A US research station in Antarctica is suddenly buzzed by a helicopter from the nearby Norwegian research station. They are trying to kill a dog that has escaped from their base. After the destruction of the Norwegian chopper, the members of the US team fly to the Norwegian base, only to discover all members of the crew dead or missing. They do find the remains of a strange creature that the Norwegians burned. The Americans take it to their base and deduce that it is an alien life form. After a while, it is apparent that the alien can take over and assimilate into other life forms, and can spread like a virus. This means anyone at the base could be inhabited by The Thing. This remake of the classic The Thing from Another World (1951) takes the story and concept (which also came from the novel, 'Who Goes There?' by John Campbell) rejuvenating it in every single possible aspect. I loved the original flick a great deal, so checking out the 80s adaptation was just a given and, boy, was it phenomenal. When it comes to one of John Carpenter's pieces, especially in the horror genre, you have a pretty good idea of what's in store and that's an experience. Overwhelming foreboding suspense, random outbursts of in-your-face horror and a spectacular score that marries the tone and setting exceptionally, if anything, creating that tone. Whilst delivering a whole new version of this story, I was pleasantly surprised by the homages and details reminiscent of the 1951 telling. For instance, the opening title for the film is animated in the same way with the words burning onto the screen, which was an incredible effect that carried forward to this one. Later on in the movie, we finally see the alien spaceship, which plays out quite differently from the original as the crew in that depiction find it still frozen under the ice whereas, in this one, they find it already dug up by another expedition who have acquired the life form within. Having the knowledge of how the original played out to then seeing a whole new angle was so intriguing instead of uncovering it themselves, finding it already done and the aftermath with bodies everywhere, a mysterious fleshy mound and the place desolate was even more effective. Releasing 31 years later, there is of course the advantage of having great special effects available and possible, which truly elevates this production to new heights. I have always been a huge fan of practical and special effects, props and models in the film industry and there was no better time for such than the 1980s and this film really showed it off. The alien organism referred to as The Thing has such a cool concept that it can essentially become other life forms and spread so it allows for some wacky and gruesome designs for the aliens that are uncovered and start to alter in their appearance and morph into disgusting abominations. Notably, there is the husky dog scene where we see the first transformation but the most memorable has to be the spider head sequence that displays everything from the immediate shocking horror, gore, action and comedy all wrapped into one, which sounds impossible yet they found a way to do it all. With this creature being able to assimilate anyone or anything, tensions start to rise astronomically with crew turning on each other, killing others or attempting to destroy means of escape to trap them all there, people become increasingly desperate. The one member we follow most is, Macready, played tremendously by Kurt Russell, who would so happen to feature in a total of five of Carpenter's flicks, clearly being a favourite for the director. His performance is nothing short of superb as the one man who takes charge in this unnatural circumstance. Macready, however, isn't your typical action, macho hero, he feels like a regular person with flaws and nothing but his wits to survive, which further allows us (as the viewers) to connect with him on a deeper level. Overall, I would have to regard this as one of my top horror favourites, and I'm not a huge fan of the genre. My love for Sci-fi did lend to my liking of this cult classic though, and matched with the superb special effects, the tense/eerie feeling and chilling tone make it ideal viewing for that spooky Halloween vibe.
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