Onto a good 'Thing' here

Rating: Null/10 (6 February 2003)

As well as being one of Carpenter's finest films, this truly gruesome creature feature is an object lesson in how to pace a 'haunted house' movie. Morricone's eerie score sets the tone for the movie, and the opening sequence alone creates a more palpable sense of dread than any overblown CGI effect.

*MINOR SPOILER*
In this sequence, a lone husky dog is pursued by a helicopter across a lonely arctic waste. A man perched over the side of the helicopter is shooting at the husky, lobbing grenades at it, infact anything to kill it, and his increasing desperation tips us off that there's something not quite right with this scenario. Infact, the husky is a 'Thing'.

*END OF SPOILER*
Since the 'Thing' in question is an alien being that can mimic any creature it touches, this creates a problem for the motley collection of scientists marooned in the Arctic base (which provides the film's setting). First of all, since any single part of the 'Thing' is sentient in itself, it's very difficult to kill it. Secondly, the 'Thing' could be one of them.
In the main role, Kurt Russell creates the same type of cool-as-ice persona as Snake Plisskin in 'Escape From New York,' but the supporting cast are equally effective. Infact, since the 'Thing' isn't actually seen for much of the movie, the film builds up tension through the increasing sense of paranoia and distrust between the characters. This Hitchcockian element, often overlooked, is a key ingredient to the film's effectiveness.
When the 'Thing' does appear, however, it's certainly memorable. In one scene, a dog's head opens up like a banana, in another, a human head peels off at the neck, grows legs and stalk-eyes, and scuttles along the floor like a crab. The response of one character, appropriately, is "you gotta be f***ing kidding!" But it's the moments between these gruesome episodes that truly justify the film's greatness, and the unusually downbeat ending is a worthy payoff. A great flick, which chills as much as shocks.
4 out of 5