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The Thing

  • 19821982
  • RR
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
413K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
197
38
The Thing (1982)
Scientists in the Antarctic are confronted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of the people that it kills.
Play trailer1:54
4 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Horror
  • Mystery
  • Sci-Fi
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
413K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
197
38
  • Director
    • John Carpenter
  • Writers
    • Bill Lancaster(screenplay)
    • John W. Campbell Jr.(story)
  • Stars
    • Kurt Russell
    • Wilford Brimley
    • Keith David
Top credits
  • Director
    • John Carpenter
  • Writers
    • Bill Lancaster(screenplay)
    • John W. Campbell Jr.(story)
  • Stars
    • Kurt Russell
    • Wilford Brimley
    • Keith David
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1.2KUser reviews
    • 378Critic reviews
    • 57Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #160
    • Awards
      • 3 nominations

    Videos4

    The Thing
    Trailer 1:54
    The Thing
    How "Carnival Row" Gets Lovecraft Right
    Clip 3:47
    How "Carnival Row" Gets Lovecraft Right
    Through the Lens: Defining Carpenteresque and Why It Belongs in the Dictionary
    Clip 4:54
    Through the Lens: Defining Carpenteresque and Why It Belongs in the Dictionary
    Sneak Previews Season 4 Episode 36
    Video 29:47
    Sneak Previews Season 4 Episode 36

    Photos179

    Keith David, Richard Dysart, Charles Hallahan, Peter Maloney, Donald Moffat, and Joel Polis in The Thing (1982)
    Kurt Russell in The Thing (1982)
    Kurt Russell and Charles Hallahan in The Thing (1982)
    Kurt Russell in The Thing (1982)
    T.K. Carter, Charles Hallahan, Peter Maloney, Richard Masur, and Donald Moffat in The Thing (1982)
    Kurt Russell, T.K. Carter, and Donald Moffat in The Thing (1982)
    Charles Hallahan in The Thing (1982)
    Charles Hallahan in The Thing (1982)
    Kurt Russell in The Thing (1982)
    Kurt Russell in The Thing (1982)
    Kurt Russell in The Thing (1982)
    Kurt Russell in The Thing (1982)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Kurt Russell
    Kurt Russell
    • MacReady
    Wilford Brimley
    Wilford Brimley
    • Dr. Blair
    • (as A. Wilford Brimley)
    Keith David
    Keith David
    • Childs
    Richard Masur
    Richard Masur
    • Clark
    T.K. Carter
    T.K. Carter
    • Nauls
    David Clennon
    David Clennon
    • Palmer
    Richard Dysart
    Richard Dysart
    • Dr. Copper
    Charles Hallahan
    Charles Hallahan
    • Vance Norris
    Peter Maloney
    Peter Maloney
    • George Bennings
    Donald Moffat
    Donald Moffat
    • Garry
    Joel Polis
    Joel Polis
    • Fuchs
    Thomas G. Waites
    Thomas G. Waites
    • Windows
    • (as Thomas Waites)
    Norbert Weisser
    Norbert Weisser
    • Norwegian
    Larry Franco
    Larry Franco
    • Norwegian Passenger with Rifle
    Nate Irwin
    • Helicopter Pilot
    William Zeman
    • Pilot
    Adrienne Barbeau
    Adrienne Barbeau
    • Computer
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    John Carpenter
    John Carpenter
    • Norwegian (video footage)
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • John Carpenter
    • Writers
      • Bill Lancaster(screenplay)
      • John W. Campbell Jr.(story)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      John Carpenter has stated that of all his films, this is his personal favorite.
    • Goofs
      (at around 1h 20 mins) Although Fuchs has told them that the alien organism is highly infective, they don't care about sharing the same knife to get their blood samples.
    • Quotes

      [Norris' head grows legs and tries to walk away]

      Palmer: [1:17:22] You gotta be fuckin' kidding.

    • Crazy credits
      The title of the movie is revealed in the same style as in The Thing from Another World (1951). The effect was achieved with a plastic bag placed on a stencil that was melted by a heat source placed below it.
    • Alternate versions
      CBS edited 12 minutes from this film for its 1986 network television premiere.
    • Connections
      Edited into Deep Freeze (2001)
    • Soundtracks
      Don't Explain
      Music by Billie Holiday (uncredited)

      Lyrics by Arthur Herzog Jr. (uncredited)

      Performed by Billie Holiday

      Courtesy of MCA Records

    User reviews1.2K

    Review
    Top review
    Good things come to those who wait
    * * * * ½ (4½ out of 5)

    The Thing

    Directed by: John Carpenter, 1982

    Looking back on John Carpenter's The Thing – today a highly treasured cult favourite – one has to wonder why it was dismissed by both the audience and critics when it first came out in 1982.

    Steven Spielberg's extra terrestrial adventure about a sweet alien that phoned home (that stole the hearts of both children and adults world wide) had opened just two weeks before and was on its historic box office rampage. Bad scheduling may have had a greater impact than anything else on the fate of Carpenter's first big studio effort for Universal Pictures. Nobody was prepared – moreover wanted anything so dark, gory and scary as this genuine remake of the famous 1951 original. This was the time of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.

    It then makes for great movie history trivia, that The Thing has gained such a remarkable afterlife on video, DVD and television. Both financially and critically. Carpenter's version is less a remake of the Howard Hawks' version than a more faithful adaptation of John W. Campbell's short story "Who Goes There?' (on which both were based), and critics today point out how well Carpenter plays his characters against each other. Kurt Russell will never top this one, and he gets a brilliant sparring from the entire cast.

    It opens in Antarctica with a sled husky running from a pair of crazed and armed Norwegian men in a helicopter. The scene is long, slow and uneasy. It feels like the Apocalypse. It oozes doomsday.

    This scene comprises one of the greatest opening sequences in film history.

    Ennio Morricone's moody synth score (heavy on naked thumping bass lines in classic Carpenter style), the windswept massive white of the desolate polar ice and the majestic husky running across the tundra chased by the chopper, compromises a completely mesmerizing piece of scenery.

    A satisfying example of a movie that today – 18 years after – looks downright muscular in its simplicity.

    The budget was big ($14 mill), yet it allowed Carpenter to visualize his ideas better than ever before. There's a brooding darkness to this film, making the whites and blues of the icy Antarctic claustrophobia seem poetic and almost angelic. Dean Cundey's extraordinary photography created a palpable chill to every shot. The careful preparation (the crew went into a record 11-month pre-production) paid off immensely.

    Horror specialist Rob Bottin was handpicked for the many gory and grotesque special effects. Be warned – there's a lot of splatter and gore here. The Thing is actually notorious for its creature morphing scenes. Some find them disgusting, some mere cult.

    An argument could be made against The Thing being an Alien rip-off; it has its origins in an old sci-fi story and it creates tension by popping a crowd of people (note: all-male) on an isolated outpost (an Antarctic research facility) terrorized by an alien life form.

    Where Carpenter was clearly inspired by Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece, his own alien movie is original and intriguing in its own right. There's a rhythm and an environment that equals Scott's in every way.

    The husky was in fact half-wolf and half-dog, and it was noted that it never barked or growled on or off the set (Horror Takes Shape, the making of - DVD version).

    Watch in awe at the scene where it walks through the hallway and stares at a human shadow, slightly tilting its head forward in stalking position like a wild wolf. This is a fine piece of animal training, sure, but that's not the point. This is as spooky as anything ever made in a horror movie.

    Carpenter had all the right tools here, and he utilized them to perfection, making The Thing his best movie alongside Halloween.
    helpful•416
    51
    • Rainfox
    • May 27, 2000

    FAQ61

    • At the beginning, the helicopter is trying to shoot the dog as it runs through the snow. Why doesn't the helicopter just hover over the dog instead of flying way past the dog after each pass? Does it have anything to do with the cold air or altitude?
    • Why did the Norwegians dig the crater in the first place?
    • Is the prequel canon?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 25, 1982 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Norwegian
    • Also known as
      • John Carpenter's The Thing
    • Filming locations
      • Juneau, Alaska, USA
    • Production companies
      • Universal Pictures
      • Turman-Foster Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $15,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $19,629,760
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,107,897
      • Jun 27, 1982
    • Gross worldwide
      • $19,632,715
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 49 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

    Related news

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