Left me wondering why I hadn't seen it sooner. Carpenter is a master film-maker.

Rating: 10/10 (14 September 2005)

In the last couple of years, I've been watching as many John Carpenter movies as possible. I fell in love with Escape From New York, and practically worship Big Trouble in Little China. I love the energy that Carpenter directs his movies with, I always feel they're special and unlike anything else out there. It's no different with The Thing. My question is, how does Carpenter do it? The Thing is a horror masterpiece. The movie is based on a book called "Who Goes There?", which is rather fitting considering the plot. In 1980's Antartica, a research team accidentally stumble upon an alien that can change it's appearance to look like anyone through cell-transformation. As it begins to wreak havoc and mayhem upon the research facility, it becomes clear that nobody can trust anybody else. Paranoia sets in, and a perfect horror mood forms. It's all very clever.
Leading the campaign is MacReady, a brave and cool helicopter pilot played perfectly by the awesome Kurt Russell. Again, Russell and Carpenter craft and amazing character together, just like their previous legend; Snake Plissken. MacReady rounds the men together and attempts to destroy "The Thing", but things do not go as planned.
For a film made in 1982, the special effects are top-notch. They look realistic, which makes a change (the 80's was a big special effects testing zone, which wasn't necessarily a good thing). It's gory and violent too, and never did I find myself thinking, "Oh God, why?" Ennio Morricone composed the music, influenced by Carpenter's classic synthesised tunes. I was impressed by the main theme, a sort of basic tense number; it succeeded in keeping me at the edge of my seat. This score however, was totally different from anything I'd heard Ennio do before, which made a refreshing change.
Overall, The Thing is one of my favourite horror films (and one of my favourite films, to be frank). It kept me interested and tense, whilst thrilling me for the full running time. The acting is superb, as is the direction by one John Carpenter. Ennio Morricone's score was simple but effective, and the special effects just finish off this piece of perfection film-making. In one word, spectacular.(5/5)