Dir. John Carpenter (1982)
A group of arctic researchers discover an alien life form that begins to take over their bodies and endangers the world.
CAUTION: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
I watched The Thing for the first time about four years ago, somehow never taking the time to check out a movie that many feel is the greatest horror movie ever made by the greatest horror director of all time. Hard to imagine, right? Well, I immediately understood the immense reputation that the movie had earned, because it is absolutely incredible and with effects that stand up tremendously even today. Every scene in the film is iconic, from the opening scene where Norwegian scientists hunt a dog by helicopter to the final scene that depicts the depth of paranoia and loneliness that remains until the credits roll. It is a practically perfect film, one of two that I can think of in the horror genre (with the other being Alien).
Why this movie has left such a mark on the history of film should be no surprise: Dean Cundey did the cinematography (and also Halloween), Rob Bottin did the special effects (and also many other amazing films), and Ennio Morricone did the score (and is a fucking legend in cinema). Also, again, it was directed by John Carpenter, who has basically never made a bad movie (I liked Ghosts of Mars, shut up.) It has a fantastic plot, stellar acting all-around, and probably the best and most realistic special effects of any horror movie in history. It's not really unbelievable that the movie gets the following it so richly deserves. When you add onto that the themes of paranoia and trust, it becomes an utterly compelling movie that is incredibly difficult to top.
So much of our society is built around trust. The belief that the person walking beside you won't push you into oncoming traffic, or that the car driving beside you won't suddenly swerve into your lane. The entire basis of human civilization must, at some level, be built on trust. There's something terrifying about the concept of being impersonated, about knowing that the person next to you doesn't even trust that you're you. Your closest friend can look, sound, and act like your closest friend, and yet... Horror has explored this through possession, body snatchers, doppelgangers, etc., but few films have been able to capture the concept with such cosmically terrifying reality as The Thing. It is this otherness, this schizophrenic state of mind that things around you aren't what they seem that makes The Thing so special and makes it still so frighteningly effective today.
Who this movie is for: Classic horror fans; Carpenter lovers; Parka fanatics
Bottom line: The Thing is an absolute must see for anyone who claims to be a horror fan. It's scary, paranoia-inducing delight, and it hits at every single pleasure center in a horror fan's brain. It's perfect to watch on Halloween night, celebrating the season with arguably the best horror movie ever made.
