Thing
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Without hesitation or reservation, I would state that the best horror movie of all time is Jon Carpenter's 1982 remake of The Thing (1). If you haven't seen the film, please stop here and don't read any further until you have. Once you've done so (or don't care to), read on.
The brief synopsis involves a 12-man research team isolated in an Antarctic station (trailer to the right). The station is infiltrated by an alien that can imitate any organism it wishes. As the alien covertly assimilates the humans, the latter catch on and try to figure who is human (and who is not) before the Thing kills and replaces them all. As the creature takes over, the men attempt to hold themselves together, but after an exhausting psychological chess game that culminates in all-out war, only two men remain standing. Except that we don't really know if they are still men, or if one (or both) has become...a Thing. |
Original 1982 trailer for The Thing. |
Jon Carpenter was initially reluctant to film a remake of the 1951 film, The Thing from Another World (2), as he deemed the original nearly impossible to improve upon. Still, he went for it. Each of the 12 characters was specifically cast to craft a unique group of individuals, which collectively demonstrated natural divisions amongst themselves that the Thing preyed upon. Wilford Brimley was cast as Blair the medical doctor, a man with noble ideals and a tendency to self-sacrifice for the greater good. Richard Masur was cast as Clarke the dog handler, a strong, silent, and slightly weird man who loved his dogs more than people. Keith David was chosen to play Childs the mechanic, a rebellious, antagonistic SOB and general all-around badass who had a problem taking orders. Last to be cast was Kurt Russell as MacReady the helicopter pilot, a rugged loner who kept to himself, was fully self-reliant, and played chess, but would rather destroy the board than lose the game. The film is highly notable for maintaining an all-male cast, with the only female voice in the movie being MacReady's chess computer, which was played by Jon Carpenter's wife.
The Thing was mainly filmed in and around Juneau, Alaska, Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, and Stewart, British Columbia. The filming locations involved harsh weather and large snowfalls, which prevented filming on many days. Jon Carpenter and Ennio Morricone both contributed to the simple, haunting, and definitively guttural musical score, which is perhaps most heart-thumping theme song ever made (hear it on the right). The main theme song actually mimics a heart-beat (perhaps the viewer's own, as they watch the film). |
Main theme song for The Thing. |
Since there was no computer generated imagery in the day, the lead special-effects supervisor, Rob Bottin, utilized mechanical puppets and various substances to create the forms of the Thing. In fact, one of his stated goals was to "never make the Thing look the same twice" (interview to the right). Bottin worked every day for a year straight and at one point was hospitalized for exhaustion, double pneumonia, and a bleeding ulcer. Lighting was emphasized so the details of Bottin's could be highlighted, but subdued enough to sustain a muted, nihilistic atmosphere. |
Designing the special effects for The Thing. |
Upon its release, The Thing was hammered by critics. Most of their criticisms were beyond ridiculous. Several reasons have been given for the harsh reception. Perhaps the film's nihilistic tone was poorly timed, given that the United States was in the midst of a recession. Alternatively, 1982 was an exceedingly competitive year for movies, with many other less popular (and less thought-provoking) films released such as E.T., Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, Mad Max, Poltergeist, Tron, and Blade Runner (apologies if you are a fan of the last, it's pretty good, but it doesn't hold a candle to The Thing). If you ask me, I honestly believe The Thing was too intelligent and creative for most critics to grasp, let alone comprehend. Most people need a lot of time and multiple viewings for its majesty to really sink in. Fortunately, in the 40 years since it was made, many considered reviews have reappraised The Thing and acknowledged it not only as one of the best horror films ever made, but without question the best remake of all time (3).
The Narrative
The Thing is a relentless film - it comes out swinging, and never lets up. Even after multiple viewings, the viewer never quite gets a handle on what is going, either on or off camera, other than the fact that everyone's survival is at stake. Moreover, given its inherently amorphous nature, the alien itself is difficult to conceptualize, such that the viewer is never really able to fully comprehend it either, including where it comes from, or what it wants. Combined with the interactive dynamics exhibited by the interesting characters, the bleak landscape, and the eerie music, you have a masterpiece that teases the viewer's brain constantly throughout the film...and for quite some time afterwards.
A theme inherent to The Thing is paranoia. The story keeps the viewer enthralled by revealing a number of facts, but not enough for the viewer's brain to tie together a coherent, testable theory that can be used to predict what exactly will happen next, or even what the next best move might be for a particular situation. Like the unravelling of a science experiment, the viewer's brain picks up on a number of potential clues as they are presented, but it's never enough to know who is human and who is a Thing (although the characters in the film certainly try, see the blood test scene to the right). |
The blood test scene. |
Due to the paranoia, the viewer's brain is almost forced to fill in the gaps with its own ideas. Just as certainty is creeping in, the story changes, fostering despair and paranoia within the viewer that parallels that of the characters. For this reason, multiple theories have been offered regarding unanswered questions (see right for a lengthy analysis). Moreover, the paranoia underlies an essential struggle for survival in a film that blatantly (and rightly) ignores emotions. No cheesy romances, no displays of happiness, sadness, or anger...just paranoia, and fear. After all, when survival is at stake, who cares about feelings? |
The pattern of assimilation in the film. |
The Thing is a truly imaginative being. It exists on multiple levels of complexity - as a whole organism, or an organ, or even a single cell. Numerous Things can join into a larger Thing, which may then break apart into many smaller Things that can manifest many different forms (to see the first Thing, look right). During the transformations, the Thing becomes a fascinating hybrid of different organisms, organs, and cells as it reconfigures its structure to imitate that of the desired form. These scenes highlight the painstaking work of Bottin and constitute incredible works of creativity - they are not just "gore." |
Appearance of the first Thing. |
Overall, it is this dual combination of horror elements that propels The Thing to the status of a superior film. The sense of uncertainty, despair, and paranoia leads to the viewer's brain being somewhat lost as it tries to figure out what is really happening, such that it is almost forced to make up its own hypotheses as to what is happening, and who is a Thing. At the same time, the highly imaginative transformation scenes, which show the Thing in many of its limitless forms, do not allow the viewer's brain to fully grasp the true nature of the alien, or if it even has one.
End Scene
It could be argued that the pinnacle of The Thing is its end scene, which remains hotly debated over 40 years later. Let's outline the superficial context of what happens before discussing its interpretation.
Given the foreshadowing we saw at the start of the film, when MacReady destroyed his chess computer after losing a game to it, he has burned down the research station so as to prevent the Thing from winning. As MacReady blows up the final creature, he disses it with the best one-liner to ever grace the screen. He then wanders outside and slumps in the snow to drink his bottle of whiskey. Before he does, the only other survivor, Childs, walks up behind MacReady, who quickly turns around and sees him. The two engage in a simple conversation riddled with symbolism and non-verbal cues (you can read it below, or see it to the right). |
The end scene, sheer brilliance. |
Childs stands there for a moment before saying, "You the only one who made it?"
MacReady responds, "Not the only one."
Childs asks, "Did you kill it?"
To which MacReady replies, "Where were you Childs?"
Childs states, "Thought I saw Blair...went out after him. Got lost in the storm."
MacReady just chuckles as Childs sits down and says, "Fire's got the temperature up all over the camp. Won't last long though."
MacReady flatly states, "Neither will we."
Childs muses, "How will we make it?"
To which MacReady responds, "Maybe we shouldn't."
Childs gives him a cold stare before explaining, "If you're worried about me..."
But MacReady interrupts, saying, "If we've got any surprises for each other, I don't think we're in much shape to do anything about it."
Childs nods in silent agreement, then asks, "Well, what do we do?"
After considering this for a moment, MacReady responds, "Why don't we just wait here for a little while. See what happens."
Childs nods again, MacReady hands him the whiskey, Childs takes a swig, and MacReady chuckles once again as the main theme song starts playing and the scene of the burning station fades to black.
This very ordinary-seeming ending opens up four intriguing possibilities. First, both Macready and Childs could be human - the humans won the chess game after all. Second, both of them could be assimilated, meaning the Thing emerged triumphant, despite MacReady's apocalyptic decision to burn down the board. Third possibility, Childs is a Thing and MacReady is human - this possibility has a lot of support amongst fans (4). Fourth possibility, MacReady is a Thing and Childs is human - this possibility has also been vehemently argued, with many supporters as well (5).
Although Jon Carpenter has mentioned that "there is an answer" as to which of these four possibilities exist, I myself have been unable to find enough evidence to provide a definitive answer. I may be wrong, but I only see probabilities. And herein lies the final victorious, knock-out punch of The Thing - the various clues littered throughout the film can be used to support any of these four possibilities. A reasonably strong theory can be constructed for each one. Any one of them is plausible, just like it is plausible that any one of the individuals in the movie can be a Thing.
That being said, although I have only seen The Thing a measly 20 or so times, I do think that one possibility is more likely than the others. But I'm not 100% sure. Maybe 80%...or maybe, I've just constructed a theory that I simply choose to place more belief in over the alternatives.
Certainty is elusive, but I'll try to stay observant and objective. See what happens.
Solace.
References
(1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(1982_film).
(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_from_Another_World.
(3) https://screenrant.com/john-carpenter-the-thing-best-remake/.
(4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyKAZ1s_K7Y&t=38s.
(5) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc9zcJFRJZs.
