There are times when a remake or a sequel actually lives up to the original, and in some very rare cases, exceeds the original. Generally when this occurs it is due to technology advancing and the vision of the film maker is easier to achieve. One movie that I feel exceeded the original film is The Thing by John Carpenter released in 1982.
Based on the novella Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell, Jr,, the 1982 version of The Thing is a remake of the 1951 movie titled The Thing From Another World. Though I have yet to track down a copy of the novella to prove the accuracy, John Carpenter’s version is reputed to be the closest rendition of the story. More recently a prequel was released also titled The Thing. I did watch this film and though the story takes place prior to the events in the 1982 movie, I felt it was too much of a remake for my liking and really just want to forget I saw it entirely.
The 1982 version stars Kurt Russell in the lead role as R.J. MacReady. Wilford Brimley, Keith David, T.K. Carter and David Clennon (to name a few) also co-star. Though it did not receive top box office records when it was released in the theatre, the movie achieved cult status when released on video. This led to several adaptations in novels, comic books and a video game decades after its release. Critics and audience members alike panned the film upon its box office release stating that it was too gory. Hard to imagine with today’s top horror movies where gore often replaces plot.
The movie starts off immediately with a mystery. We see a helicopter chasing a dog through the Antarctic with a man attempting to shoot it. The dog makes it to an American research station where the helicopter subsequently explodes and both passengers are killed. The dog survives and is placed in with the rest of the sled dogs however the denizens of the base are left to wonder what happened and why.
In an attempt to find answers, MacReady and Dr. Copper fly over to the Norwegian base only to find more questions as the camp is in ruins. They come across the burned remains of a corpse with two heads and bring it back to their base for an autopsy. It isn’t until the wayward dog begins to mutate and attack the other dogs in the pen that they begin to suspect something otherworldly is going on prompting a return visit to the Norwegian camp for more answers.
What makes this movie terrifying in its own right is the idea that anybody could be the Thing. They are alone, isolated at the end of the world with the knowledge that if this thing gets to the rest of the population, the human race would be destroyed within years. They do not know who is infected or how to defeat it. Time is ticking, tensions are high, everyone is a suspect and the alien is one of them.
If this movie is not yet in your collection, I recommend you drive to the store immediately to rectify that. John Carpenter is truly one of the masters of the horror genre and this movie is no exception as it achieves my ranking of 31 films you must see before Halloween.
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