Again, as I said before – I’m not qualified to write about the significance of The Thing. It’s one of my personal favorite movies of all time – to the point where I got the theatrical release poster art tattooed on me. It’s one of Carpenter’s best work (I’d argue his best, honestly), and it ticks many of the boxes that we’ve discussed in this blog – strong characters, a penchant for penny pinching (how’s that for alliteration), a bleak ending and fantastic effects. Aside from this, it’s one of Carpenter’s most interesting works to talk about, as its critical and audience reception shocks many people to this day. How did this movie fail? Did it deserve to?
No. It didn’t.
Carpenter’s bleak sci-fi horror remake (Reimagining Howard Hawkes’ ‘The Thing From Another World’) somehow failed at the box office – but has been redeemed in recent years, becoming an iconic cult classic, and what I would say defines Carpenter’s work as a director.
We cannot discount Rob Bottin’s practical special effects work, which is one of the films strongest attributes – the creatures in The Thing, while obviously other worldly, move in such a manner that is (thankfully), unlike anything else on Earth. It’s similar to the jerky movements of stop motion helping James Cameron’s Terminator move so terrifyingly – it’s weakness is it’s strength. Bottin was in his early 20’s when he worked on The Thing – as if I needed to feel worse about my accomplishments at 29.
Bottin’s work is only part of the puzzle – it’s how Carpenter chooses to show Bottin’s creations. Carpenter knows less is more – that it’s what the mind doesn’t see that terrifies it the most. Carpenter’s choice to shoot many of the scenes in the dark, adding a film noir look to it, heightens the anxiety that the film causes.
As I said before, The Thing was a critical and commercial flop, and led Carpenter to become disillusioned with The Hollywood System – which i believe shows in his output and especially in his next movie, They Live – possibly his bleakest overall.
The Porkchop Express 