John Carpenter directed The Thing, a sci fi-horror from a screenplay by Bill Lancaster, based on John W. Campbell Jr. 1938 novella, Who Goes There?
Overcome by paranoia and inner conflict, the members no longer trust each other, as any one of them could be the Thing.
The film stars Kurt Russell as the team’s helicopter pilot R.J. MacReady, with A. Wilford Brimley, T. K. Carter, David Clennon, Keith David, Richard Dysart, Charles Hallahan, Peter Maloney, Richard Masur, Donald Moffat, Joel Polis, and Thomas G. Waites in supporting roles.
Production began in the mid-1970s as a faithful adaptation of the novella, following 1951’s The Thing from Another World (a better, influential picture).
The Thing went through several directors and writers, each with different ideas on how to approach the story and characters.
Filming took place on refrigerated sets in Los Angeles as well as in Juneau, Alaska, and Stewart, British Columbia.
Of the film’s $15 million budget, $1.5 million was spent on Rob Bottin’s creature effects, a mixture of chemicals, food products, rubber, and mechanical parts turned by his team into an alien capable of taking on any form.
The Thing was released in 1982 to negative reviews that described it as “instant junk” and “a wretched excess.” Critics both praised the special effects achievements and criticized their visual repulsiveness, as manifest in the creature. Others found the characterization shallow and poorly realized.
The film grossed $19.6 million during its initial theatrical run, thus declared a flop.
Many reasons have been cited for its failure: competition from films such as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which offered optimistic take on alien visitation; a summer filled with sci fi and fantasy films; audiences living through a recession, and its nihilistic and bleak tone.
The film found an audience when released on home video and shown on television. In the subsequent years, it has been reappraised and has gained a cult following. Filmmakers have noted its influence on their work, and it has been referred to in other media such as television and video games.
Over the years, The Thing has spawned a variety of merchandise – including a 1982 novelization, “haunted house” attractions, board games, and sequels in comic books, a video game of the same title, and a 2011 prequel film bearing the same title.
