The Thing (1982)

Rating - 8/10

With it being spooky season, I thought it would be appropriate to visit some old classics that really put the fear of God in you. With this one being on my watchlist for a while, I couldn’t think of a better opportunity! So here we go, my review of an absolute staple of horror!

Overview

With this being a film from the legend that is John Carpenter, you expect a certain level of depth, practicality and class when it comes to the filmmaking. Let me tell you, that’s exactly what you get with this film. The film was shot on location in Alaska and they make every single second there count. The landscapes are gorgeous and the camera work really makes the environment pop. I especially love the interiors of the research base, everything feels lived in and aged whilst also feeling claustrophobic. There is a mastery of the medium at work with this film and I couldn’t be happier with the result.

Performances

Now, I know that this is famously known as a Kurt Russell film, and he does give a damn good performance. However, I would like the present the idea that there isn’t actually a standout performance in this film. It only works as well as it does because it’s an ensemble, everyone plays off of each other incredibly, each of them managing to effectively sell the paranoia of the situation. For example, the scene with Bennings being assimilated and everyone rushing to come and see, the look of equal bewilderment, pure fear, and insane paranoia is evident on everyone’s face. They each stay true to their characters whilst simultaneously contributing to this atmosphere of mystery and tension. Looping back around to Kurt Russell, I would argue that he plays a sort of Ripley-esque role in that he’s a great character who isn’t revealed to be the protagonist until well into the events of the story. He does a great job setting MacReady up as a level-headed authority but also someone who’s in way over his head with the situation. There’s a sense of vulnerability and unexpectedness to his character that really glues the group together.

I would also like to shoutout a particularly overlooked performance in that of Jed the Dog, my guy manages to hit his marks and arguably has the most tense part of the film when the Thing is put with the rest of the dogs.

Cinematography

This film was shot using anamorphic lenses and my god it shows. The blacks are so deep and the shots are so wide that even a close up feels like a medium. Dean Cundy was the DOP and he has a tremendous amount of talent and knowledge for what makes an effective frame.

A lot of the shots are framed in such a way that there is a lot of empty space in the frame. Like when MacReady comes to see the doctor around half way through, everything that isn’t directly focused on the characters is completely covered in shadow and darkness. The intention being that they want to give the impression that there could be something lurking in the shadows, just waiting to pounce…

The anamorphic lenses also allow the general framing to be a lot wider, meaning that you can see more both in the focal point and around it. It’s such a weird paradoxical feeling because the idea that you can see more would likely make you feel safer right? Wrong. The wider frames allow more dead space and shifting focus, which only furthers the general feeling of paranoia beyond the characters and into the setting.

It’s shot so brilliantly but so simply as well, the film doesn’t have any remarkable camera movements or angles, the majority of it is just close ups and mediums. However, the experimentation and the true mastery of the camera is within the framing, and thats one of the main reasons why this film works.

Visual Effects

This being an 80s film, it’s very refreshing to see something that doesn’t rely solely on post-production and CGI VFX. The biggest thing that impressed me about this film is the extensive use of practical effects. Fitting with John Carpenter’s signature style, the thing that makes the Thing so terrifying is that it’s maleable, it’s real, everything is done in camera and practically, which enhances the actor’s performances as well.

Every single time we saw the Thing transform or reveal itself or attack someone, it was really there and it feels like something that could possibly come out of the screen and get to you. The attention to detail is nothing short of astounding with the Thing, you can see all of it’s inners workings and the remnants of the beings it’s assimilated. Becoming this terrifying amalgamation of various organisms with eyes, bones and blood just oozing out of every crevice.

Drawbacks

Whilst I’ve been praising the film for the most part, I do have some issues with the overall result. Firstly, I wish I could have known more about these characters. Outside of Kurt Russell and maybe Keith David, I didn’t feel any particular connection to the cast of characters. They are all visually distinct and have a unique personality but with horror especially, I like to understand the characters and relate to them, purely because it makes the circumstances that much more intense and dire.

Additionally, I do feel like the premise sort of runs its course near to the end. Once you’ve seen the Thing more than three or four times, the impact of the visuals become less about the immediate threat it possesses but more about how gross it is. I much prefer a creature feature that sparingly shows the creature as the less you show, the more effective the tension and scares will be for me.

Verdict

Well, there isn’t much else for me to say that hasn’t already been said verbatim. This film is nothing short of a triumph of horror filmmaking and John’s commitment to realism and practicality will ensure that it will go down in history as a timeless classic! This will definetly be an annual spooky season rewatch for me!

Whilst I wouldn’t quite put it on the same level as Alien (but that’s my all time favourite film so it’s a tough comparison), its damn close!

What do you reckon? Did you enjoy it as much as I did? Leave your thoughts in the comments and let’s start a discussion!