One of the staples of any solid Halloween watch list, in my opinion, is the classic monster movie. Some bizarre creature or creatures wreaking havoc on humanity, or at least various segments of humanity, and usually killing a few people along the way. While classic monster films such as The Wolfman or Creature from the Black Lagoon tend to present the monster in a sympathetic light, there’s definitely something to be said for a monster than only wants to see you dead (and potentially devoured). If that creature also wants to replicate you… well, you’re already dead. There’s really no point in caring.

Today’s Halloween Horrors film presents such a scenario, as well as a few other elements of horror, such as confinement, extreme conditions, and trust issues. There’s really little wonder why so many fans love John Carpenter’s The Thing. Anthony Pentazis returns to the series today to share a few thoughts on what makes him a fan of the film.

Anthony first joined our Halloween series for 2017’s “Fiends, Freaks, and Final Girls” series with a superb piece on Hellraiser‘s “Pinhead”, and returned again in 2019 for a look at another Clive Barker tale, 1990’s Nightbreed. Naturally, we are thrilled to have Anthony join us again this year with his thoughts on “the ultimate in alien terror”.

 

With all the recent attention being given to UFOs, UAPs, and “little green men”, I’ve decided to write about one of my absolute favorite sci-fi/horror movies of the 80’s: The Thing! This is one of the movies I never get tired of seeing. Before we jump in, here are a few facts. Believe it or not, The Thing began as a short story entitled “Who Goes There?” written way back in 1938. Then, just over a decade later in 1951, a new adaptation of the story arrived on the silver screen as The Thing from Another World. Jump forward a few more short decades to 1982, and we arrive at our destination. I imagine that most of the crowd who will read this will have already seen John Carpenter’s The Thing, but if you haven’t, do yourself a huge favor and add it to your list of “must see” movies.

I want to go into what I think are the three biggest highlights of this movie. So, pour yourself a glass of J&B scotch and let’s get into it.

Just like with movies such as Alien (1979) or DeepStar Six (1989), the setting of The Thing evokes a feeling of dread. Have you ever felt uneasy going for a swim after watching Jaws? Maybe your heart quickens while driving past a cemetery at night after remembering Night of the Living Dead? For me, going to the snow always makes me think of The Thing, and I absolutely love it! Our story takes place in Antarctica, far away from any kind of help from the outside world. The environment is oppressive, vast, and deadly. The only safety from the harsh elements lies in the small hive-like research facility, where the ensuing nightmare unfolds. However, safety from the bitter cold is all that it provides as we soon find out. The real danger is much closer to our doomed group of scientists than they realize.

Now, we arrive at the magic of the movie; that being the special effects and the many different grotesque versions of the alien that our group is terrorized by. We get to see it transform from the cellular level all the way to a giant amalgamation of beast, insect, and man. There’s an autopsy performed by Wilford Brimley that is sure to make you feel a little green around the gills. No gory detail is spared. The makeup and special effects departments are the unsung heroes of this film. This is what I appreciate most about movies from this time period. Don’t get me wrong, CGI is great and it gets better all the time. AI is soon to be the “next big thing” in movies, and I’m here for it. I just prefer my monsters and aliens to be some stuntman in a rubber suit with its tentacles or pincers controlled by a team of puppeteers. *chef’s kiss*

Last, but definitely not least, I want to talk about the “star” of the movie. No, not Kurt Russell or Keith David, even though they gave great performances. It’s paranoia. Once we understand that the alien can perfectly replicate whomever it comes in contact with, we start to question who is actually themselves and who is sus. There’s a few times where our guys, and us as the viewers, thought we knew who was still human. Turns out we were wrong. In one scene, it seemed that the person who was replicated didn’t even realize he had been turned. Our group of survivors are forced to rely on one another, knowing that one or more of them could potentially be the alien. Yet, how can you trust anyone? A person will say anything once they have a flamethrower pointed at them. Once we arrive at the end and think that the alien has been stopped, we are once again confronted with the uncertainty that someone still might not be what they seem. This, to me, is the best kind of ending a film like this could have. It’s much more unnerving thinking that we might have missed something, and that the alien played the long game and finally got the opportunity to use its final victim for a chance at survival.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you have a great Halloween season! A special “thanks” to our host, Dustin, and his wife, Mandi. Taking time out of your lives so that we can take part in Halloween Horrors is truly appreciated.