"cult" or not to follow; a direct hit

Rating: 10/10 (25 November 2001)

Interestingly enough, my brother of 3 years younger than me informed me that when in 1983 ("The Thing" was available to be pay-per-viewed a year after it's release, but only in the pan and scan format), I found it "boring".
Perhaps I was too young to fully enjoy and comprehend the realistic and isolationist paranoia-fest, or too eager (for my pre-teen lust for gore) to see what the original hyper was about (in 1982). Granted the film made it's mark on my younger years, but never to really fully appreciate it.

A few years later, my brother bought a pan & scan VHS copy, which was stolen from us, and then I purchased the widescreen VHS Universal re-release, and was completely amazed and submerged by what the full aspect ratio and brilliantly slow cinematography/photography added to the already cryptic and low-fi darkwave mood.
The film is now , and has been for quite a while now, my all-time favorite film ever. And am I glad it wasn't done with cheesy CGI/computer animated effects!