John Carpenter's The Thing - The Film That Teaches You To Trust No One

Director: John Carpenter

Cast: Kurt Russell, Keith David, Wilford Brimley, Richard Dysart, Donald Moffatt, Richard Masur

Plot: An American science team in the Arctic are confronted by a shape shifting alien that assumes the appearance of people it kills. When paranoia overwhelms the group, pilot R.J.MacReady (Russell) takes charge to find out who's human and who is not.



This year sees the release of a prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 horror classic 'The Thing', which bizarrely is also called 'The Thing'. A trailer recently appeared online for the film and there was one issue many fans of the original saw - CGI appears to be have been used for the effects. The 1982 film was both lauded and criticised for its gory and horrifying practical effects on release, but over time it has become universally recognised as a groundbreaking piece of cinema.

The set up is simple, an alien shapeshifts into members of an Arctic science team after killing them and no one knows who is human. The simplicity of the plot makes it all the more effective as the characters and audience are constantly guessing who has been infected by 'The Thing', without having to worry about other plot points - the focus is firmly on the paranoia of the group.

The sense of isolation at the research station created by Carpenter is really driven home because the group is completely cut off from the outside world with their communication lines and transport made ineffective by the brutal Arctic weather. The legendary director also brings a very unsettling feeling to many of his shots and is master at building suspense and tension, this coupled with Ennio Morricone's unnerving score creates a masterpiece of horror.

The star of the film is undoubtedly the elusive antagonist 'The Thing'. Even without ever seeing the creature in it's original form Carpenter makes it a truly terrifying creation. The effects used to show how it absorbs and transforms are still, 30 years on, remarkable. The time and effort that must have been used up to make the gruesome assimilation scenes effective and realistic is what elevates 'The Thing' from a standard horror to a landmark in its genre.

Kurt Russell plays R.J. MacReady, who takes it upon himself to flush out all the infected members of the group. MacReady is the only character in the film with any real depth with him being the main protagonist and as for the supporting cast they are rounded out with stereotypical horror characters who have the sole purpose of being killed. This is to be expected in a film of this type as previously mentioned the focus is on the paranoia and arguing amongst the group rather than a backstory for an individual which would distract from the situation at hand.

'The Thing' is one of those movies that is timeless. The eerie atmosphere created at the station and suspicion felt amongst the team is unmatched by any other film of this type. There are few must see horror films released now with most studios financing low budget movies that have zero creativity but make a huge profit. Hopefully the upcoming 'Thing' movie will be different to these cookie cutter slasher films and recreate the horror that was found in the movie it is a prequel to....this is unlikely.



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