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The Thing
1982
Based on both the short story by John W. Campbell, Jr. and the 1951 film produced by Howard Hawks, THE THING is John Carpenter's stunning masterpiece of horror. A group of weary scientists enduring the winter in an isolated camp deep in Antarctica chance upon an alien spacecraft buried in the ice. Near the strange craft is the .. Read more
| Starring | Kurt Russell, T.K. Carter, Richard Dysart, Richard Masur |
|---|---|
| Director | John Carpenter |
| Genres | Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller |
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The Thing
Based on both the short story by John W. Campbell, Jr. and the 1951 film produced by Howard Hawks, THE THING is John Carpenter's stunning masterpiece of horror. A group of weary scientists enduring the winter in an isolated camp deep in Antarctica chance upon an alien spacecraft buried in the ice. Near the strange craft is the body of an alien being, frozen solid. Thinking they have made the find of a lifetime, the scientists bring the alien body back to camp and thaw it out. The alien awakens, not in the best of moods, and proceeds to take over the identities of the scientists, one by one, body and all. Helicopter pilot MacCready (Kurt Russell) must lead the surviving men in discovering who among them is human and who is not and how they can destroy "the thing" before it takes them all and moves on to the heavily populated mainland and the rest of humanity. Rob Bottin supplies the awe-inspiring special effects of the creature in its many, ever-changing forms. The effects were groundbreaking at the time and hold up flawlessly over the passing years. But Carpenter does not rely solely on special effects, utilizing his spectacular cast, which includes Wilford Brimley and Richard Dysart, to create three dimensional characters enduring an unthinkable situation. The score from Ennio Morricone is understated, yet increases the tense mood tenfold. Shooting was difficult and done in below freezing conditions, but despite the discomfort the cast and crew produced a truly terrifying film that will stand the test of time. THE THING is surely one of Carpenter's definitive films and a true horror classic.
| Starring | Kurt Russell, T.K. Carter, Richard Dysart, Richard Masur |
|---|---|
| Director | John Carpenter |
| Studio | UCA |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 44 mins Blu-ray: 1 hr 48 mins HD DVD: 1 hr 43 mins |
| Certificate |  |
| Collections | 100 Horror Films |
| Genres | Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English Blu-ray: English HD DVD: English |
| Dubbed | Polish, Spanish, Russian, Italian |
| Subtitles | DVD: Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish |
| Released | Production year: 1982 To Rent: DVD: 06 Oct 2007 Blu-ray: 01 Dec 2008 HD DVD: not available HD DVD: 04 Jun 2007 |
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Critic's review
View all critics' reviews (4) -
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A remake using the basis of the original story (the thing conceals itself within each of the characters in turn) but filled with revolting detail which alienated many audiences.
- 30082
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- Halliwell's Film Guide
- 02 Mar 2006 at 15:38
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Most helpful member's review
View all members' reviews (186) -
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- 52
- 5
A Genuine Classic
Set in the frozen wastes of Antarctica, 1982, John Carpenter brings us a genuine ?re-imagining? of Howard Hawkes? 1957 classic, ?The Thing From Another World?. ... read more »
- 2769
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[Highly rated reviewer]
- jezfernandez
- 25 reviews
- Wantage
- 03 Mar 2004 at 10:21
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Most recent members' reviews
View all members' reviews (186) -
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- 3
- 0
A thing of genius
The grand-daddy of sick, gross-out movies, “The Thing” is a tight and focussed piece of film-making with Carpenter expertly judging the mood and how ... read more »
- 1070986
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- RJNeb2
- 752 reviews
- London
- 07 Dec 2011 at 00:19
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- 2
- 0
good good film
kurt russel plays a good role in this movie where weird meets wonderful to make a very watchable film if the thing had a name id call it wiley
- 1070521
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- markh2011
- 20 reviews
- Northampton
- 05 Dec 2011 at 14:40
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- 3
- 0
Carpenter's Finest has Stood the Test of Time
A top notch sci-fi-horror that was criminally overlooked when it was first released.
The Thing has really stood the test of time - the special ... read more » - 1067304
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- JayLow
- 65 reviews
- 26 Nov 2011 at 12:34
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News and features
View all
F.3.A.R
- 31 May 2011
Format: Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 The F.E.A.R series is a bit like a pot of Ronseal’s quick drying wood stain: it does exactly what it says on the tin. With that cringe-inducing opener out of the way, F.3.A.R, with it’s way-trendy numeric-digit-in-the-middle logo stylisation, is the third in a first-person horror series that does a remarkably good job of getting you to move from a lackadaisical sofa recline to an uneasy edge of your seat. F.E.A.R is about scares, and it takes its... Read more
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The Thing - HD
Based on both the short story by John W. Campbell, Jr. and the 1951 film produced by Howard Hawks, THE THING is John Carpenter's stunning masterpiece of horror. A group of weary scientists enduring the winter in an isolated camp deep in Antarctica chance upon an alien spacecraft buried in the ice. ...
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The Thing - Blu-ray
Based on both the short story by John W. Campbell, Jr. and the 1951 film produced by Howard Hawks, THE THING is John Carpenter's stunning masterpiece of horror. A group of weary scientists enduring the winter in an isolated camp deep in Antarctica chance upon an alien spacecraft buried in the ice. ...
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The Thing
Based on both the short story by John W. Campbell, Jr. and the 1951 film produced by Howard Hawks, THE THING is John Carpenter's stunning masterpiece of horror. A group of weary scientists enduring the winter in an isolated camp deep in Antarctica chance upon an alien spacecraft buried in the ice. ...
-
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