Curiously, for a film which should be championing individuality, the characters are largely interchangeable. Kurt Russell stands out in his tough, whispery-voiced mode as the leader, but everyone else is largely either older and slightly stuffy or younger and full of bluster. And they are all, except for Russell, reduced to panic by the Thing's excruciating, body-distorting antics.
The Thing is genuine cult favourite, as it has been from the day it was released, and a good film for re-watching so you can try and work out who's been infected and when - the ending will fox you, however. Some fans are still waiting for a sequel. Listen for: music by Ennio Morricone.
Skillful American writer-director of supense movies, often in the science fiction or horror genres. Dark Star and Assault on Precinct 13 were low budget favourites, but mega-hit Halloween kick-started the slasher boom and Carpenter never looked back.
The Fog, Escape from New York, The Thing, the underrated Christine, Big Trouble in Little China, They Live and Prince of Darkness all gained cult standing, but his movies from the nineties onwards have been disappointing: Escape from L.A., Vampires and Ghosts of Mars all sound better than they really are. Has a habit of putting his name in the title. He should direct a western sometime.
