A landmark achievement in practical effects, but doesn't rely on its viscera to replace its suspenseful underlying narrative.

Rating: 7/10 (7 March 2018)

This suspenseful picture horror is a landmark achievement in practical effects and most of its gooey, grisly and generally gruesome creations still stand up today, finding a perfect mix between straight-up gore and the uncannily surreal. Its precisely because these disturbing images are not used as crutches for the taut, tense and ominous narrative that 'The Thing (1982)' holds up to scrutiny and remains such a foreboding and thrilling watch all these years later. The flick keeps you on your toes because its underlying premise means that anyone could be the eponymous 'Thing' from another world. Carpenter wisely never reveals exactly who the creature is until its too late. It really is a piece with brains as well as brawn, one that doesn't mind taking its time and earning its eventual shocks. Its brilliantly ambiguous but low-key ending deserves to be as debated as it is. 7/10