On par with Hawks' original; Carpenter's Best

Rating: Null/10 (12 February 2003)

When people these days say, "Hey, did you ever see THE THING?" most people probably think they are referring to John Carpenter's brilliant re-adaptation (NOT remake) of the story "Who Goes There?", which was the basis for Howard Hawks' equally brilliant 1951 original. Both movies are triumphs of atmosphere, pacing and suspense, but the limitations set on filmmakers in the fifties forced Hawks' production to require much more of a reliance on suggestion and clever use of editing to bring its rarely seen monster to life. Carpenter, known even then for his ability to scare without resorting to the graphic violence and gore most horror movies offered up, finally gave in to Hollywood's embracement of gore and filled his movie to vomiting with some of the most disgusting imagery ever seen in a major studio release. However, unlike FRIDAY THE 13TH and other exploitation quickies, THE THING's effects were at least as frightening and nightmarish as they were gross, fit the intensity of the movie perfectly, and worked thematically to physically represent the decay and mutation that occurs within people when trust, friendship and security is destroyed. Both movies are rich in substance and style, and would make a killer double feature.