Fun fact: according to supporting materials the spaceship is not the ship of the thing. The aliens who piloted the space ship landed on another planet and the thing took over one of the crew. As it tried to take over the rest of crew they crashed the ship into Earth rather than bring the thing to their Homeworld!
Sounds a ittle like the concept of the Juggernaut from Alien - that movie came out three years before. But that might be coincidence. There was an earlier "The Thing" adaptation on the short story "Who Goes There" this movie was based on, but it turned the alien into a 'plant-like monster' that could be killed more easily. John Carpenter went back to the original idea of the Thing imitating people and Rob Bottin added the effects. Another story/movie with that plot point that got remade multipe times was "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". (The 70s version being still one of the best) "They are among us" was a popular theme in SF invasion movies of the 50s and 60s, right at the height of the Cold War.
That's also the idea behind the House of Ashes game and Dreamcatcher. Dreamcatcher by Stephen King is my favorite King book. A group of hostile aliens land on earth but they are being controlled by a alien hivemind spore infection. Half the book takes place in reality and the other half takes place in a characters mind palace where he's running around hiding pieces of his memory in a room the alien can't get into. They made a shitty movie from it but the book is a masterpiece.
For people who speak Scandinavian, the plot of the movie was revealed during the opening scene; the man who was trying to kill the dog was yelling at the Americans (paraphrasing) "Get back! It's not a dog! It's a thing!"
So hilarious how badly this was reviewed when it first came out. Movie is now a masterpiece in horror with some of the best practical effects to this day.
Timing is everything. It was released at the same time as ET and that pretty much killed it at the box office. Glad it finally got the recognition it deserved years later.
@@alucard624guillermo del toro said something to that effect to John Carpenter at a dinner they had together, about it getting respect now. Carpenter said something to the effect of "well how the Fk does that help me now?" God bless that crochety old man
@@alucard624 That is correct. If I remember right ET was suppose to come out after The Thing but when Spielberg and company caught wind of it they moved the date up. I saw both of these movies when it came out. ET with my cousins at the theater and The Thing at the drive in with my mom and uncle. I thought ET was decent when I was a kid but as soon as I saw The Thing I never watched ET ever again even to this day as I thought it was inferior and bland.
I had the honor of seeing this in the theater in 1982, and the topper was I was the only one in the theater that day. It scared the crap out of 19 year old me.
EVERY. SINGLE. REACTION: "What, no! Don't shoot the dog!" At the end of the reaction: "...man, they should have shot that dog..." Also, the fact that people get shook and disgusted is actually a hidden compliment to the brilliance and effort of the practical effects team.
I actually think they handled it pretty well. I've seen reactors celebrating the death of the Norwegians. At least they were wondering why it was happening.
The training on that dog was amazing. The way he walks down the hall and looks in rooms and out windows. There is no extra movement. It REALLY looks like the dog has human-level (or greater) intelligence.
An interesting fact about the dog is that it was half wolf, according to the guy who played Clark. He had to spend a lot of time around the dog behind scenes and got some training on handling him. Basically it acted and behaved a little different from other dogs.
Another fun fact: According to John Carpenter, the dog (Jed) just did that on his own without any instruction from a handler. They said the dog had a habit of ignoring the camera and crew and just did its own thing as though there was no one else in the room, and it worked out wonderfully.
From listening to the commentary track on the DVD back in the day, apparently that scene of the dog eerily walking down the hallway, pausing, and entering the room, was done on the first take. Remarkable!
In 1982 when this movie came out, I was about 15 and my father took me and my friend to see it. 41 years later it is still my favorite horror movie of all time. Thanks Dad. R.I.P.
Awesome memory! Although my father is still alive but my best memory is watching the movie Predator on a whim. We went to the theater to see something else that was sold out so we headed in to see Predator, with no knowledge of what it was about minus Arnold being in it, and I loved every moment. I was 12 at the time but that's where my love of sci fi and horror both came from.
Father's are AWESOME!! I laid my DAD to rest in 2018. He took me to see my 1st movie. It was the film, called, THE EIGER SANCTION, with Clint Eastwood. A very special moment in time for me!!
I was 10 years old when my mom took me. It's my favorite sci-fi/horror of all-time. My favorite strictly horror movie of all-time is the original Amityville Horror (1979).
Yes,my Dad went with me to see The Sixth Sense…not a horror but he watched Friday the 13th with me years later because he wanted to see why I loved horror movies so much,he was up for anything…Love you Dad,RIP(2015)❤
The sound design for the Thing never gets mentioned; Some of the most genuinely creepy sounds I've ever heard come from this creature; few other films have had monster sound design this effective and freaky. Incredible movie overall.
Yup. And he was probably safe all alone out in his shack after being isolated, going a little stir crazy and makes himself that noose... but then MacCready puts his mouth on that smirnoff bottle in his shack and the next time we Blair he's suddenly interested in leaving via homemade spacecraft...
@@IRL_Lore but we know McReady wasn't infected as the blood test was later and McReady passed. So McReady couldn't have infected him. My guess is whoever planted McReadys shredded undercrackers also paid Blair a visit.
@@IRL_Lore He wasn't infected by Mac because we know Mac wasn't infected at the time. One of the others must have gotten to him when they were bringing him food. he was out there for days, after all.
@segovax656 couldn't be Mac. It had to be Palmer or Norris, and since Palmer was the secondary pilot, he knew the ins and outs of the parts of a helicopter to repurpose into a new vehicle. For Blair thing to get that knowledge he'd need to be assimilated by the thing who had that information as evidenced by each things individual autonomy and transference of genetic information. It's dog thing, Then Palmer thing, then Norris, then Blair.
Interesting facts about Blair "Wilford Brimley" He enlisted as a marine right out of high school. Became a horse wrangler and rancher, then a bodyguard for Howard Huges, then a stunt man in Hollywood in the 60's. The man was strong as fuck till the day he died.
Blair was human until he was left alone and the THING absorbed him while in the shack. Also the THING imitates people so perfectly that you don't know you are one of them until it's threatened or it gets you alone. The THING imitated a bad heart and it reacted to the defibrillator.
Yes, I was going to say this. He was himself when he destroyed everything. He knew the THING wants to get to a place where there are more people. Once it gets into populated areas it's game over for the human race.
It’s unknown if a Thing imitation knows it’s an imitation at all times or only knows subconsciously up until it has to lose the disguise and attack. I think it knows it’s a Thing at all times. Seems weird that it wouldn’t know what it is or know clearly what it’s goals are. It uses the knowledge and personality of it’s victims in order to camouflage itself better, but, it still knows what it truly is. And yes, a cool detail is the Thing copies it’s victims so perfectly that it even copies any abnormalities or defects. Real Norris had a heart condition, so, the Thing copied everything including this condition when it absorbed him, not considering what a good heart is from a bad one. It just copies. Later, this Norris Thing imitation happened to have a heart attack because that’s what it’s perfectly copied defective heart would naturally do. The defibrillator shocks were likely seen as an attack, which is why Norris Thing was forced to reveal itself early to defend itself.
@@Gunnar001Good take. It's truly impressive how well thought out the details are; people have discussed the order of the characters who were taken over, infected, who was human, who got to the blood bank, ect. I've watched it many times and find little details every time.
The Thing is my #1 movie experience ever. My family used to have a small cottage in the mountains of PA, as did my best friend and his family. In the spring of 1986, when I was 11 and he was 12, they had to go back to New York for a couple of days and decided he was old enough to stay by himself at the cottage. I received permission to sleep over, and my friend and I had a great time riding our bikes and swimming in the lake and setting off firecrackers and getting sick on candy from the country store out on the highway. It was very early in the season, so none of the other nearby cottages were opened up and at night it became *perfectly* dark and quiet outside. We heated up some ziti his mom had prepared for us, turned on the little rabbit-eared TV set and our mouths fell open as we watched the scene with the guy shooting at the dog from the helicopter. We had no idea what we were watching but we were glued to that little TV screen and this movie scared us half to death. I'm glad to say we didn't chicken out and run down to my parents at the other cottage. I know John Carpenter considered the network TV edit an abomination, but the sense of loneliness and isolation in that little cottage so perfectly matched the mood of Outpost 31 that it remains the best movie experience and maybe the best weekend of my life.
I'd say they live is the sifi distopian Controversial opinion, i like the different method in rhe 2011 version where rhey decipger the uninfected by inorganic parts attached to the body. If the thing ever had a true sequel, that could be another equally interesting. Especially because so many people have peircings or crowns these days, it's an interesting idea more recent and an easier merhod to cut down suspects
Fun Facts: - Actors Keith David[Childs] and Kurt Russell [MacReady] have both stated for the fan questions and interviews that both of them weren’t the thing/alien creature - Kurt Russell debunked the fans theories about child’s being the alien, Kurt shook his head “no” and says “that him and John Carpenter have worked on the ending of that movie together a long time,” because it was a horror movie -- but to see what the movie was about, which was paranoia, they didn't know if they knew who they were.” - John Carpenter even said the video game was canon to the movie and Childs was human, and in the comics Both Child’s and MacReady were human and fought the alien creature in 3 comic issues, they were actually saved by a rescue team and continued to fight [The Thing].
@@theeLonelyRedPanda in the comics both get rescued by a rescue team and then you find out neither was the thing, then it was a continuous comic arc where child’s and MacReady both fight the Thing
I’ve seen at least 7 other reaction videos to The Thing (1982) on RUclips, and this was hands down the most intelligent one I’ve seen. I don’t know who Amber is, but I can tell she understands way more of what’s going on from a first time watch-through than most other people. And yes, Blair was still human during his “meltdown” in the communications room, but was fully taken over by the Thing (likely via infection since his clothes were confirmed to have never been torn) shortly after he affixed the noose in the tool shed.
Great reaction. Rob Bottin, the genius who created the special effects had to be hospitalised for exhaustion due to the number of hours he and his team put in to create the creature effects. One member of this team was a guy called Stan Winston (Predator, Aliens).
Rob Bottin got accolades for his work on "The Howling", but "American Werewolf" was a much better movie. Which is why few people remember "The Howling"...
One of my all time favorites. John Carpenter is one of the greatest. The Fog, Halloween, Christine, Big Trouble In Little China, They Live, Vampires, so many gems from Carpenter.
When we saw this in the theater back in the day, we walked out of the cinema in a state of shock. We had just been terrorized, grossed out, and driven to the edge of paranoia by this movie, only to get no resolution at the end. We had to process everything on the way to the parking lot. A majority of us ended up going back to the theater and watching this movie again (The home video market was in its infancy back then, some movies took over a year before the video cassette release) One thing for sure though, we all took note of the name John Carpenter. Carpenter was a really good director up until this point, but this movie is the one that cemented his name as one of the true Masters of Horror. I know that me & my friends never forgot his name after this. Now Carpenter doesn't just direct horror, he's got plenty of good movies in other genres under his belt. Elvis, Escape from New York, Big Trouble in Little China, Assault on Precinct 13, and Starman just to name a few. And when it comes to horror, he literally wrote the book on the genre when he directed Halloween... But the Thing... The Thing... This is the movie that messed us all up. And we loved it. LOL (After they saw the Thing, my niece & nephew believe that this is the movie that messed up Gen X. They go on this tirade about "Who hurt Gen X? it was John Carpenter!" and I laugh everytime I hear it. I'm not going to argue that point with them because I might not win.)
I hear ya. The Thing was on another level... saw it when I was a child (dad LOVED it and would show all his friends); no other film has given me more nightmares. The Thing has incredible staying power and remains one of the best examples of suspense horror of all time.
@@Hinokami777 Honestly, we didn't know what to think. This movie ambushed us. We could look at the crowd and tell we were messed up. People who saw the Exorcist in theaters were comparing it to that experience, but with less puking.
Not only one of the best horror films ever, but one of the best films period. And it just doesn't age. Looks as good today as it ever did. There are few giveaways that it was made in 1982. Amazing effects by Rob Bottin, great direction by John Carpenter and a stellar cast headed by the incredible Mr Kurt Russell. What more could you ask for especially as a horror fan?
Best Sci Fi Horror Thriller Film Ever Made! Critics were not too kind to this movie, calling it "Boring, dull, And A Wretched Excess." However it's gained a cult following overtime and it's been confirmed as one of the best Sci-fi Horror Films ever made, and also one of John Carpenter's best work in his filmography.
So true! My favorite John Carpenter movie is Starman, followed by Big Trouble in Little China, and then The Thing. He's made a ton of great movies. 😁 (Edited)
One of the greatest horror movies ever made! The scene with the dogs and the practical effects is just out of this world creepy. And the soundtrack! That "da dumm.... da dumm..." is burned into my memory. They did a remake that is not even close to being as good despite having more advanced effects and modern tech. Edit: Prequel, not remake.
it wasn't a remake. it was a prequel. what happened at the crazy swedes camp (Norwegians). they did a lot of work trying to match the camp destruction from this movie in the newer movie. I liked it. still prefer this movie though.
@@marctowersap8018I couldn't disagree more. Not saying your opinion is wrong but for me the prequel is so inferior. From the tone, pacing, mood and lighting. The paranoid and claustrophobic feel of the original is completely absent. Also it a beat for beat remake of John Carpenter verion for like half the movie? Right down to copying the blood scene but with teeth fillings 🤷🏾♀️ that just does not hit the same. Whenever The Thing is alone with someone for 5 seconds it *immediately* begins to attack them. In an overly lit, far too fast-paced action sequence. Lol I could go on but I won't. I'm curious to know what was it that you liked about the film?
@adiahaalexander9359 of course it's gonna follow carpenters version. it's a direct prequel. the events of the movie were directly before the carpenter version. ending literally hours before the start of carpenters thing. it answers some people asking, what happened at the Norwegian station. just because you don't care doesn't mean others don't
@adiahaalexander9359 and remember, the thing isn't an animal. it stormed the castle so to speak at the Norwegian camp, and despite humans being not all that intelligent relative to creatures that can make spaceships (remember the blairthing tried to build a craft), humans still mostly defeated the thing, only part of it got away. so in the carpenter version, it tried a different tactic, slow instead of fast.
44:29 - The original title of the Sci-Fi story this movie was adapted from was titled "Who Goes There?" Written by John W. Campbell. Director John Carpenter used part of the title of an older Sci-Fi horror for this film. It was called, "The Thing From Another World" (1951), which was also set in Antarctica. He brilliantly combined the story of the Sci-Fi novel with the setting and atmosphere of that older Sci-Fi movie. BTW, in John Carpenter's "Halloween" (1978), when the character Laurie Strode was babysitting Tommy, and Lindsay, they were watching the movie "The Thing From Another World" on the TV. Clearly, Carpenter was a fan of that movie, and was planning on making his own take on the film just four year later.
It's the best H.P. Lovecraft story put to film without it actually being a Lovecraft story. It's all there. The knowledge that humans are less than miniscule when compared to what's out there. The fact that humans exist at all being pure happenstance, because if that ship crashed in the ocean we wouldn't even exist.
@@Neckromorph The ship was dated as over a hundred thousand years old. If it had crashed in the ocean, which was a more likely event as most of the world is water, the thing would have infected all sea life. Thus, it would have went on to infect our early proto human ancestors. No humanity.
Hey, Jay and Amber! This John Carpenter classic is a masterful exercise in paranoia and practical effects! I discovered "The Thing" during my junior high school years on VHS when going through a Carpenter phase. Originally a 1938 pulp novella written by John W. Campbell called "Who Goes There?", the story was first adapted to film as a 1951 Howard Hawks production called "The Thing From Another World". A '50's-era sci-fi classic in its own right, the original was taken to a whole new level by John Carpenter abetted by the incredible practical effects wizardry of Rob Bottin. A prequel was made in 2011 chronicling what happened at the Norwegian base but wasn't nearly as good. Led by a world-weary Kurt Russell, Carpenter assembled a cast of terrific veteran character actors including Keith David, Richard Dysart, Wilford Brimley, David Clennon, Charles Hallahan, Donald Moffat and Richard Masur who believably inhabit their roles and ratchet up the tension by degrees. Carpenter would direct Russell in five films including "Elvis", "The Thing", "Big Trouble in Little China", "Escape From New York" and "Escape From LA". He would direct Keith David again in "They Live!" John Carpenter is a one-man band who writes, directs, edits and scores all his films. In a rare exception, the score for "The Thing" was provided by composing great Ennio Morricone. Carpenter's body of work includes a number of pulpy classics and B-movie greats like "Assault on Precinct 13", "Halloween", "Someone's Watching Me!", "The Fog", "Escape From New York", "The Thing", "Christine", "Starman", "Big Trouble in Little China", "Prince of Darkness", "They Live!", "Memoirs of an Invisible Man", "In the Mouth of Madness", "Vampires" and "The Ward". His first film, "Dark Star", was a sci-fi horror-comedy that partially inspired "Alien"! He also wrote the screenplays for "The Eyes of Laura Mars", an American giallo, and "Black Moon Rising", a techno-thriller. His scores are instantly recognizable with their throbbing notes and he expertly uses silence and stillness to generate unbearable tension. Wilford Brimley's Blair sabotaged the vehicles after making the discovery that there was a high probability of someone being infected and seeing the grim projection that three years would be all it would take for the Thing to spread over the Earth! He was determined to trap them there which is the same realization Macready comes to at the end. He's taken to the shack a human but, the second time they check on him, he's probably a Thing because his demeanor is so calm. The funny noises he says he was hearing must've gotten to him before he could avail himself of the noose he fashioned as an escape from its clutches! As a Thing, he was building a craft under the shed to travel to the mainland. The Thing has absorbed countless beings including space-faring species. The knowledge to construct a craft that can take him to the mainland was absorbed from a host so it's not far-fetched that he can do this with so much metal and electronic equipment around. He also probably dug out the cavern in a non-human form. Additionally, alien engineering and propulsion principles could function in a vastly simpler way than what 20th-century humans are aware of. My favorite non-horror moment in "The Thing" is Donald Moffat's slow-burning explosive outburst while tied to the sofa. "I know you gentlemen have been through a lot but, when you find the time, I'd rather not spend the rest of this winter TIED TO THIS F**KING COUCH!" It gets me every time. The ambiguous ending leaves you with four possible outcomes and they're all bleak. Lol. The best case scenario is that both Childs and Mac are human, the Thing was destroyed and the survivors DIE of hypothermia. The other three options are that one or the other or both survivors are Things who will copy the remaining human and the rescue party as well eventually dominating the Earth. There is a popular fan theory that Things lack eye gleam and Childs doesn't have it in that last scene. It could also be a trick of light. There is another popular fan theory that claims Mac tests Childs by giving him a flask of kerosene instead of liquor which Childs consumes! Mac chuckles with fatalistic resignation realizing he has failed and humanity is doomed. That is, unless, he has a spare stick of dynamite he can use to blow himself up along with a now very flammable Childs! Lol. The only sequels exist as a series of Dark Horse comics and a video game featuring John Carpenter himself as a Dr. Faraday!
The music is like a character unto itself in this movie, it conveys a very uncomfortable feeling of creepiness/paranoia and dread…completely masterful just like the rest of the movie.
Great reaction guys. I have to say, though, that I’ve never understood the level of disgust people have about the creature from an aesthetic standpoint. I find the creature terrifying, but the “yuck” stuff is just the fact that we are seeing a creature morph in real time. It’s sensational to see it. And while Rick Baker got a lot of deserved credit for pioneering makeup and effects, Rob Bottin set a bar that was never matched with The Thing. These effects are over 40 years old and they are still stunning. Not just the obvious effects during the creature changes, but even what was shown in the form of burnt remains. Simply one of the best horror films ever made.
Fun fact: The actor whose hands get chomped off was actually a double amputee in real life and had prosthetic hands. The director & effects team took full advantage of that to make that jump-scare scene work so well.
The sound effects of The Thing when it transforms are that of Bears, Alligators, Horses, Pigs, Snakes, and Human screams played backwards or sped up to make it sound otherworldly.
John Carpenter's The Thing still feels like a one-of-a-kind film. The entire concept of breaking down morale and having everyone turn on one another is brilliantly well-executed. It's not about jump scares or the gore. It's about the idea of apprehension and distrust that makes this horror movie great.
A true classic. I'm 59 I've watched this over the years and still a true classic. Kurt Russell was in fine forum. You must also try his Big Trouble In Little China another classic. And his Escape from New York
G'day it's Steven from Down Under again As a younger teenager I was horrified and intrigued by this film at the time of its release, I do own a VHS copy of this movie and later a Blu-ray copy too. In my opinion this is an underrated film and it's great to see that younger generations are enjoying it too.
Thank you for this reaction. I had the opportunity to see this film in the theater when I was 16 years old. My mom took me and my twin brother to see this as it was rated R. I knew what this movie was about because of the Starlog comic book that came out before this movie. Everything went according to the comic book so my brother and I were not surprised. We were however impressed with how well this story was pulled off in this film. Very gratifying. I actually like the open ending where you don't know if one of them is the thing. It keeps the suspense going long after the movie ends.
The movie that you should see is called: They Live, with the wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper, and it's about aliens that have been living amongst us, however, they were hidden by a hypnosis thing. Piper stumbles upon sunglasses that reveals what everything in the world actually is.
the ending is so good because it lets you draw your own conclusions. there are a ton of fan theories about the final scenes. did Macready get infected? was childs telling the truth? and what becomes of them after the end scene? My own personal interpretation is that both are human, but they then both know they cant trust each other now, and so choose to wait each other out
Oh how i wish movie industry today, make practical effects agein. All film with practical effects, show the story with more soul and more good storys. Spesial with in Horror-genre.
22:10 - Windows drops the keys that he got from Garry. The keys that The Thing uses to get to the blood. It explains why Windows panics and runs for the shotgun when everyone starts arguing about who had the keys last. Also, "Windows" and "Mac" lol You guys should react to They Live by John Carpentar. Go in blind.
I was 12 years old and saw this in the theater in ‘82. Way ahead of its time and holds up. Also, there were no “graphics” or CGI, this was all expertly crafted practical FX. Everything you saw was real, not computer generated.
Penguins live in Antarctica… This is my favorite horror movie of all-time! This debuted the same weekend as E.T., and was shredded by reviewers because this was *so* dark in tone compared to E.T. It’s a remake of a cheesy 1950’s sci-fi movie The Thing From Another Planet, and because of that my parents thought it would be more silly than scary, and took me to see it in the movie theaters. I was 9! 👀 Not only is John Carpenter a film director, he composed most of the music for his movies, and is basically credited with birthing the genre of electronic music known as Vapor Wave. (Vapor Wave is a modern take on 80’s electronic dance music)
@@chrispeel3123 Not quite killer space penguins but there was a version of HP Lovecraft's "At The Mountains Of Madness." came out 2 years ago. I haven't seen the movie but I've read the original and that has mutated giant penguins in it. Dr. Who had a character called Frobisher who was ironically a shapeshifter but a nice one, who loved the form of a penguin. Don't think he's ever been shown on screen, just in audios and comics.
A lot miss that Dr Blair is the hero. He destroyed the radio and helicopter because he saw how people would die if virus got out in the world. Later since looked him in the shed the thing took him over.
I love it too. It’s unfortunate that most reviewers don’t critique older movies. Even the title presentation of this version is borrowed from that film, though the content is very different. Unlike most sci fi/horror films of that era, the dialogue is very well written. I like the humorous interplay between the characters.
This is the best sci-fi horror , let alone one of the best movies ever made! Just a great story, great acting and great directoring.. just love this movie!
So in the beginning the Norwegian guy basically says something like "Get away, thats no dog, its some sort of thing imitating a dog! Its not real. Get the hell away from it, you idiots!"
Loved this movie when it came out. Two great but less scary sci-fi films you absolutely need to see are "Close encounters of the third kind" and "Starman"
Loved this remake of the original 1951 Black and White "The Thing from Another World" which isn't as graphic but just as suspenseful. James Arnis from the TV series Gunsmoke plays "The Thing" it's worth checking out.
The Dog Kennel Sequence was done by Oscar Winning VFX artist Stan Winston, after make up effects artist Rob Bottin ended up in the hospital with a bleeding ulcer and exhaustion.
I was 15 when this film premiered on British TV back in 1988.My dad recorded it on videotape.I managed to wake up at 6am and watch it before I went to school.Then I told everyone how brilliant it was.The next day all my mates were talking about it non-stop!For weeks afterwards we were all walking around saying things like"you gotta be effing kidding!"and"yeah and eff you too!"A masterpiece of horror and sci-fi.Great reaction guys!👽 Greetings Greetings
@@jamesway I was too young to see"The Thing"at the theatre but my dad did take me to see"Raiders Of The Lost Ark","ET: The Extra Terrestrial","Tron"and"Return Of The Jedi".So at least I got to see some classic films on the big screen back then!Stay cool my friends!😁
A theory about that final laugh from Mac is that he knows Childs is the Thing. Earlier in the film, they're told to not share food or drink with each other since it can be transmitted by a single cell. When he offers Childs the drink at the end, he takes it and drinks it without hesitation - if you were already infected, you wouldn't be worried about sharing food. So Mac chuckles to himself as it's confirmation to him that Childs is infected. Like so many other theories, that's all it is - it's never been confirmed or anything, But it does make sense.
Everyone who ever worked on this movie, from John Carpenter himself to the bus driver, has explicitly stated that there are NO clues, subtle or otherwise, as to weather Childs and/or MacReady is/are a Thing. People just have to accept that.
Ennio Morricone was hired as the film composer, but most of his music was rejected and replaced by John Carpenter but portions of his original soundtrack can be heard in the Oscar Winning HATEFUL EIGHT. Jerry Goldsmith was the first choice, but was too busy working on RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD, The Secret Of NIMH, and Poltergeist, all released in 1982.
The original short story, "Who Goes There?" also adds a lot to this. But the movie is one of the all-time-greats, even without reading the print version.
Wow never thought you guys would watch this, it's so icky, but one of my faves lol Also every reactor is like "Don't kill the dog!" until they realize....lol
The 2011 "The Thing" deals with what happened at the Norwegian research camp right before the story for this movie. You should check that one out too. It's a prequel.
I was 15 when seeing this in the movie theater, along with "Poltergeist" at the same time. My sister had to sneak us in because we were under 17. John Carpenter started the Halloween movie franchise in 1978...
@nsasupporter7557 That *was* the prequel. You can't tell the difference because half the point was that the same thing happens all over again. Carpenter used the wrecked set of the American camp as the set of the Norwegian camp FFS! When you can't tell a prequel from a remake there is *no need whatsoever* for a prequel.
@@MySerpentine oh, I thought it was a remake. I didn’t hear that many details about it, that’s why I thought it was a remake… thank you for clarifying 👍
That’s one of the greatest horrors of the 80’s! I remember well going to see it in theaters when I was 18, and it stuck with me all these years. I love it. It’s creepy, scary and suspenseful. If y’all get to “The Exorcist “. I’d be shocked. 😂 Y’all might also like “The Abyss “. Another Sci-Fi horror, but under water.
One halloween movie I forgot to suggest was sleepy hollow You'll be frightened and grosses out every step of the way and it has johnny Depp so you'll enjoy it that way as well!
Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, a fresh off Episode I, Ian McDiarmid, Christopher Lee and Christopher Walken. They should DEFINITELY get that one either this Monday, Friday or the following Monday. Don't let the blue filter throw you guys off though, Tim Burton filmed everything that way to give the drab, New England late fall feel.
Jay: (on Kurt Russel) "I know the name but can't put a face to it..." ...picture of Kurt Russel (as 'The Dude' in The Big Lebowski) on the wall over Jay's right shoulder!!! Had me laughing 😂🤣😆
I rushed when i saw the thumbnail because i knew y'all were about to be SHOOK. My niece asked me what my favorite horror movie is, and its The Thing, and she's been asking me if she's old enough to watch... I'm not even sure my grown ass is old enough 💀
Welcome to the genre known as cosmic horror. A genre originated with the author, H.P. Lovecraft (his personal beliefs are not politically correct, but his writing is superb). The Thing was a short story written in the 1930s called "Who Goes There", by John W. Campbell. It was adapted into a film in the 50s, but it wasn't until this version by John Carpenter that the story really became a cult classic. There was a prequel in 2011 starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead (wife of Ewan McGregor), that shows what happened to the Norwegian crew and ends with them chasing the dog. Also shows how they found the spacecraft and that The Thing was actually a biological specimen discovered by the alien race that piloted the spacecraft until it assimilated that crew. There was also a sequel comic that came out a few years ago, in which its revealed Childs was infected, and the organism makes it to South America. Another good "cosmic horror" film to check out, is Event Horizon starring Laurence Fishburne (Matrix) and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park). It is a real mind-bender. There are several others - another favorite of mine being "Lifeforce". A really cheesy, British horror flick about vampires from space where an American crew finds a pair of naked bodies, one male and female in a cryostasis. They bring the creatures to earth, the male dies, but the female starts going on a killing rampage to drain all human life of their "lifeforce". Stars a younger, pre-Star Trek and X-Men, Patrick Stewart.
I love how you put in the bit about his personal beliefs not being politically correct, as if the majority actually gives af about that crap 🤣 only weirdos check to see if the person who made it aligns with their own personal beliefs before consuming
@@JJ_AdventuresLovecraft was a writer, not a movie-maker. And, having raised kids, I've noticed how you can try your best to teach your kids a certain set of values only to have some kid at the playground or some nut on public transit or some dumb TV show blow it out of the water. Which is how parents can work diligently to raise a boy into a decent man only to lose him to the "wrong crowd." So yeah, some people are concerned about the media they consume. I think it needs taken on a case-by-case basis and I'm against censorship, but people being mindful aren't being "weirdos."
@@JJ_Adventures no, they don't watch with their kids, but they may do research with their kids around. But if you watched their history of their movie reactions, Jay takes grave offense at certain racial epithets. If they were prompted to research on HP Lovecraft to learn more about him from my post, they would definitely learn about his views and my post was simply to imply that expectation.
Finally watching one of my all time favorites! A few yrs ago they had the audacity to do a remake. You cannot improve something that's perfect. This movie is stunning on many levels. Let me share a theory about the ending. Remember they all agreed to not share food and drinks with each in case it could spread that way. Well, the reason he chuckled is because he tricked the Thing/Childs. When Childs drank without hesitation he revealed himself as The Thing.
This is one of the best scary movies of all time. I loved it when it came out and never miss a year without watching it. The suspense is over the top. It did so badly upon release because it had the bad misfortune of coming out at the same time as E.T. Carpenter is a master at film making. I would love to see your reaction to Carpenter's Prince Of Darkness. Great reaction!
"We haven't watched anything this month that's like had me shaking in my boots yet... I don't know if this one will be." Then LOL @ 12:44 THAT was the reaction I was waiting for Amber LOL !
This is why i watch yall. You give real responses. Some reaction videos you can tell the people are faking their reaction but yours is genuine, unless your acting and if you are, which i doubt. you need to be in hollywood. Great job folks.
Now you need to watch John Carpenter’s “The Fog”. It scared the bejesus out of me the first Tim I saw it. It is not as gorey as “The Thing” but is a psychological thriller.
Fun fact: according to supporting materials the spaceship is not the ship of the thing. The aliens who piloted the space ship landed on another planet and the thing took over one of the crew. As it tried to take over the rest of crew they crashed the ship into Earth rather than bring the thing to their Homeworld!
Sounds a ittle like the concept of the Juggernaut from Alien - that movie came out three years before. But that might be coincidence.
There was an earlier "The Thing" adaptation on the short story "Who Goes There" this movie was based on, but it turned the alien into a 'plant-like monster' that could be killed more easily. John Carpenter went back to the original idea of the Thing imitating people and Rob Bottin added the effects.
Another story/movie with that plot point that got remade multipe times was "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". (The 70s version being still one of the best)
"They are among us" was a popular theme in SF invasion movies of the 50s and 60s, right at the height of the Cold War.
I had been wondering if that was the backstory. Thanks! 👍
That's also the idea behind the House of Ashes game and Dreamcatcher.
Dreamcatcher by Stephen King is my favorite King book. A group of hostile aliens land on earth but they are being controlled by a alien hivemind spore infection.
Half the book takes place in reality and the other half takes place in a characters mind palace where he's running around hiding pieces of his memory in a room the alien can't get into.
They made a shitty movie from it but the book is a masterpiece.
@@mr.knowitall6440 it was explained in the 2011 prequel.
Wow that’s crazy. So even aliens are in danger from this…Thing
For people who speak Scandinavian, the plot of the movie was revealed during the opening scene; the man who was trying to kill the dog was yelling at the Americans (paraphrasing) "Get back! It's not a dog! It's a thing!"
Speak scandinavian 😊 kind of a bummer but a minute later I had forgotten all anout it. Swede here.
So hilarious how badly this was reviewed when it first came out. Movie is now a masterpiece in horror with some of the best practical effects to this day.
Timing is everything. It was released at the same time as ET and that pretty much killed it at the box office. Glad it finally got the recognition it deserved years later.
@@alucard624guillermo del toro said something to that effect to John Carpenter at a dinner they had together, about it getting respect now.
Carpenter said something to the effect of "well how the Fk does that help me now?"
God bless that crochety old man
Even 40 years ago, critics had no taste
@@alucard624 That is correct. If I remember right ET was suppose to come out after The Thing but when Spielberg and company caught wind of it they moved the date up. I saw both of these movies when it came out. ET with my cousins at the theater and The Thing at the drive in with my mom and uncle. I thought ET was decent when I was a kid but as soon as I saw The Thing I never watched ET ever again even to this day as I thought it was inferior and bland.
I thought it was brilliant first time I saw it back in the day 😂
I got to see this in a theatre last year for the 40th anniversary. People brought their kids, they were crying, it was awesome.
builds character
That is awesome!
Me too I was so happy to see it on the big screen
"kids were crying. it was awesome" you got your priorities right.
I had the honor of seeing this in the theater in 1982, and the topper was I was the only one in the theater that day. It scared the crap out of 19 year old me.
EVERY. SINGLE. REACTION: "What, no! Don't shoot the dog!"
At the end of the reaction: "...man, they should have shot that dog..."
Also, the fact that people get shook and disgusted is actually a hidden compliment to the brilliance and effort of the practical effects team.
So true!! Lol...every single reactor,same.😂😂😂
This just proves that using the dog for the initial appearance of the "thing" was a good idea.
I actually think they handled it pretty well. I've seen reactors celebrating the death of the Norwegians. At least they were wondering why it was happening.
If only they spoke Norwegian
Facts, everyone says the same thing...until.
The training on that dog was amazing. The way he walks down the hall and looks in rooms and out windows. There is no extra movement. It REALLY looks like the dog has human-level (or greater) intelligence.
Very good doggo
Apparently the dog was also in the movie white fang.
An interesting fact about the dog is that it was half wolf, according to the guy who played Clark. He had to spend a lot of time around the dog behind scenes and got some training on handling him. Basically it acted and behaved a little different from other dogs.
Another fun fact: According to John Carpenter, the dog (Jed) just did that on his own without any instruction from a handler. They said the dog had a habit of ignoring the camera and crew and just did its own thing as though there was no one else in the room, and it worked out wonderfully.
And occasionally he will look directly into the camera, to very chilling effect!
That husky should have won an Oscar. Masterful acting performance.
He was quite a famous Dog actor .. did quite a few films .. White Fang being one of them
From listening to the commentary track on the DVD back in the day, apparently that scene of the dog eerily walking down the hallway, pausing, and entering the room, was done on the first take. Remarkable!
It should of and would of but you know, some crap about 'actors have to be human' or some-such, just bigotry tbh!
Alright calmer down
The Thing acted well too
Possibly the best horror/sci fi of all time that holds up strong today. Amazing practical affects, music, acting and story line from 1982
In 1982 when this movie came out, I was about 15 and my father took me and my friend to see it. 41 years later it is still my favorite horror movie of all time. Thanks Dad. R.I.P.
Awesome memory! Although my father is still alive but my best memory is watching the movie Predator on a whim. We went to the theater to see something else that was sold out so we headed in to see Predator, with no knowledge of what it was about minus Arnold being in it, and I loved every moment. I was 12 at the time but that's where my love of sci fi and horror both came from.
Father's are AWESOME!! I laid my DAD to rest in 2018. He took me to see my 1st movie. It was the film, called, THE EIGER SANCTION, with Clint Eastwood. A very special moment in time for me!!
I was 10 years old when my mom took me. It's my favorite sci-fi/horror of all-time. My favorite strictly horror movie of all-time is the original Amityville Horror (1979).
Yes,my Dad went with me to see The Sixth Sense…not a horror but he watched Friday the 13th with me years later because he wanted to see why I loved horror movies so much,he was up for anything…Love you Dad,RIP(2015)❤
The sound design for the Thing never gets mentioned; Some of the most genuinely creepy sounds I've ever heard come from this creature; few other films have had monster sound design this effective and freaky.
Incredible movie overall.
months late here, but John Carpenter does his own music! I have a bunch of the vinyls he's done and they're so good :D
Blair was a real champ in this film. He knew he couldn't let that thing reach civilization even if it meant they all had to die.
Yup. And he was probably safe all alone out in his shack after being isolated, going a little stir crazy and makes himself that noose... but then MacCready puts his mouth on that smirnoff bottle in his shack and the next time we Blair he's suddenly interested in leaving via homemade spacecraft...
@@IRL_Lore but we know McReady wasn't infected as the blood test was later and McReady passed. So McReady couldn't have infected him. My guess is whoever planted McReadys shredded undercrackers also paid Blair a visit.
@@IRL_LoreBlair likely knows he's infected. He makes a noose to khs but is overtaken before he realizes it
@@IRL_Lore He wasn't infected by Mac because we know Mac wasn't infected at the time. One of the others must have gotten to him when they were bringing him food. he was out there for days, after all.
@segovax656 couldn't be Mac. It had to be Palmer or Norris, and since Palmer was the secondary pilot, he knew the ins and outs of the parts of a helicopter to repurpose into a new vehicle. For Blair thing to get that knowledge he'd need to be assimilated by the thing who had that information as evidenced by each things individual autonomy and transference of genetic information. It's dog thing, Then Palmer thing, then Norris, then Blair.
Interesting facts about Blair "Wilford Brimley" He enlisted as a marine right out of high school. Became a horse wrangler and rancher, then a bodyguard for Howard Huges, then a stunt man in Hollywood in the 60's. The man was strong as fuck till the day he died.
Blair was human until he was left alone and the THING absorbed him while in the shack. Also the THING imitates people so perfectly that you don't know you are one of them until it's threatened or it gets you alone. The THING imitated a bad heart and it reacted to the defibrillator.
Yes, I was going to say this. He was himself when he destroyed everything. He knew the THING wants to get to a place where there are more people. Once it gets into populated areas it's game over for the human race.
Thanks for clearing that up for them. Saved me typing. Lol.
It’s unknown if a Thing imitation knows it’s an imitation at all times or only knows subconsciously up until it has to lose the disguise and attack.
I think it knows it’s a Thing at all times. Seems weird that it wouldn’t know what it is or know clearly what it’s goals are. It uses the knowledge and personality of it’s victims in order to camouflage itself better, but, it still knows what it truly is.
And yes, a cool detail is the Thing copies it’s victims so perfectly that it even copies any abnormalities or defects. Real Norris had a heart condition, so, the Thing copied everything including this condition when it absorbed him, not considering what a good heart is from a bad one. It just copies.
Later, this Norris Thing imitation happened to have a heart attack because that’s what it’s perfectly copied defective heart would naturally do.
The defibrillator shocks were likely seen as an attack, which is why Norris Thing was forced to reveal itself early to defend itself.
@@Gunnar001Good take. It's truly impressive how well thought out the details are; people have discussed the order of the characters who were taken over, infected, who was human, who got to the blood bank, ect. I've watched it many times and find little details every time.
Tnh, no one / no company wants to hire someone with bad heart and place him in the middle of nowhere with no hospital access.
The Thing is my #1 movie experience ever. My family used to have a small cottage in the mountains of PA, as did my best friend and his family. In the spring of 1986, when I was 11 and he was 12, they had to go back to New York for a couple of days and decided he was old enough to stay by himself at the cottage. I received permission to sleep over, and my friend and I had a great time riding our bikes and swimming in the lake and setting off firecrackers and getting sick on candy from the country store out on the highway. It was very early in the season, so none of the other nearby cottages were opened up and at night it became *perfectly* dark and quiet outside. We heated up some ziti his mom had prepared for us, turned on the little rabbit-eared TV set and our mouths fell open as we watched the scene with the guy shooting at the dog from the helicopter. We had no idea what we were watching but we were glued to that little TV screen and this movie scared us half to death. I'm glad to say we didn't chicken out and run down to my parents at the other cottage. I know John Carpenter considered the network TV edit an abomination, but the sense of loneliness and isolation in that little cottage so perfectly matched the mood of Outpost 31 that it remains the best movie experience and maybe the best weekend of my life.
I'd say they live is the sifi distopian Controversial opinion, i like the different method in rhe 2011 version where rhey decipger the uninfected by inorganic parts attached to the body. If the thing ever had a true sequel, that could be another equally interesting. Especially because so many people have peircings or crowns these days, it's an interesting idea more recent and an easier merhod to cut down suspects
@@wastelandlegocheem I like both. The 2011 film is a prequel, btw.
@@SStupendous i know, im saying as a sequal, both methods could be very interesting to integrate
@@wastelandlegocheem Right. I agree with that.
Fun Facts:
- Actors Keith David[Childs] and Kurt Russell [MacReady] have both stated for the fan questions and interviews that both of them weren’t the thing/alien creature
- Kurt Russell debunked the fans theories about child’s being the alien, Kurt shook his head “no” and says “that him and John Carpenter have worked on the ending of that movie together a long time,” because it was a horror movie -- but to see what the movie was about, which was paranoia, they didn't know if they knew who they were.”
- John Carpenter even said the video game was canon to the movie and Childs was human, and in the comics Both Child’s and MacReady were human and fought the alien creature in 3 comic issues, they were actually saved by a rescue team and continued to fight [The Thing].
Keith David's veins are just ice cold, that's why you don't see is breath at the end but you do see Russell's.
@@CuidightheachODuinnit was due to unintentional lighting
🤔🧐 wasn't there a comic where they end up being rescued by this one army, and it's later that macready was revealed to be an alien and childs wasn't?
@@theeLonelyRedPanda in the comics both get rescued by a rescue team and then you find out neither was the thing, then it was a continuous comic arc where child’s and MacReady both fight the Thing
@@CuidightheachODuinn the lighting even Keith David explained that in the interview and said how I was the black person that made it to the end lol 😂
I’ve seen at least 7 other reaction videos to The Thing (1982) on RUclips, and this was hands down the most intelligent one I’ve seen. I don’t know who Amber is, but I can tell she understands way more of what’s going on from a first time watch-through than most other people.
And yes, Blair was still human during his “meltdown” in the communications room, but was fully taken over by the Thing (likely via infection since his clothes were confirmed to have never been torn) shortly after he affixed the noose in the tool shed.
The practical effects in this movie are the stuff of legend, even watching them today they still look amazing and creepy as hell.
Great reaction. Rob Bottin, the genius who created the special effects had to be hospitalised for exhaustion due to the number of hours he and his team put in to create the creature effects. One member of this team was a guy called Stan Winston (Predator, Aliens).
This film and "An American Werewolf in London" had the best practical effects, excellent.
Rob Bottin got accolades for his work on "The Howling", but "American Werewolf" was a much better movie. Which is why few people remember "The Howling"...
I walked by Rob's house one day (must have been June of 1980), and he had a life-sized werewolf in his driveway, and body parts hanging in his garage!
@@mr.knowitall6440Except loads of people remember The Howling. It's a great film and personally I think the fx in it are better than AAWIL.
One of my all time favorites. John Carpenter is one of the greatest. The Fog, Halloween, Christine, Big Trouble In Little China, They Live, Vampires, so many gems from Carpenter.
And he did the score for them all too which makes him even cooler!
He's the Master
they should do a full John Carpenter react series.
Don't forget Starman. That and The Fog are my favorites of his.
When we saw this in the theater back in the day, we walked out of the cinema in a state of shock. We had just been terrorized, grossed out, and driven to the edge of paranoia by this movie, only to get no resolution at the end. We had to process everything on the way to the parking lot. A majority of us ended up going back to the theater and watching this movie again (The home video market was in its infancy back then, some movies took over a year before the video cassette release)
One thing for sure though, we all took note of the name John Carpenter.
Carpenter was a really good director up until this point, but this movie is the one that cemented his name as one of the true Masters of Horror. I know that me & my friends never forgot his name after this. Now Carpenter doesn't just direct horror, he's got plenty of good movies in other genres under his belt. Elvis, Escape from New York, Big Trouble in Little China, Assault on Precinct 13, and Starman just to name a few. And when it comes to horror, he literally wrote the book on the genre when he directed Halloween...
But the Thing...
The Thing...
This is the movie that messed us all up. And we loved it.
LOL
(After they saw the Thing, my niece & nephew believe that this is the movie that messed up Gen X. They go on this tirade about "Who hurt Gen X? it was John Carpenter!" and I laugh everytime I hear it. I'm not going to argue that point with them because I might not win.)
I hear ya. The Thing was on another level... saw it when I was a child (dad LOVED it and would show all his friends); no other film has given me more nightmares. The Thing has incredible staying power and remains one of the best examples of suspense horror of all time.
I don't think any of my dreams have actually scared me since I watched this movie when I was four.
Totally agree. Gen X myself and this film messed me up big time when I saw it as a kid back in the day.
I totally believe cause even today the special effects are terrifying so I can’t imagine what people back then thought of it
@@Hinokami777 Honestly, we didn't know what to think. This movie ambushed us. We could look at the crowd and tell we were messed up. People who saw the Exorcist in theaters were comparing it to that experience, but with less puking.
Not only one of the best horror films ever, but one of the best films period. And it just doesn't age. Looks as good today as it ever did. There are few giveaways that it was made in 1982. Amazing effects by Rob Bottin, great direction by John Carpenter and a stellar cast headed by the incredible Mr Kurt Russell. What more could you ask for especially as a horror fan?
Best Sci Fi Horror Thriller Film Ever Made!
Critics were not too kind to this movie, calling it "Boring, dull, And A Wretched Excess."
However it's gained a cult following overtime and it's been confirmed as one of the best Sci-fi Horror Films ever made, and also one of John Carpenter's best work in his filmography.
Reminds me of how Strange Days was trashed when it came out but now people like it.
So true! My favorite John Carpenter movie is Starman, followed by Big Trouble in Little China, and then The Thing. He's made a ton of great movies. 😁 (Edited)
I’m shocked critics could have been so off-base!
Never listen to those fools !
@@xzonia1Big Trouble in Little China, Mr. Reverso.
One of the greatest horror movies ever made! The scene with the dogs and the practical effects is just out of this world creepy. And the soundtrack! That "da dumm.... da dumm..." is burned into my memory. They did a remake that is not even close to being as good despite having more advanced effects and modern tech.
Edit: Prequel, not remake.
You can say that again !
it wasn't a remake. it was a prequel. what happened at the crazy swedes camp (Norwegians). they did a lot of work trying to match the camp destruction from this movie in the newer movie. I liked it. still prefer this movie though.
@@marctowersap8018I couldn't disagree more. Not saying your opinion is wrong but for me the prequel is so inferior. From the tone, pacing, mood and lighting. The paranoid and claustrophobic feel of the original is completely absent. Also it a beat for beat remake of John Carpenter verion for like half the movie? Right down to copying the blood scene but with teeth fillings 🤷🏾♀️ that just does not hit the same. Whenever The Thing is alone with someone for 5 seconds it *immediately* begins to attack them. In an overly lit, far too fast-paced action sequence. Lol I could go on but I won't. I'm curious to know what was it that you liked about the film?
@adiahaalexander9359 of course it's gonna follow carpenters version. it's a direct prequel. the events of the movie were directly before the carpenter version. ending literally hours before the start of carpenters thing. it answers some people asking, what happened at the Norwegian station. just because you don't care doesn't mean others don't
@adiahaalexander9359 and remember, the thing isn't an animal. it stormed the castle so to speak at the Norwegian camp, and despite humans being not all that intelligent relative to creatures that can make spaceships (remember the blairthing tried to build a craft), humans still mostly defeated the thing, only part of it got away. so in the carpenter version, it tried a different tactic, slow instead of fast.
John Carpenter directed Halloween! As well as The Thing, he directed classic 80s movies such as Escape from New York and They Live.
Big Trouble in Little China is one of his best.
My favorite director. Kurt was his muse. This was his I don't want to be so damn handsome faze.
Man big trouble in little china. What an absolute delight to watch.
And Christine and The Fog!
Escape from NY. Snake Bliskin.
44:29 - The original title of the Sci-Fi story this movie was adapted from was titled "Who Goes There?" Written by John W. Campbell. Director John Carpenter used part of the title of an older Sci-Fi horror for this film. It was called, "The Thing From Another World" (1951), which was also set in Antarctica. He brilliantly combined the story of the Sci-Fi novel with the setting and atmosphere of that older Sci-Fi movie. BTW, in John Carpenter's "Halloween" (1978), when the character Laurie Strode was babysitting Tommy, and Lindsay, they were watching the movie "The Thing From Another World" on the TV. Clearly, Carpenter was a fan of that movie, and was planning on making his own take on the film just four year later.
So glad you guys watched one of my favorites! The Thing is still one of the finest examples of cosmic horror put to film.
It's the best H.P. Lovecraft story put to film without it actually being a Lovecraft story. It's all there. The knowledge that humans are less than miniscule when compared to what's out there. The fact that humans exist at all being pure happenstance, because if that ship crashed in the ocean we wouldn't even exist.
@@nimawhe How would the fact that if that ship crashed in the ocean that humans wouldn't exist?
@@Neckromorph Starts infecting tons of sea life, which eventually infect all kinds of human life. Too much to contain, in fact...
@@Neckromorph The ship was dated as over a hundred thousand years old. If it had crashed in the ocean, which was a more likely event as most of the world is water, the thing would have infected all sea life. Thus, it would have went on to infect our early proto human ancestors.
No humanity.
What about "In the Mouth of Madness"? @@nimawhe
Rob Bottin did the effects, all practical. Just amazing.
Hey, Jay and Amber! This John Carpenter classic is a masterful exercise in paranoia and practical effects!
I discovered "The Thing" during my junior high school
years on VHS when going through a Carpenter phase.
Originally a 1938 pulp novella written by John W. Campbell called "Who Goes There?", the story was first adapted to film as a 1951 Howard Hawks production called "The Thing From Another World". A '50's-era sci-fi classic in its own right, the original was taken to a whole new level by John Carpenter abetted by the incredible practical effects wizardry of Rob Bottin. A prequel was made in 2011 chronicling what happened at the Norwegian base but wasn't nearly as good.
Led by a world-weary Kurt Russell, Carpenter assembled a cast of terrific veteran character actors including Keith David, Richard Dysart, Wilford Brimley, David Clennon, Charles Hallahan, Donald Moffat and Richard Masur who believably inhabit their roles and ratchet up the tension by degrees. Carpenter would direct Russell in five films including "Elvis", "The Thing", "Big Trouble in Little China", "Escape From New York" and "Escape From LA". He would direct Keith David again in "They Live!"
John Carpenter is a one-man band who writes, directs, edits and scores all his films. In a rare exception, the score for "The Thing" was provided by composing great Ennio Morricone. Carpenter's body of work includes a number of pulpy classics and B-movie greats like "Assault on Precinct 13", "Halloween", "Someone's Watching Me!", "The Fog", "Escape From New York", "The Thing", "Christine", "Starman", "Big Trouble in Little China", "Prince of Darkness", "They Live!", "Memoirs of an Invisible Man", "In the Mouth of Madness", "Vampires" and "The Ward". His first film, "Dark Star", was a sci-fi horror-comedy that partially inspired "Alien"! He also wrote the screenplays for "The Eyes of Laura Mars", an American giallo, and "Black Moon Rising", a techno-thriller. His scores are instantly recognizable with their throbbing notes and he expertly uses silence and stillness to generate unbearable tension.
Wilford Brimley's Blair sabotaged the vehicles after making the discovery that there was a high probability of someone being infected and seeing the grim projection that three years would be all it would take for the Thing to spread over the Earth! He was determined to trap them there which is the same realization Macready comes to at the end. He's taken to the shack a human but, the second time they check on him, he's probably a Thing because his demeanor is so calm. The funny noises he says he was hearing must've gotten to him before he could avail himself of the noose he fashioned as an escape from its clutches! As a Thing, he was building a craft under the shed to travel to the mainland.
The Thing has absorbed countless beings including space-faring species. The knowledge to construct a craft that can take him to the mainland was absorbed from a host so it's not far-fetched that he can do this with so much metal and electronic equipment around. He also probably dug out the cavern in a non-human form. Additionally, alien engineering and propulsion principles could function in a vastly simpler way than what 20th-century humans are aware of.
My favorite non-horror moment in "The Thing" is Donald Moffat's slow-burning explosive outburst while tied to the sofa. "I know you gentlemen have been through a lot but, when you find the time, I'd rather not spend the rest of this winter TIED TO THIS F**KING COUCH!" It gets me every time.
The ambiguous ending leaves you with four possible outcomes and they're all bleak. Lol.
The best case scenario is that both Childs and Mac are human, the Thing was destroyed and the survivors DIE of hypothermia.
The other three options are that one or the other or both survivors are Things who will copy the remaining human and the rescue party as well eventually dominating the Earth.
There is a popular fan theory that Things lack eye gleam and Childs doesn't have it in that last scene. It could also be a trick of light.
There is another popular fan theory that claims Mac tests Childs by giving him a flask of kerosene instead of liquor which Childs consumes! Mac chuckles with fatalistic resignation realizing he has failed and humanity is doomed. That is, unless, he has a spare stick of dynamite he can use to blow himself up along with a now very flammable Childs! Lol.
The only sequels exist as a series of Dark Horse comics and a video game featuring John Carpenter himself as a Dr. Faraday!
For some reason I’ve always liked the soundtrack of this movie. Specifically the synthesiser “thump thump” bits, it’s very 80s
John Carpenter has always liked to do his own music. Always great!
It's like an alien heartbeat.
Ask Dr. MacCoy where this Sound came from.😜😁
The music is like a character unto itself in this movie, it conveys a very uncomfortable feeling of creepiness/paranoia and dread…completely masterful just like the rest of the movie.
Ennio Morricone was a musical phenom
Great reaction guys. I have to say, though, that I’ve never understood the level of disgust people have about the creature from an aesthetic standpoint. I find the creature terrifying, but the “yuck” stuff is just the fact that we are seeing a creature morph in real time. It’s sensational to see it. And while Rick Baker got a lot of deserved credit for pioneering makeup and effects, Rob Bottin set a bar that was never matched with The Thing. These effects are over 40 years old and they are still stunning. Not just the obvious effects during the creature changes, but even what was shown in the form of burnt remains. Simply one of the best horror films ever made.
This film's a masterpiece. It combines psychological terror, no one knowing who's infected, along with superior gore and practical special effects.
Basically everything that a horror movie should be. The Thing reigns supreme!
Fun fact: The actor whose hands get chomped off was actually a double amputee in real life and had prosthetic hands. The director & effects team took full advantage of that to make that jump-scare scene work so well.
They had a stunt man for him with a mask who was an amputee, Copper's actor was not.
We all know dude, yawn
The sound effects of The Thing when it transforms are that of Bears, Alligators, Horses, Pigs, Snakes, and Human screams played backwards or sped up to make it sound otherworldly.
one of the most intense monster screams ever created
John Carpenter's The Thing still feels like a one-of-a-kind film. The entire concept of breaking down morale and having everyone turn on one another is brilliantly well-executed. It's not about jump scares or the gore. It's about the idea of apprehension and distrust that makes this horror movie great.
Kurt Russell's hat has to be in the top 5 all time best movie props 😂😂😂
One of the greatest horror movies ever made! Once seen, never forgotten. Great reaction!
A true classic. I'm 59 I've watched this over the years and still a true classic. Kurt Russell was in fine forum. You must also try his Big Trouble In Little China another classic. And his Escape from New York
John Carpenter and Kurt Russell also worked together in "Escape From New York" and "Big Trouble in Little China," both worth a look.
Perfect time to see this movie. Some of the best practical effects ever in a movie. I watch it every year during this time.
I love watching it in the dead of Winter too 😉
G'day it's Steven from Down Under again
As a younger teenager I was horrified and intrigued by this film at the time of its release, I do own a VHS copy of this movie and later a Blu-ray copy too.
In my opinion this is an underrated film and it's great to see that younger generations are enjoying it too.
Kurt Russell was Wyatt Earp in Tombstone also
Thank you for this reaction. I had the opportunity to see this film in the theater when I was 16 years old. My mom took me and my twin brother to see this as it was rated R. I knew what this movie was about because of the Starlog comic book that came out before this movie. Everything went according to the comic book so my brother and I were not surprised. We were however impressed with how well this story was pulled off in this film. Very gratifying. I actually like the open ending where you don't know if one of them is the thing. It keeps the suspense going long after the movie ends.
I have the Starlog comic book. You're the first commenter I've seen mention it.
Kurt Russell also stars in on e of the best sports movies ever made, "Miracle" about the 80s olympic hockey team. totally worth checking out
Imagine seeing this by yourself at night alone at 12yrs old, it was intense to say the least. Such a brilliant film!
Amber looks legit terrified in the thumbnail! Love it!
The movie that you should see is called: They Live, with the wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper, and it's about aliens that have been living amongst us, however, they were hidden by a hypnosis thing. Piper stumbles upon sunglasses that reveals what everything in the world actually is.
the ending is so good because it lets you draw your own conclusions. there are a ton of fan theories about the final scenes. did Macready get infected? was childs telling the truth? and what becomes of them after the end scene? My own personal interpretation is that both are human, but they then both know they cant trust each other now, and so choose to wait each other out
Childs breath shows in the Blu-Ray.
I think Childs was infected and MacCready wasn’t.
My favorite horror movie of all time. You can feel the paranoia. Such a well done movie with the atmosphere it created.
I saw this at the theater back in 1982. It still has shock power.
Awaome, glad you all did this one. One of my top ten of all time
I love practical effects. 🥰👍
Oh how i wish movie industry today, make practical effects agein.
All film with practical effects, show the story with more soul and more good storys.
Spesial with in Horror-genre.
Once upon a time, they were called "special effects."
Kurt Russell was also Wyatt Erp in Tombstone. Keith David was so young too.
OMG YOU GUYS WATCHED THE THING!!! One of my all time favorites. Im worried about you guys watching this one though 😂
You need to realize this is ALL practical effects. No CGI. Amazing job.
22:10 - Windows drops the keys that he got from Garry. The keys that The Thing uses to get to the blood. It explains why Windows panics and runs for the shotgun when everyone starts arguing about who had the keys last. Also, "Windows" and "Mac" lol
You guys should react to They Live by John Carpentar. Go in blind.
I was 12 years old and saw this in the theater in ‘82. Way ahead of its time and holds up. Also, there were no “graphics” or CGI, this was all expertly crafted practical FX. Everything you saw was real, not computer generated.
The spaceship at the beginning, and when they first find it, was "graphics". But that's about all...
@@mr.knowitall6440 ahh, fair point.
Penguins live in Antarctica…
This is my favorite horror movie of all-time! This debuted the same weekend as E.T., and was shredded by reviewers because this was *so* dark in tone compared to E.T. It’s a remake of a cheesy 1950’s sci-fi movie The Thing From Another Planet, and because of that my parents thought it would be more silly than scary, and took me to see it in the movie theaters. I was 9! 👀
Not only is John Carpenter a film director, he composed most of the music for his movies, and is basically credited with birthing the genre of electronic music known as Vapor Wave. (Vapor Wave is a modern take on 80’s electronic dance music)
Wait, we missed out on killer space penguins?
@@chrispeel3123 Not quite killer space penguins but there was a version of HP Lovecraft's "At The Mountains Of Madness." came out 2 years ago. I haven't seen the movie but I've read the original and that has mutated giant penguins in it.
Dr. Who had a character called Frobisher who was ironically a shapeshifter but a nice one, who loved the form of a penguin. Don't think he's ever been shown on screen, just in audios and comics.
OMG I saw this and immediately said OH SH*T!! Lol can’t wait to see the reaction to one of the best sci-fi horror movies ever made.
Oh boy, I can't believe you two went for "The Thing"! Wow! Well, you go this under your belt now 🙂
This won awards back in the day for the practical special effects.
A lot miss that Dr Blair is the hero. He destroyed the radio and helicopter because he saw how people would die if virus got out in the world. Later since looked him in the shed the thing took him over.
I love the 1951 version of this movie. It has a totally diferent vibe.
That's because the 82 film is not a remake, and is more faithful to the source material than the earlier film.
I love it too. It’s unfortunate that most reviewers don’t critique older movies. Even the title presentation of this version is borrowed from that film, though the content is very different. Unlike most sci fi/horror films of that era, the dialogue is very well written. I like the humorous interplay between the characters.
This is the best sci-fi horror , let alone one of the best movies ever made! Just a great story, great acting and great directoring.. just love this movie!
The best horror-remake of all time!
The director John Carpenter show real respect to the orginal film "The Thing" from 1951.
Other than using the name "The Thing" from the first film, the John Carpenter movie is more closely based on the original story.
@@RetroRobotRadio Agree
@@RetroRobotRadio Who Goes There?
James Arness, "Marshall Dillon" from "Gunsmoke" was just a struggling actor when he played the part of "TheThing" in the 1951 original film.
This film is *not* a re-make of anything
So in the beginning the Norwegian guy basically says something like
"Get away, thats no dog, its some sort of thing imitating a dog! Its not real. Get the hell away from it, you idiots!"
Loved this movie when it came out. Two great but less scary sci-fi films you absolutely need to see are "Close encounters of the third kind" and "Starman"
Oh I’d love them to watch Starman. Very under appreciated movie.
Starman is a great alien movie.
I'll show up for 3rd kind love. That's a true, classic sci-fi. Not horror tho
Starman was not my kind of movie growing up, but I still enjoyed it despite that.
Been requesting “CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND” for a while……great movie!
Loved this remake of the original 1951 Black and White "The Thing from Another World" which isn't as graphic but just as suspenseful. James Arnis from the TV series Gunsmoke plays "The Thing" it's worth checking out.
The Dog Kennel Sequence was done by Oscar Winning VFX artist Stan Winston, after make up effects artist Rob Bottin ended up in the hospital with a bleeding ulcer and exhaustion.
"Damn! Just prick the tip of my finger homie!"
I laughed so hard at that. Great reaction as I knew it would be. Love you guys
I was 15 when this film premiered on British TV back in 1988.My dad recorded it on videotape.I managed to wake up at 6am and watch it before I went to school.Then I told everyone how brilliant it was.The next day all my mates were talking about it non-stop!For weeks afterwards we were all walking around saying things like"you gotta be effing kidding!"and"yeah and eff you too!"A masterpiece of horror and sci-fi.Great reaction guys!👽 Greetings Greetings
That’s really cool! Glad you could have that experience! 😮
Saw it in the theater when it came out. Yeah, I am old.
@@jamesway I was too young to see"The Thing"at the theatre but my dad did take me to see"Raiders Of The Lost Ark","ET: The Extra Terrestrial","Tron"and"Return Of The Jedi".So at least I got to see some classic films on the big screen back then!Stay cool my friends!😁
A theory about that final laugh from Mac is that he knows Childs is the Thing. Earlier in the film, they're told to not share food or drink with each other since it can be transmitted by a single cell. When he offers Childs the drink at the end, he takes it and drinks it without hesitation - if you were already infected, you wouldn't be worried about sharing food. So Mac chuckles to himself as it's confirmation to him that Childs is infected.
Like so many other theories, that's all it is - it's never been confirmed or anything, But it does make sense.
Everyone who ever worked on this movie, from John Carpenter himself to the bus driver, has explicitly stated that there are NO clues, subtle or otherwise, as to weather Childs and/or MacReady is/are a Thing.
People just have to accept that.
@@rsrt6910 so you skipped the last thing I said to post this? You must be a blast at parties.
@@rsrt6910okay but Carpenter said that one of them WAS The Thing so i highly doubt that.
@@MichaelJordanGoat2324 No, no he didn't.
Yes, yes he did 😂😂😂😂
Ennio Morricone was hired as the film composer, but most of his music was rejected and replaced by John Carpenter but portions of his original soundtrack can be heard in the Oscar Winning HATEFUL EIGHT.
Jerry Goldsmith was the first choice, but was too busy working on RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD, The Secret Of NIMH, and Poltergeist, all released in 1982.
You have to get the special edition soundtrack with Morricone's stuff. I have the lp's it's amazing 😊
The original short story, "Who Goes There?" also adds a lot to this. But the movie is one of the all-time-greats, even without reading the print version.
Wow never thought you guys would watch this, it's so icky, but one of my faves lol
Also every reactor is like "Don't kill the dog!" until they realize....lol
The 2011 "The Thing" deals with what happened at the Norwegian research camp right before the story for this movie. You should check that one out too. It's a prequel.
I was 15 when seeing this in the movie theater, along with "Poltergeist" at the same time. My sister had to sneak us in because we were under 17.
John Carpenter started the Halloween movie franchise in 1978...
John Carpenter is one of the greats! The Thing, Halloween. The Fog, Escape from New York!
They did a prequel in the early two thousands which is about what happened to the people that first found it. So glad you guys reacted to this
A totally unneeded one, and some asshole insisted they use CGI.
@@MySerpentineyeah, the prequel is a travesty lol
@@MySerpentinewhat? A prequel?? All I know is the remake from 2011
@nsasupporter7557 That *was* the prequel. You can't tell the difference because half the point was that the same thing happens all over again. Carpenter used the wrecked set of the American camp as the set of the Norwegian camp FFS! When you can't tell a prequel from a remake there is *no need whatsoever* for a prequel.
@@MySerpentine oh, I thought it was a remake. I didn’t hear that many details about it, that’s why I thought it was a remake… thank you for clarifying 👍
Some other good John Carpenter movies: The Fog (the original), They Live, and so many more!
That’s one of the greatest horrors of the 80’s! I remember well going to see it in theaters when I was 18, and it stuck with me all these years. I love it. It’s creepy, scary and suspenseful. If y’all get to “The Exorcist “. I’d be shocked. 😂 Y’all might also like “The Abyss “. Another Sci-Fi horror, but under water.
Great movie for this month, the dog is the hero, Bad Moon. Great werewolf movie.
One halloween movie I forgot to suggest was sleepy hollow
You'll be frightened and grosses out every step of the way and it has johnny Depp so you'll enjoy it that way as well!
Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, a fresh off Episode I, Ian McDiarmid, Christopher Lee and Christopher Walken. They should DEFINITELY get that one either this Monday, Friday or the following Monday.
Don't let the blue filter throw you guys off though, Tim Burton filmed everything that way to give the drab, New England late fall feel.
Jay: (on Kurt Russel) "I know the name but can't put a face to it..."
...picture of Kurt Russel (as 'The Dude' in The Big Lebowski) on the wall over Jay's right shoulder!!!
Had me laughing 😂🤣😆
This movie will forever prove that practical effects will always be better than CGI in horror movies
Practical blended properly with CGI can work if done right.
Sucks that the practical effects for The Thing prequel were replaced with REALLY bad CGI.
@@alucard624 I agree it really takes you out of the movie. Otherwise the prequel was pretty good
The husky is a better actor than 90% of modern Hollywood 😂
I rushed when i saw the thumbnail because i knew y'all were about to be SHOOK. My niece asked me what my favorite horror movie is, and its The Thing, and she's been asking me if she's old enough to watch... I'm not even sure my grown ass is old enough 💀
The soundtrack, special effects and isolation 💀☠️💀
Welcome to the genre known as cosmic horror. A genre originated with the author, H.P. Lovecraft (his personal beliefs are not politically correct, but his writing is superb). The Thing was a short story written in the 1930s called "Who Goes There", by John W. Campbell. It was adapted into a film in the 50s, but it wasn't until this version by John Carpenter that the story really became a cult classic. There was a prequel in 2011 starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead (wife of Ewan McGregor), that shows what happened to the Norwegian crew and ends with them chasing the dog. Also shows how they found the spacecraft and that The Thing was actually a biological specimen discovered by the alien race that piloted the spacecraft until it assimilated that crew. There was also a sequel comic that came out a few years ago, in which its revealed Childs was infected, and the organism makes it to South America.
Another good "cosmic horror" film to check out, is Event Horizon starring Laurence Fishburne (Matrix) and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park). It is a real mind-bender. There are several others - another favorite of mine being "Lifeforce". A really cheesy, British horror flick about vampires from space where an American crew finds a pair of naked bodies, one male and female in a cryostasis. They bring the creatures to earth, the male dies, but the female starts going on a killing rampage to drain all human life of their "lifeforce". Stars a younger, pre-Star Trek and X-Men, Patrick Stewart.
It was a far inferior film, though; They had all the practical effects ready to go, and then stupid execs went "nOoO, wE WanT cgIII".
I love how you put in the bit about his personal beliefs not being politically correct, as if the majority actually gives af about that crap 🤣 only weirdos check to see if the person who made it aligns with their own personal beliefs before consuming
@@JJ_AdventuresLovecraft was a writer, not a movie-maker. And, having raised kids, I've noticed how you can try your best to teach your kids a certain set of values only to have some kid at the playground or some nut on public transit or some dumb TV show blow it out of the water. Which is how parents can work diligently to raise a boy into a decent man only to lose him to the "wrong crowd." So yeah, some people are concerned about the media they consume. I think it needs taken on a case-by-case basis and I'm against censorship, but people being mindful aren't being "weirdos."
@@urthboundmisfit they aren't watching with their kids... so that's an incredibly moot point.
@@JJ_Adventures no, they don't watch with their kids, but they may do research with their kids around. But if you watched their history of their movie reactions, Jay takes grave offense at certain racial epithets. If they were prompted to research on HP Lovecraft to learn more about him from my post, they would definitely learn about his views and my post was simply to imply that expectation.
Finally watching one of my all time favorites! A few yrs ago they had the audacity to do a remake. You cannot improve something that's perfect. This movie is stunning on many levels.
Let me share a theory about the ending. Remember they all agreed to not share food and drinks with each in case it could spread that way. Well, the reason he chuckled is because he tricked the Thing/Childs. When Childs drank without hesitation he revealed himself as The Thing.
This is one of the best scary movies of all time. I loved it when it came out and never miss a year without watching it. The suspense is over the top. It did so badly upon release because it had the bad misfortune of coming out at the same time as E.T. Carpenter is a master at film making. I would love to see your reaction to Carpenter's Prince Of Darkness. Great reaction!
"We haven't watched anything this month that's like had me shaking in my boots yet... I don't know if this one will be."
Then LOL @ 12:44 THAT was the reaction I was waiting for Amber LOL !
If you're looking for a great film about aliens, check out Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. 💯❤️👽🛸
The famous heart de-fib scene in this is like the 'Ben Gardeners boat' moment in Jaws. They both really catch out most reactors!.
Now we are talking. A genuine horror film…and a really good one
So glad to see you get to this - it's always in my top 5 films of all time. It's like nothing else.
Awesome movie! 💯💯💯
This is why i watch yall. You give real responses. Some reaction videos you can tell the people are faking their reaction but yours is genuine, unless your acting and if you are, which i doubt. you need to be in hollywood. Great job folks.
A real masterpiece.
Now you need to watch John Carpenter’s “The Fog”. It scared the bejesus out of me the first Tim I saw it. It is not as gorey as “The Thing” but is a psychological thriller.