"The ultimate in alien terror," it says. It's not wrong. This is it. This is the greatest horror film ever made. John Carpenter's A-#1.
Cinema is full of great creature designs, yet The Thing bests them all. Every incarnation we see of the creature, and all the practical effects and set pieces that bring it to life, are the best that the industry has to offer. The most realistic CGI will never compete.
The paranoia and distrust in the outpost is palpable. Carpenter crafts a tangible atmosphere of desperation and suspicion, from the unassuming beginning to the classic, ambiguous end--one of my very favorite endings from any movie, ever.
Composer extraordinaire Ennio Morricone lends his great skills with a minimalist, synth-driven score that adds immensely to the building unease. It very well complements the performances of the excellent ensemble cast that bring every feeling of terror and wariness to life. Kurt Russell once again shines as Carpenter's lead, MacReady, and Keith David is superb as the antagonistic Childs. It's easy to overlook other cast members with smaller roles and less time on screen--even the unmistakable Wilford Brimley--but have no doubt, they're all just as good, just as essential to the picture.
Once again: not only is John Carpenter a master storyteller, a fantastic director generally, but his greatest skill is in slowly building the tension and suspense in his pictures until the explosive finale. He does it so well that it's impossible for the viewer not to experience the same misgivings, the same sense of horror, as the characters on-screen--not because you're watching it, but because you FEEL it just as deeply.
It's violent, it's gory, and broadly it may not be for everyone. But this needs to be seen by anyone with the slightest interest in horror, or creature features, or with a keen interest in cinema history as a whole. Similar stories may be told, but there are no and will never be any imitators.
Cinema is full of great creature designs, yet The Thing bests them all. Every incarnation we see of the creature, and all the practical effects and set pieces that bring it to life, are the best that the industry has to offer. The most realistic CGI will never compete.
The paranoia and distrust in the outpost is palpable. Carpenter crafts a tangible atmosphere of desperation and suspicion, from the unassuming beginning to the classic, ambiguous end--one of my very favorite endings from any movie, ever.
Composer extraordinaire Ennio Morricone lends his great skills with a minimalist, synth-driven score that adds immensely to the building unease. It very well complements the performances of the excellent ensemble cast that bring every feeling of terror and wariness to life. Kurt Russell once again shines as Carpenter's lead, MacReady, and Keith David is superb as the antagonistic Childs. It's easy to overlook other cast members with smaller roles and less time on screen--even the unmistakable Wilford Brimley--but have no doubt, they're all just as good, just as essential to the picture.
Once again: not only is John Carpenter a master storyteller, a fantastic director generally, but his greatest skill is in slowly building the tension and suspense in his pictures until the explosive finale. He does it so well that it's impossible for the viewer not to experience the same misgivings, the same sense of horror, as the characters on-screen--not because you're watching it, but because you FEEL it just as deeply.
It's violent, it's gory, and broadly it may not be for everyone. But this needs to be seen by anyone with the slightest interest in horror, or creature features, or with a keen interest in cinema history as a whole. Similar stories may be told, but there are no and will never be any imitators.