In 1982 John Carpenter released a film, a remake of one of his personal favorite films. The Thing from Another World. The Thing proved to be ahead of its time. It seems this happens a lot in older horror movies.
For many years I put this one off, I did not want to see the Thing. I waited until 2006 to see the movie, urged by my, then girlfriend to watch as it is one of the greatest horror films of all-time. You see, I was small minded then and I thought it nothing more than a Sci-Fi movie, like Alien. I did see Alien a lot sooner, but for some reason I did not like Sci-Fi with my horror…the Thing changed all of that.
Some of the things that surprised me about the movie, when I watched it the first time. The special effects were amazing and trying to believe the movie was made in 1982 and these were all practical effects. Then there is Kurt Russell, I am a fan. The story itself is so good and the ending is so bleak.
The movie did not do well in the box office, but over the last, nearly 35 years, it has become one of the horror films near the top of so many lists. It is a strange thing, some of the top grossing horror films are not so good. The Thing is a masterpiece.
While most would say John Carpenter’s masterpiece may be Halloween, I disagree. While Halloween is a great movie, the Thing is Carpenter’s masterpiece. I do not use the term “masterpiece” lightly, in-fact, the Thing may be the first thing I have ever called a “masterpiece”.
Something I did not know, John Carpenter considers The Thing to be the first part of his Apocalypse Trilogy, followed by Prince of Darkness and In the Mouth of Madness. Although the films are unrelated, but they all have a similar theme, potentially the end of the world. If “The Thing” ever reach civilization, it would be only a matter of time before it consumes everyone. It is kind of a good thing where “The Thing” was discovered.
Is the Thing the best horror movie ever made? That is a question I give you. It is 100% great and it has got to make the Horror Syndicate’s Top 100 Horror Films of all-time. I think the Thing should fall in the top 10 horror films. Another thing to think about, it is the best horror remake ever made.
There you have it, the Thing is in our Hall of Fame. What should be next, we have Nosferatu, Dracula (1931), the Exorcist and now the Thing. What should come next? Join us in August for the next entry in our Horror Hall of Fame. Should we explore the 1990s or 2000s? Let us know what you think.
