Based on the science-fiction horror novella ‘Who Goes There?’, this 80s gem stood the test of time after an initially brutal reception.
On release, a New York Times writer called it ‘Instant junk’. And Roger Ebert referred to it as ‘...a great barf-bag movie…’. So why the hostility?
It may have had something to do with the two-week prior release of a Spielberg classic about a friendly little alien who wanted to ‘phone home’. That universally accepted family-friendly concept certainly had its share of imitators so it’s not hard to imagine why audiences had a preconceived notion for how a visitor should behave.
But it endured in the long run and is widely regarded as a classic today. As a creature feature, at a time when practical effects were still king, it’s unrivalled. Rob Bottin’s special effects make-up on this film truly was a tour-de-force. His ingenuity in what he created drives the horror element and brings in a realism that inspires and captivates; while still threading the grounded reality of what our main characters are facing.
Kurt Russell leads an ensemble cast in this cult classic about a team of researchers in remote Antarctica who get caught in the literal cross-fire of a man hunting a dog with the intent to kill.
What seems like an assault from an armed cabin-fever-induced madman begins to reveal itself for what truly transposed prior to the event.
John Carpenter created one of the most talked-about endings in horror history when he remade ‘The Thing From Another World’ into ‘The Thing’. Second to maybe only Kubrick’s ‘The Shining’, the film has one of the deepest rabbit holes when it comes to fan theories and explanations.
This is an absolute classic sci-fi/horror film that deserves praise on so many levels and repeat viewing to catch all the details you missed the first ten times you watched it.
On release, a New York Times writer called it ‘Instant junk’. And Roger Ebert referred to it as ‘...a great barf-bag movie…’. So why the hostility?
It may have had something to do with the two-week prior release of a Spielberg classic about a friendly little alien who wanted to ‘phone home’. That universally accepted family-friendly concept certainly had its share of imitators so it’s not hard to imagine why audiences had a preconceived notion for how a visitor should behave.
But it endured in the long run and is widely regarded as a classic today. As a creature feature, at a time when practical effects were still king, it’s unrivalled. Rob Bottin’s special effects make-up on this film truly was a tour-de-force. His ingenuity in what he created drives the horror element and brings in a realism that inspires and captivates; while still threading the grounded reality of what our main characters are facing.
Kurt Russell leads an ensemble cast in this cult classic about a team of researchers in remote Antarctica who get caught in the literal cross-fire of a man hunting a dog with the intent to kill.
What seems like an assault from an armed cabin-fever-induced madman begins to reveal itself for what truly transposed prior to the event.
John Carpenter created one of the most talked-about endings in horror history when he remade ‘The Thing From Another World’ into ‘The Thing’. Second to maybe only Kubrick’s ‘The Shining’, the film has one of the deepest rabbit holes when it comes to fan theories and explanations.
This is an absolute classic sci-fi/horror film that deserves praise on so many levels and repeat viewing to catch all the details you missed the first ten times you watched it.
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