Still Creepy After All These Years

Rating: 10/10 (9 April 2005)

John Carpenter's adaptation of "The Thing," is a gore-fest from start to finish. Since it's release in 1982, viewers are still amazed at the special effects, which still hold up pretty good.
In the Antarctic, a group of researchers are thrown into a horrific nightmare when a dog shows up, being shot at by a group of Noreigians, that REALLY want the dog dead. Later, the group of researchers, lead by MacReady (Kurt Russell), stumble upon a spaceship at the Noreigians camp, with other information: a creature that can become anything or anyone it chooses. This really becomes evident when the dog, which is in a kennel with the other dogs, shows what it REALLY is, in one of the most disturbing scenes in movie history (And still creeps me out!).
Soon the researchers begin to suspect each other, knowing that the creature can assume ANYONE'S identity. Paranoia and distrust runs rampant, as one by one the creature begins to take over each of the group members. In one memorable scene, a blood test is used to reveal which of the members is the creature. You get so caught up in who you THINK is the creature, that when you find out the truth, you really are shocked. The film has you on edge from start to finish, although there are some unanswered questions (What exactly happened to Nauls?)that I wished were explained.
The Thing itself is a nasty piece of work: This creature can inhabit every square inch of a victim's body (even the blood). Each incarnation of the creature is as graphic and as disturbing as the last. And the atmosphere in the film makes the situation even more unsettling: The group is in the middle of nowhere, with temperatures below freezing and dropping each and every second. Their modes of transportation are destroyed and no one can trust each other. They are trapped with not just the creature, but with their own understandable paranoia.
2 of my favorite lines: Wilford Brimley,as Dr. Blair, going insane and screaming "I'll kill you!" and David Clennon, as Palmer, when he sees his friend's head turn into a spider creature and walks away, says "You gotta be f***ing kidding!" Great movie to be included for Halloween, or when you just want to have a good scare.