Pure horror

Rating: 8/10 (22 July 2010)

Horror, like hot sauce, is a kind of self-indulgence. It's considered part of the sport to try to push the envelope, be it a seared mouth or a heart attack. I think John Carpenter has designed a movie for the audience who says, "C'mon scare us to death."
Every element of this movie is exquisitely crafted -- from the soundtrack to the cutting and pacing to the uncompromising, unrelenting savagery -- all packaged in sharp, handsome photography and skilled acting. The buildup is a crescendo of violence and gore.
But what's the point of all these fine production values? A message? Existential dread? Survival? Compare this one to Alien. Both climax with the hero calling out the great terror. Like cowboys. You know, the outlaws move into town and kill everybody until they meet the lone hero in the final showdown. Here, the story is just a vehicle for the real purpose of this film: pure horror.
Almost 30 years later, and John Carpenter's The Thing is still the scariest movie I've ever seen. If I lived for being scared to death, then I'd give it a 10.