Imagine taking a job in a place with no contact with the outside world, surrounded by miles and miles of snow and ice — there’s nothing to keep you company but a few co-workers, some games of computer chess and maybe a bottle of J&B or two. Though it would be a quiet life, living it for long enough already sounds like it could be a nightmare… and that’s before the shapeshifting alien shows up.
It all begins with a lone sled dog being pursued across the white Antarctic plain by a man in a helicopter brandishing a rifle, eventually cornering the animal by chasing it into the research camp of our protagonists. What was once a calm environment erupts in chaos and confusion, ending up with one scientist taking a bullet to the leg, the man in the helicopter being shot dead in self-defense, and a new (weirdly docile) sled dog joining the team’s kennel.
This is only the beginning of the situation for the group of scientists in John Carpenter’s The Thing. Just when the situation couldn’t seem to get any worse, a gruesome encounter with their new pet reveals its true nature. What once appeared to be so innocent and harmless ends up transforming into a disturbing amalgamation of body parts from different animals — a thing that has the ability to shapeshift and imitate the form of the next victim it devours. And despite packing a flamethrower, the team seems to only be able to kill most of it, as part of the grotesque creature scurries away into the night.
Days go by, but any attempt to resume their normal routine leads to conflict and paranoia. Nothing’s the same anymore as there is something amongst the group that has the ability to completely shapeshift into a living form, and that something also seems to be hungry. Now, cabin fever is the least of their troubles – now, there’s no way to tell who was human or who was just disguised as one.
I watched this film for the first time at the Harper film series, and I wasn’t sure what to expect since I didn’t really know anything about it before going in. But after watching it I found it to be rather disturbing, and more unsettling than truly scary. One thing I will say is that if you’re a fond dog lover, or if you get grossed out easily, and hate the thought of paper cuts and blood, this film is definitely not for you.
There was a discussion after the film which was about the background of the film. I found it hard to believe that it was an unsuccessful film after its initial release in 1982, receiving bad reviews due to it being “too sloppy” or “too graphic” — I guess it also didn’t help that it was released around the same time as E.T, which coincidentally happens to be about an alien as well, but obviously a completely different, much more marketable kind.
But I was relieved to hear that it has become a widely enjoyed and appreciated horror and sci-fi film. As I learned more about the history of the film, it helped me appreciate and understand the love for this movie that so many people have towards it.
One of the things I feel that makes this movie exceptional was the immense amount of detail that was put into it. Like how on the set the temperature was sometimes below 0 degrees, to make the setting look and feel as realistic as possible — the breath of the actors lingers in the cold air, and their shivering physical reactions to the environment only heightened the discomfort of the paranoia underlying the story.
Not only that, but effects artist Rob Bottin, who was in charge of creating the prosthetics and makeup of the monster, worked so tirelessly to the point where he had to be hospitalized for exhaustion after the film was complete. Not that that is a good thing — but it goes to show the intense amount of effort he put himself through to make sure everything was up to his expectations, and that really shows in the end product, as the film’s practical special effects are one of its most acclaimed features.
Throughout the movie, I felt as though the graphic scenes couldn’t get any worse than an early scene where a dog was suddenly ripped open and exposed as an alien – but even after that, it still had tricks up its sleeve. It’s a movie that constantly one-ups itself in that way. But it isn’t just all about gore and special effects. From beginning to end, the viewer gets a sense of impending doom, questioning what’s going to happen next, and even as the film ends you couldn’t help but wonder the same thing.
Apart from being isolated in the middle of Antarctica, there was literally nowhere to go because their only chance of surviving was to stay in the site and wait. You could feel the hopelessness of the characters as they watched the rest of their crew go down one by one. John Carpenter did a great job of portraying paranoia and distrust within the film, even getting the audience to doubt and question whether or not each character was an alien in disguise.
Even though it took over 30 years for the film to be truly acknowledged, it is now obvious the amount of effort that was put into the film made it one of the most iconic and influential sci-fi horror films.