Creepy, Gross, and Worth It

Rating: 9/10 (18 January 2009)

I don't remember when I first saw this. In 1982 I was living in Hawaii and all I remember was seeing ET and Poltergiest. Musta been later on HBO or something.
At first I was rather upset since I loved the 1951 version which was used as an example in my "Sociology of the Horror Film" class at San Francisco State Univ. There it was touted as a prime example of cold-war paranoia. Plus it scared the crap outta me seeing it as a kid in the 1960's.
Carpenter's version hits you in a different area. The stomach, primal fear and that isolation you get when you realize that no one from the outside is going to come to your rescue.
As to the "gross-outs"...the transformation of the sled dog didn't bother me. As an animal lover, it would, but by that time it wasn't a dog anymore, was it? For me, the real gross-out was from when Norris had a heart attack to the ER where Doc Copper gets his arms bit off to Norris' head melting off and sprouting legs and eyes. Palmer's stoned comment really summed it up.
Great movie and a product of it's times in many ways. If a remake is gonna be like other recent remakes.....I'll pass.