The Thing (1982)
Year: 1982
Country: USA
Director: John Carpenter
Reviewed: March 2014
Country: USA
Director: John Carpenter
Reviewed: March 2014
There’s something about John Carpenter movies that I just can’t put my finger on. Somehow, they’re eerier than other horror films. They’re creepier and scarier and better in general. In my review for The Fog, I commented that one of the most successful aspects of the film was that the monsters were always kept in the dark and that was much creepier. The Thing does the exact opposite. The monsters are shown, but these aren’t just monsters, they are truly, truly horrific and disgusting and really creepy. Basically about an Antarctic crew who find themselves facing an alien who can shift itself to their appearance, the film provides most of the most genuinely unsettling images ever seen. There’s something about body horror that really, really gets to me. I don’t know why, but it’s the ultimate way to freak me out. Show me a Vampire or a Werewolf and I’m fine. Show me a chicken wing that looks a bit like a rib and I am totally creeped out. As such, The Thing, which features some of the most effective body horror ever was a difficult experience for me. It’s just really gross. A dog’s head turns into a bloody flower, as it’s skull drops to the floor, while other heads sprout out of its belly. A man’s head turns into a mouth, chewing another person’s face with it’s own. And in the worst bit, a man’s ribs turn into a mouth, bite another guys arms off, sprout its own head, while the other head falls off and begins crawling about on long spider-like legs. Even talking about this sends shivers down my spine. While I found The Fog a scarier experience, The Thing was unsettling on a very deep psychological level. I found it difficult to get to sleep and it was just not a fun experience. That I said I liked the film because I found it so unnerving. It’s really made me question why body horror is so disturbing to me and too many people. It’s also sat deep within me and I can’t stop looking around corners because a head spider might be sitting there. Okay, character development is a bit lax, but I don’t watch horror movies because of their strong characters, I watch it to be absolutely terrified for an hour and a half, to confront and learn to control the things that terrify me and on that score, The Thing is an astonishingly good film. One of the very best horror movies.
Best Scene: the head spider
(because it’s the creepiest thing you will EVER see)
Overall Verdict: 10
(because it’s the creepiest thing you will EVER see)
Overall Verdict: 10