Classic Horror/SciFi; Just Wish They Kept Campbell's Ending

Rating: 8/10 (10 September 2004)

It's impossible for me to discuss John Carpenter's "The Thing" without also discussing several works that provided its inspiration. J.w. Campbell's classic story "Who Goes There" was also the inspiration for the Howard Hawks/Christian Nyby version in 1950. Since Hawks/Nyby lacked the technology to portray Campbell's shape-shifting, assimilating creature, they focus on Campbell's theme of the "red scare". It's absolutely true communists occupied high positions in our government, including the CIA at the time Campbell wrote "Who Goes There". Hawks/Nyby focused on the camaraderie of the artic crew to represent "the American way of life," while making the creature a "walking vegetable," feeding on blood and preparing its occupation of the earth through asexual reproduction. Thus, the creature represented the "Communist menace" and the scientist a "fellow traveler. By 1955, the US government, through oppressive laws against communist in this nation, as well as the Hollywood Blacklist,had created a backlash against "McCarthyism". As a result, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" presented the humans as communists and the "pod people" as the "fascist oppressors". Also, in 1955, the UK released "The Quatermass Experiment," AKA "The Creeping Unknown," which presented a creature that possessed the assimilation half of Campbell's "Thing". By the time of the unsuccessful release of John Carpenter's film, the "red scare" portion had been utterly discarded. However, the paranoic theme of "do you ever really 'know' somebody?" essence of Campbell's story remained. Even better, "movie magic" technology had made it possible to represent the creature as Campbell presented him: a communal shape-shifter capable of masking his actual identities, but capable of viciously revealing it true multiple natures when threatened or "hungry". Carpenter wisely retained most of Campbell's story. Especially effective is the scene where each of the Antarctic station's crew member is tested by having a hot wire submerged in his blood. It's a pity Carpenter didn't retain Campbell's ending, which was to discover that the creature was using equipment parts to build a communicator to alert his kind that the earth was ripe for invasion. Carpenter's ending is not as plausible, but it is certainly more exciting.
The television version of the movie adds narrative exposition, providing the background of each character. I believe that was improvement over the initial movie release. After all, the characters start dying off so quickly, it's difficult to identify them, much less develop some empathy. Nonetheless, "John Carpenter's The Thing" is taut and terrifying, a genuine classic that did not deserve it's box office failure. Kurt Russell, Keith David, Richard Dysart, Wilford Brimley and the rest of the cast turn in fine performances. Ennio Morricone's terrific music perfectly complements the dark, moody cinematography and editing. The creature effects are outstanding and quite gruesome. Only the short animation sequence lacks plausibility.
"John Carpenter's The Thing" has finally become a bonafide classic, and that's a good thing (pardon the pun). I give it an "8".