John Carpenter's special effects classic delivers a sense of isolation and paranoia.

Rating: 9/10 (31 July 2011)

This is the classic John Carpenter re-visitation/tribute to the original 'The Thing From Another World' which was adapted from John W. Campbell's book, 'Who Goes There?', and it begins like a slick and subtle action in the Antarctic movie just before it gradually develops into a spectacle of mind-blowing special effects and paranoid tension.
Kurt Russell, Keith David and Wilford Brimley are among the occupants of a remote research station in the Antarctic when they discover the remains of an alien creature frozen in the ice that is able to assimilate any living organism by reproducing its cell-structure. This premise provides Carpenter with the perfect disposition to build an overwhelming sense of distrust, for anyone could possibly be 'The Thing', and Rob Bottin's make-up crew magically provides some of the most amazing creature effects that still haven't been matched to this day, making this one of the most ghastly science fiction movies ever made. Carpenter has a knack for creating music and tone that induces a feeling of uneasiness and dread, and the William Lancaster script focuses on suspense rather than dialog and characterization. The most memorable and terrifying scenes include; A dog that is actually the alien is abruptly stopped just as it is about to imitate the other dogs in the first scene where the creature shows itself, and not to forget to mention the infamous "spider head" scene which for many is the film's most gruesome highlight. This is one of the great films that forged itself timelessly from the world of nightmares and unknown horrors, and will remain as a major contribution to monster effects history.