My bro was stationed in Antarctica for a year and the base has this tradition where they show this film after the last plane leaves for six months in February.
Aaahh the 80's. Best Si-Fi films ever. The Thing, The Empire Strikes Back, Back to the future, The Terminator, Blade Runner, Robocop, Predator,Aliens. All Classics.
"Watch those around you"...man, I've always thought The Thing's underlying message was you never know who could be a monster (figuratively, not literally) so keep a close eye on everyone and that line is evidence of just that...
Totally genius special effects. Modern film studios should try to understand that nothing CGI can do can even come close to touching something like The Thing.
In the "Making of The Thing" the actual alternate ending is discussed. MacReady sits in a medical office. He's been rescued from the wrecked camp. He's just passed a blood test that proves he's human. Carpenter shot this scene as a "just in case" ending if test audiences reacted badly to the ambiguous ending in the movie.
I know this an old post. But I saw that scene on television once. Exactly as he described it, Macready is in office discussing what happened. It aired on KCOP back in 1988 or 89. Only once. Alot of times that channel would include the narration and the other ending with the husky
Glad I found this post. I knew I saw it on TV once in the late 80s. Only once. It's just like how ABC aired the deleted scene of the pilot's death in Jaws 2,but only once. For years I told people about it but they never aired that scene again. Glad it finally showed up on DVD
The "alternate" ending is at 00:01 - 0:36. After the original ending, it cuts to the next day with a single norweigan dog running off into the distance. It's obviously a much more bleak ending since it implies the Thing escaped.
That unused "the thing's not dead yet" scene is interesting to me, because if everyone had known it wasn't dead yet, it feels like all the subsequent deaths could have been avoided; it would've been burned before it got to Bennings, for ex. So I wonder how things were supposed to be progress if it had been left in.
Both John Carpenter's The Thing and Ripley Scott's Alien are hands down greatest written, Directed, Horror movies that are a Master piece and have stood the test of time.
+Brah Sumatra Practical effects and CGI are good for different things (e.g. there would have been no way to convincingly put Smaug, Gollum or Jurassic Park's fully-sized, mobile dinosaurs on-screen without some level of CGI). Also there's lot's of CGI that most people don't recognize as CGI upon first viewing -that's the best kind. The demands of this film were not such that it required CGI.
Exactly; it just depends on the demands of the project. E.g. you couldn't go with fully practical effects for a script like Cameron's Titanic, for example, and have it be believable (unless you had military funding and didn't care about health and safety xD).
cgi was used in the 2011 version simply because it was cheaper and quicker and it looked awful. the acting and script is also far better in the 1982 version not to mention how atmospheric the original is.
It's funny how people think the failure of 2011 "Thing" is due to the rubbish effects! Well done practical effects (which exist and were filmed) would not have saved it from the terrible pacing, script etc. The 1982 version of The Thing is ridiculously overt with the crazy special effects, yet also full of tension between those mad events!
Carpenter's "Genius" is an understatement critics were drunk on too much E.T. Kool-Aid; The Thing is one of the most polished Paranoia and cabin fever pieces cinema history
I saw E.T. about 4 times in the theater when I was very young. But I haven’t watched E.T. In over 25 years. I watch The Thing every year for the last 20 years. It became my favorite movie.
Not a female in sight.....nothing, but the raw intelligence of men and the Thing!!!...I had just relocated to Detroit , Michigan....and the radio station WKNR had advertised a sneek preview of this movie. I was a big sci-fi fan and drove into downtown Detroit. Can't recall the theater...but I do recall the venue was crowded...with both men and women and a few kids. This was long before sense-around ...but that errie thumping music sort of set the mood. And the first scene with the dogs' head splits open....the crowd went wild!!!!The biggest reaction was, of course, was the hands being bitten off....but the event when the guys are on the couch and the last guy is left..(Donald Moffet)...and his remarks........just priceless...everyone laughed!!!Sitting in that pitch black theater just added to the thrill.......this was my best scare in my movie going experience. Too bad it was overshadowed by "E.T"....Kudos to Carpenter....now it is a Classic!!!!The 80's were just getting started......crazy stuff, back then!
so i never heard of this movie growing up, So 3 years ago i was bored and flicking through the channel and came across the thing about to start showing so i sat through to watch it and i was amazed by the dope fx and was really shocked when i found out the movie was made back in the early 80s
TayInTheWay Because of E.T which came out at the same time. Everyone wanted to see the "friendly alien" movie. I went with the "evil alien" film but at the time I was in the minority.
TayInTheWay Also john was receiving negative criticism for the way he directed the thing, although it is a remake many back in the day wanted it to be as the original the thing from another world :/
TayInTheWay It was a box-office bomb because it had no originality. All Carpenter had to do was update the first movie, then he threw in bits and pieces from "Alien" and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" not to mention a bunch of silly ass special effects. Kurt Russell's stand up character was the only thing that saved this movie from being a direct to video piece of shit.
Masculine Buddha I respectfully disagree. It's not just Russell's character. The story, premise, and setting might not be original but it's so well-directed, acted, and structured that we have a horror film masterpiece. And how can you dismiss the special effects, which still hold up today? This film alone is the best argument in the practical effects vs CGI debate.
God bless Rob Bottin that's amazing for him at 7 years old to be a special effects supervisor, his staff does awesome art work, thanks for sharing this video I still think John Carpenter should of shot the scene of them going into the spacecraft then the actors & us the viewer can see inside & maybe see where this thing came from and other specimens it's collected or what it creatures it's copied, I think benning's was the 1st human the thing copied but it struggled to copy benning's hands it had finished copying him & that's why his hands were crab like the actors thought it could complete a whole human but it couldn't, I think it had copied a dog on the last place it was on before it crashed & laid dormant in the ice for so long cos it couldn't free the ship from the ice so when the norwegians drilled into the ice & took a Sample of DNA from the alien they woke it up & that's why it was pissed off.
This was Carpenters big budget debut, and it's an amazing creation. Spielberg's ET in comparison, a director already perfected his craft, had access to any studio and budget, loved by the media, had half the creativity... Two sci fi films in extreme opposites but unfortunately the public would always go for the safer option..
The alternate ending is the dog running away at the beginning of the video. Just as the film began, one alternate ending shows the dog running away from the destroyed American base the next morning, implying that the Thing does in fact survive in the escaping dog. There is another alternate ending that has never been seen where Kurt Russel's character is rescued and is telling the story as a flashback, similar to the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
I remember my parents coming home from seeing this movie in'82. I was 12. my mom walked in the house and said, "change your clothes. dad is waiting in the car. he wants to take you to see The Thing"
Thedemonhater. my parents were cool. I had movie posters from horror movies hanging in my room. I remember seeing The Exorcist and Dawn of the Dead. DotD was Restricted to 19yrs or older but my mother knew the theater manager. I rememeber '80 in Phx on Friday we watched The Blues Brothers and Sat we watched The Shining. The Thing was rated G to me.
This movie is so great. I remember seeing the newspaper ad for it in 1982 when the movie came out and anticipated seeing it. About a month later, I saw the movie ad for E.T. and its non-threatening alien. E.T. completely took over at the box office and The Thing fell off everybody's radar because E.T. became a phenomenon. I did see The Thing eventually and never forgot the horrifying scene wondering how the heck they made the guy's cut-off arms look so real. This was before CGI was invented so unlike today we could not guess how things were done. Heck, I still don't know how they did some of those effects in 1982. John Carpenter's The Thing and 2001: A Space Odyssey are my favorite sci-fi flicks.
willwork4donuts Yes, thank you. I had later read how they did that one but, boy, at the time, who woulda thunk of that! Especially when you didn't know it was coming. I also like the next scene with the guy's head stretching off of the table and then growing legs. Talk about me being hypnotized to the movie screen! I absolutely liked that I could not predict where things were going! It was bizarre in an excellent way.
when i found out how they did the arm scene i was speechless i mean who would have thought of that creating 2 arms out of gelatin add fake veins and blood and wax bones and stick them on a double amputee wearing a mask just te effort put into the special effects make this movie a diamond
One of best stories by John Campbell. Cannot imagine any version coming closer. To think that the 50's version was a classic but not even close to the original story. Just listened to John Carpenters new album of "Lost Music" Great composer and one of greatest directors. The ensemble cast is his masterwork.
I'm glad they didnt use that alternate ending. it does ring an air of The Thing From Another Planet, but John Carpenter's ending really honed in on the bleak, the loneliness, and the uncertainty of if the Thing really died, or if one of them was the Thing.
Check out the music around 0:50, it was not used in The Thing, but the leftover Ennio Morricone score was appropriated decades later by Quentin Tarantino for use in his film The Hateful Eight, which does seem almost like a spiritual sequel to The Thing. I watched both movies just the other night, quite a double feature.
It was tragic that the US critics turned on this film, and that at the time people were going all gooey over that alien ET who wanted to phone home. The Thing is a far superior film, and to prove it, many people have watched the film over and over again since its release, but how many people have had the desire to see ET again?.......very few indeed? ET also had an adverse affect on another classic film released at the same time called Blade Runner.
John Carpenter was a creative genius. a visionary. the thing was a low budget film that bombed at the theater, because basically it was up against E.T at the time. but, in spite of that, decades later it has become a super cult classic! my all time favorite horror movie. I the 2011 version of the thing had went the same route of the 1982 thing. practical effects instead of the crappy CGI garbage used in everything made today.
Yes, in my opinion as well, this is the greatest horror movie ever, beyond a shadow of a doubt. I don't know how many times I've watched this film. I am always amazed, scared, awed and appreciative of the integrity of suspense and terror this film inspires and sustains. John Carpenter, I thank you. The soundtrack is one of my favorites as well.
I agree! It's top notch. If it isn't the-best, it's certainly one of the best horror films. I wish the film was as iconografic for the horror film genre as Psycho and The Shining is today.
It's funny, how so much with both comedy and horror is subjective. I found, "The Exorcist," completely not scary, and overdone to the point of not being able to credible. In a rare experience for me, I was unable to suspend disbelief with that film. Even after seeing "The Thing," many times, I still find it impossible to not to get scared watching it.
I would like to say best horror movie ever but hard to say that. But no doubt one of best ever done. The effects were not done for gore, they were the essence of the film along with an ensemble cast who we've seen in so many films and shows but they come together and make a unit so perfect. I might change my mind about being the best horror film ever by the time I finish this. His Prince of Darkness is one of the creepiest movies ever. And his music in that one is superb. Thank you for great comments and bringing back memories. Never will forget the head that becomes a spider. Or the first time they saw that initial creature and dropped it on the table and you could almost smell the stench of it from their reactions. That is portrayal to the T.
TheKanonHara I agree. While Prince of Darkness is a film of slow creeping horror, moving along with I think intentional subtleness, it is as a whole not a great film. A very bizarre film and perhaps one of the more strange films of horror, but The Thing is not slow or subtle and charges along with a brilliant ensemble cast, and staggering effects that are used perfectly, not used just for effects and gore like so many lesser films. That as far as I am concerned sums it up. I didn't see remake but clips and comments from others tell me it is more of a gore fest for that purpose, not the content. But cannot say for sure without seeing it. Maybe one day. I watch so little TV or movies anymroe. X-files coming back might change that for awhile. Thank you for great comment. Sorry for long note.
This a classic that will always endure.The story,music and actors made it incredible. Still gives me the bumps when watching.I ask myself what would i do in a situation like that.
I remember this from when I was a kid, and it just fed my terror of this movie! I always remembered Rob Bottin saying "eggs for eyes" and "wondering what was under..the bed". Thank you for posting.
It's weird, I graduated HS in the mid 80s and the first I heard of this movie was when I picked it up in the video rental store. I can't remember ever seeing the movie advertised when it was supposed to be in theaters. It must not have had a wide release. One of my faves of all time.
In my opinion the thing is one of my favorite all the best sci fi horror movies ever made it been 30 years later the thing still stand the test of time all the CGI can't compete to the artwork and mastery of the thing still the best sci-fi horror my opinion
to this day I still believe that if Universal Pictures had held off the release date until later in 1982, (late November or early December) this movie would have been a box office blast for the ages.
Now I either watch the movie or spend the rest of tonight listening to his music. I think the music tonight, the movie another night. I am really glad I have started watching the X-files again. My favorite show of all time next to Dark Shadows and Outer Limits. My wife passed in Dec. and my father in law Jan 2. I have had a rough month, but I also haven't had the chance to watch TV or movies in years and it is so great. Sorry about the torrent of my memories. Music is my soul and movies are my mind. Great combo.
Duane Gibson you're not alone, man, i had a very similar year myself, when memories are all you have of someone, certain pieces of film or music can mean the world to you, have a good day my friend
***** Thank you for the nice email reply. Hope all is well with you. I know I feel her around me and guiding me at times. Music has always been a therapy for me, movies an escape. It all helps from time to time.
Duane Gibson ***** hope you both are doing fine... thanks for sharing your words. music & cinema are a gift and John Carpenter really is a master of both movies & scores. he's really an inspiration. best regards to you both.
+Barnabas Collins Thank you so much. doing better. Had a few other people I really cared for pass but music really is such a comfort and relaxing in my favorite Mexican restaurant with a glass of wine has helped as well. Really excited by the X-files coming back on a limited run. Wish another DS would come back though always worry about what they would do to change what I love so much already. Have a Merry Christmas and New Year. I look as the new year as a year of healing and more.
An excellent adaptation of the classic 1938 short story "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell Jr.. This is a good demonstration of Horror - done right. Great cast, great effects, great story telling. John Carpenter rules....
It's never on TV I wish AMC TNT TBS HBO Cinemax Stars Showtime encore would show it this master peace is almost 40 years old they run gone in 60 seconds and tombstone 20 times a week. Please just run THE THING that much
AWESOME MOVIE! Thanks for sharing. I see the movie at least one time every year. Still amazing. I don´t know how they don´t make so good movies today when it's easy to make the fx.
I first saw this when I was in my early teens, late at night, alone. My heart never pumped so hard - it was that believable to me! I'm so glad we can learn about the making of the movies these days to calm our nerves down... lol
The novelisation of Bill Lancaster's script (by Alan Dean Foster) had a different enough ending. Childs and McCready still encounter each other in the remains of the camp, but their conversation is much longer and (as far as I can remember) goes more into what they'll have to face next/the implications. I don't know if that's taken directly from the script or something that Foster expanded in the novel, but it does end the film on a different note.
Wow that was GREAT!! It's my all time favorite horror movie!! There were some things in here I'd not seen. What a nice and pleasant surprise. Really enjoyed this video!!
" you've got to be f****** kidding me!" That was one of my parents and I favorite lines in the movie. I can't remember the character's name but he was a THING. And his head detached and he turned it to a spider. That is, a human head with spider legs. Then Palmer made that comment right after seeing the head with spider legs on it. They were pretty good effects for not having CGI weren't they? I have always liked that movie. My father rest his soul disliked the fact that the movie did not end. I always feel it is a major plot gaffe with as adamant as McCready was to destroy the thing before they died and then to just see he was in no condition to check on Childs at the end of the movie is kind of a let down for me as well as my dad. He knew how to test weather someone was the THING or human. Just get your knife out and cut Childs' hand and then torch the blood. And then as a measure of good faith do the same for himself. The idea what's the make sure that the rescue team did not pick up anything that wasn't human. Because it would only need one human that was the thing to make it back to civilization and consume the world. McCready was ready to die for that. The death of that thing was more important to him than his own life.
I've always loved horror and scifi but when I saw this I didn't really care for it even though I wanted to. It was 1982 and I was 12. I think it was just a little gory and dark and paranoid for 1982 sensibilities. Today it's one of my favorites. As for ET, when I saw it in 82, it was ok but not worth seeing again. Also it was marketed and merchandised into the ground; ET shirts, watches, glasses, figurines, posters, books, lunchboxes, shitty video games, everything but ET tampons. I was sick of his stupid face. On the other hand The Thing grew on me and I think it was just ahead of its time.
Very interesting video. Thanks so much for it. This is my 3rd favorite Sci-Fi/Horror movie in the world (after Alien (1979) and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1979)). I adore this trio
Some movies you have to judge in their own time. It doesn't look half as scary to me now as it did back when it was on HBO in the early 1980s. But back then, when you consider what was passing for "horror" in movies, The Thing was pee-your-pants scary. And the fact that it refused to have some happy Hollywood ending and ends on the bleakest, most cynical note imaginable makes it a classic imo.
+OroborusFMA What do you mean by "what was passing for 'horror' in movies"? There are more great horror movies from the 70s and 80s, than there have been in the past 20 years. Modern horror could learn a thing or two (or twenty) from older horror films. Also, imo, this film holds up extremely well. If you're judging how well it holds up from this clip, then you're not judging it "correctly." And even if its not "scary" to some people anymore, I don't think anyone can deny that its extremely well made/entertaining.
Modern Rorshach Yeah, I know there are exceptions. And thanks for suggesting those ones. I've been told before that those are both pretty good. Despite what IMDb might say!
My bro was stationed in Antarctica for a year and the base has this tradition where they show this film after the last plane leaves for six months in February.
That's kinda funny....yet cruel!
Holy shit dude
That’s awesome
Lmfaoo that's hilarious
First g.d. week of winter...
Pay attention everyone! THIS is how you do a remake! Fucking classic. God Bless Rob Bottin.
Kinda funny how the special effects supervisor looks like MacReady
This is amazing. Stuff like this NEEDS to be restored.
Aaahh the 80's. Best Si-Fi films ever. The Thing, The Empire Strikes Back, Back to the future, The Terminator, Blade Runner, Robocop, Predator,Aliens. All Classics.
fking shame #practicalfxruledtheworld
"Watch those around you"...man, I've always thought The Thing's underlying message was you never know who could be a monster (figuratively, not literally) so keep a close eye on everyone and that line is evidence of just that...
Totally genius special effects. Modern film studios should try to understand that nothing CGI can do can even come close to touching something like The Thing.
In the "Making of The Thing" the actual alternate ending is discussed. MacReady sits in a medical office. He's been rescued from the wrecked camp. He's just passed a blood test that proves he's human. Carpenter shot this scene as a "just in case" ending if test audiences reacted badly to the ambiguous ending in the movie.
Where can I see the scene?
@@boiletpaper3261 You can’t, like he said Carpenter made that ending in case test audiences felt let down by the ending we have now.
I know this an old post. But I saw that scene on television once. Exactly as he described it, Macready is in office discussing what happened. It aired on KCOP back in 1988 or 89. Only once. Alot of times that channel would include the narration and the other ending with the husky
Glad I found this post. I knew I saw it on TV once in the late 80s. Only once. It's just like how ABC aired the deleted scene of the pilot's death in Jaws 2,but only once. For years I told people about it but they never aired that scene again. Glad it finally showed up on DVD
the mother fucking score still gives me #chills
The "alternate" ending is at 00:01 - 0:36. After the original ending, it cuts to the next day with a single norweigan dog running off into the distance. It's obviously a much more bleak ending since it implies the Thing escaped.
1:32...an alternate shot of Palmer transforming...
Super movie, JC the LEGEND,,
That unused "the thing's not dead yet" scene is interesting to me, because if everyone had known it wasn't dead yet, it feels like all the subsequent deaths could have been avoided; it would've been burned before it got to Bennings, for ex. So I wonder how things were supposed to be progress if it had been left in.
I like the thing film & game....love it
Both John Carpenter's The Thing and Ripley Scott's Alien are hands down greatest written, Directed, Horror movies that are a Master piece and have stood the test of time.
Literally They’re The Best X3
CGI can never replace effects like this.
+Brah Sumatra Practical effects and CGI are good for different things (e.g. there would have been no way to convincingly put Smaug, Gollum or Jurassic Park's fully-sized, mobile dinosaurs on-screen without some level of CGI). Also there's lot's of CGI that most people don't recognize as CGI upon first viewing -that's the best kind. The demands of this film were not such that it required CGI.
S0lidShade Great as CGI is and can be with a movie like The Thing old school special effects is the way to go.
Exactly; it just depends on the demands of the project. E.g. you couldn't go with fully practical effects for a script like Cameron's Titanic, for example, and have it be believable (unless you had military funding and didn't care about health and safety xD).
cgi was used in the 2011 version simply because it was cheaper and quicker and it looked awful. the acting and script is also far better in the 1982 version not to mention how atmospheric the original is.
It's funny how people think the failure of 2011 "Thing" is due to the rubbish effects! Well done practical effects (which exist and were filmed) would not have saved it from the terrible pacing, script etc.
The 1982 version of The Thing is ridiculously overt with the crazy special effects, yet also full of tension between those mad events!
One of my favorite movies 🎥 ❤❤❤
Carpenter's "Genius" is an understatement critics were drunk on too much E.T. Kool-Aid; The Thing is one of the most polished Paranoia and cabin fever pieces cinema history
This has frightened me since my youth and it always will.
The Thing should be re-released in theaters. Just a awesome movie
Best movie ever.
I can't believe people preferred ET over this masterpiece
I saw E.T. about 4 times in the theater when I was very young. But I haven’t watched E.T. In over 25 years. I watch The Thing every year for the last 20 years. It became my favorite movie.
thats one of the funniest facts ever, the Thing is literally one of the best films of any type ever made and i've seen a lot of films.
Not a female in sight.....nothing, but the raw intelligence of men and the Thing!!!...I had just relocated to Detroit , Michigan....and the radio station WKNR had advertised a sneek preview of this movie. I was a big sci-fi fan and drove into downtown Detroit. Can't recall the theater...but I do recall the venue was crowded...with both men and women and a few kids. This was long before sense-around ...but that errie thumping music sort of set the mood. And the first scene with the dogs' head splits open....the crowd went wild!!!!The biggest reaction was, of course, was the hands being bitten off....but the event when the guys are on the couch and the last guy is left..(Donald Moffet)...and his remarks........just priceless...everyone laughed!!!Sitting in that pitch black theater just added to the thrill.......this was my best scare in my movie going experience. Too bad it was overshadowed by "E.T"....Kudos to Carpenter....now it is a Classic!!!!The 80's were just getting started......crazy stuff, back then!
edward williams Calm down bro.
so i never heard of this movie growing up, So 3 years ago i was bored and flicking through the channel and came across the thing about to start showing so i sat through to watch it and i was amazed by the dope fx and was really shocked when i found out the movie was made back in the early 80s
Bought the arrow blue ray and it’s stunning great film.
Grrrrrrrreat fucking movie. Its always the best movies that are not appreciated in their time.
Best horror movie of all time.
Favorite John Carpenter film. Favorite John Carpenter score. How this film was a box-office bomb is beyond me.
TayInTheWay Because of E.T which came out at the same time. Everyone wanted to see the "friendly alien" movie. I went with the "evil alien" film but at the time I was in the minority.
TayInTheWay Also john was receiving negative criticism for the way he directed the thing, although it is a remake many back in the day wanted it to be as the original the thing from another world :/
TayInTheWay It was a box-office bomb because it had no originality. All Carpenter had to do was update the first movie, then he threw in bits and pieces from "Alien" and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" not to mention a bunch of silly ass special effects. Kurt Russell's stand up character was the only thing that saved this movie from being a direct to video piece of shit.
I'm glad this wasn't a compete remake of the 50s movie, because it's goes more faithful to the book, which the original move wasn't.
Masculine Buddha
I respectfully disagree. It's not just Russell's character. The story, premise, and setting might not be original but it's so well-directed, acted, and structured that we have a horror film masterpiece. And how can you dismiss the special effects, which still hold up today? This film alone is the best argument in the practical effects vs CGI debate.
God bless Rob Bottin that's amazing for him at 7 years old to be a special effects supervisor, his staff does awesome art work, thanks for sharing this video I still think John Carpenter should of shot the scene of them going into the spacecraft then the actors & us the viewer can see inside & maybe see where this thing came from and other specimens it's collected or what it creatures it's copied, I think benning's was the 1st human the thing copied but it struggled to copy benning's hands it had finished copying him & that's why his hands were crab like the actors thought it could complete a whole human but it couldn't, I think it had copied a dog on the last place it was on before it crashed & laid dormant in the ice for so long cos it couldn't free the ship from the ice so when the norwegians drilled into the ice & took a Sample of DNA from the alien they woke it up & that's why it was pissed off.
gota be in the top ten films of all time...
THE ULTIMATE IN ALIEN TERROR
"...TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH.".
This and Alien are the best horror monster movies ever made.
"it all looks good cuz its real.." brilliant concept
One of my favourite horror movie 🍿
This was Carpenters big budget debut, and it's an amazing creation. Spielberg's ET in comparison, a director already perfected his craft, had access to any studio and budget, loved by the media, had half the creativity... Two sci fi films in extreme opposites but unfortunately the public would always go for the safer option..
The alternate ending is the dog running away at the beginning of the video. Just as the film began, one alternate ending shows the dog running away from the destroyed American base the next morning, implying that the Thing does in fact survive in the escaping dog. There is another alternate ending that has never been seen where Kurt Russel's character is rescued and is telling the story as a flashback, similar to the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
I remember my parents coming home from seeing this movie in'82. I was 12. my mom walked in the house and said, "change your clothes. dad is waiting in the car. he wants to take you to see The Thing"
The Thing is one of the few movies my parents wouldn't let me see when I was a kid. It's pretty horrifying even for a horror flick.
Lucian Garcia goddamn. She WANTED YOU to see that?
Thedemonhater. my parents were cool. I had movie posters from horror movies hanging in my room. I remember seeing The Exorcist and Dawn of the Dead. DotD was Restricted to 19yrs or older but my mother knew the theater manager. I rememeber '80 in Phx on Friday we watched The Blues Brothers and Sat we watched The Shining. The Thing was rated G to me.
How long till you get out of prison? Or are you out already.
After you changed and went to the car your father was like "wait, those aren't the clothes you were wearing when we left... burn!"
this movie its awsome
This movie is so great. I remember seeing the newspaper ad for it in 1982 when the movie came out and anticipated seeing it. About a month later, I saw the movie ad for E.T. and its non-threatening alien. E.T. completely took over at the box office and The Thing fell off everybody's radar because E.T. became a phenomenon. I did see The Thing eventually and never forgot the horrifying scene wondering how the heck they made the guy's cut-off arms look so real. This was before CGI was invented so unlike today we could not guess how things were done. Heck, I still don't know how they did some of those effects in 1982. John Carpenter's The Thing and 2001: A Space Odyssey are my favorite sci-fi flicks.
willwork4donuts Yes, thank you. I had later read how they did that one but, boy, at the time, who woulda thunk of that! Especially when you didn't know it was coming. I also like the next scene with the guy's head stretching off of the table and then growing legs. Talk about me being hypnotized to the movie screen! I absolutely liked that I could not predict where things were going! It was bizarre in an excellent way.
They did cut off his arms for this scene. Later the actor died because of it.
when i found out how they did the arm scene i was speechless i mean who would have thought of that creating 2 arms out of gelatin add fake veins and blood and wax bones and stick them on a double amputee wearing a mask just te effort put into the special effects make this movie a diamond
One quote, that rocked my worldview:
"That all looks good, cause' it's real." 11:02
...
I couldnt agree more!
Best. Horror. Film. Ever.
One of best stories by John Campbell. Cannot imagine any version coming closer. To think that the 50's version was a classic but not even close to the original story. Just listened to John Carpenters new album of "Lost Music" Great composer and one of greatest directors. The ensemble cast is his masterwork.
I'm glad they didnt use that alternate ending. it does ring an air of The Thing From Another Planet, but John Carpenter's ending really honed in on the bleak, the loneliness, and the uncertainty of if the Thing really died, or if one of them was the Thing.
I was twelve when The Thing came out. I was lucky enough to see it in the movie theater and it scared the crap out of me.
Check out the music around 0:50, it was not used in The Thing, but the leftover Ennio Morricone score was appropriated decades later by Quentin Tarantino for use in his film The Hateful Eight, which does seem almost like a spiritual sequel to The Thing. I watched both movies just the other night, quite a double feature.
One of the best films.
One of my favorite movies of ALL TIME. Love the special effects and the acting.
It doesn't want to be a dog, it wants to be us!!!!!
It was tragic that the US critics turned on this film, and that at the time people were going all gooey over that alien ET who wanted to phone home. The Thing is a far superior film, and to prove it, many people have watched the film over and over again since its release, but how many people have had the desire to see ET again?.......very few indeed? ET also had an adverse affect on another classic film released at the same time called Blade Runner.
John Carpenter was a creative genius. a visionary. the thing was a low budget film that bombed at the theater, because basically it was up against E.T at the time. but, in spite of that, decades later it has become a super cult classic! my all time favorite horror movie. I the 2011 version of the thing had went the same route of the 1982 thing. practical effects instead of the crappy CGI garbage used in everything made today.
Yes, in my opinion as well, this is the greatest horror movie ever, beyond a shadow of a doubt. I don't know how many times I've watched this film. I am always amazed, scared, awed and appreciative of the integrity of suspense and terror this film inspires and sustains. John Carpenter, I thank you. The soundtrack is one of my favorites as well.
I agree! It's top notch. If it isn't the-best, it's certainly one of the best horror films. I wish the film was as iconografic for the horror film genre as Psycho and The Shining is today.
It's not the greatest horror movie ever. That title belongs to the "The Exorcist". It is however the greatest Sci-Fi movie ever.
It's funny, how so much with both comedy and horror is subjective. I found, "The Exorcist," completely not scary, and overdone to the point of not being able to credible. In a rare experience for me, I was unable to suspend disbelief with that film. Even after seeing "The Thing," many times, I still find it impossible to not to get scared watching it.
You must be jewish.
Yeah, christians find "The Exorcist" more scary.
I would like to say best horror movie ever but hard to say that. But no doubt one of best ever done. The effects were not done for gore, they were the essence of the film along with an ensemble cast who we've seen in so many films and shows but they come together and make a unit so perfect. I might change my mind about being the best horror film ever by the time I finish this. His Prince of Darkness is one of the creepiest movies ever. And his music in that one is superb. Thank you for great comments and bringing back memories. Never will forget the head that becomes a spider. Or the first time they saw that initial creature and dropped it on the table and you could almost smell the stench of it from their reactions. That is portrayal to the T.
Duane Gibson Prince of Darkness has its creepy moments but it doesn't hold a candle to The Thing...
TheKanonHara I agree. While Prince of Darkness is a film of slow creeping horror, moving along with I think intentional subtleness, it is as a whole not a great film. A very bizarre film and perhaps one of the more strange films of horror, but The Thing is not slow or subtle and charges along with a brilliant ensemble cast, and staggering effects that are used perfectly, not used just for effects and gore like so many lesser films. That as far as I am concerned sums it up. I didn't see remake but clips and comments from others tell me it is more of a gore fest for that purpose, not the content. But cannot say for sure without seeing it. Maybe one day. I watch so little TV or movies anymroe. X-files coming back might change that for awhile. Thank you for great comment. Sorry for long note.
One of my favorite movies of all
wish they would have done a sequel
Priceless.
This a classic that will always endure.The story,music and actors made it incredible.
Still gives me the bumps when watching.I ask myself what would i do in a situation like that.
I remember this from when I was a kid, and it just fed my terror of this movie! I always remembered Rob Bottin saying "eggs for eyes" and "wondering what was under..the bed". Thank you for posting.
Classic Sci Fi Horror Flick. Never gets old
Seeing that movie on the big screen in 1982 when I was 14 I was like "holy f#ck" bout it's terror.
You lucky SOB.
KEEP WATCHING THE SKIES!!!
It's weird, I graduated HS in the mid 80s and the first I heard of this movie was when I picked it up in the video rental store. I can't remember ever seeing the movie advertised when it was supposed to be in theaters. It must not have had a wide release. One of my faves of all time.
In my opinion the thing is one of my favorite all the best sci fi horror movies ever made it been 30 years later the thing still stand the test of time all the CGI can't compete to the artwork and mastery of the thing still the best sci-fi horror my opinion
ya know thats not a bad idea! 100% better than any cgi and effects of today
Masterpiece then, and still.
There really are Monsters and they are Us.
Some bits of unseen footage. Thanks.
to this day I still believe that if Universal Pictures had held off the release date until later in 1982, (late November or early December) this movie would have been a box office blast for the ages.
Fuck, I should be watching this on my old Zenith TV.
Now I either watch the movie or spend the rest of tonight listening to his music. I think the music tonight, the movie another night. I am really glad I have started watching the X-files again. My favorite show of all time next to Dark Shadows and Outer Limits. My wife passed in Dec. and my father in law Jan 2. I have had a rough month, but I also haven't had the chance to watch TV or movies in years and it is so great. Sorry about the torrent of my memories. Music is my soul and movies are my mind. Great combo.
Nicley written man !!
Duane Gibson
you're not alone, man, i had a very similar year myself, when memories are all you have of someone, certain pieces of film or music can mean the world to you, have a good day my friend
***** Thank you for the nice email reply. Hope all is well with you. I know I feel her around me and guiding me at times. Music has always been a therapy for me, movies an escape. It all helps from time to time.
Duane Gibson ***** hope you both are doing fine... thanks for sharing your words. music & cinema are a gift and John Carpenter really is a master of both movies & scores. he's really an inspiration. best regards to you both.
+Barnabas Collins Thank you so much. doing better. Had a few other people I really cared for pass but music really is such a comfort and relaxing in my favorite Mexican restaurant with a glass of wine has helped as well. Really excited by the X-files coming back on a limited run. Wish another DS would come back though always worry about what they would do to change what I love so much already. Have a Merry Christmas and New Year. I look as the new year as a year of healing and more.
Goddamn. Kurt Russell was only 31 when he did this movie.
An excellent adaptation of the classic 1938 short story "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell Jr.. This is a good demonstration of Horror - done right. Great cast, great effects, great story telling. John Carpenter rules....
Matt Dillon was NOT a sheriff. He was a US Marshall.
Kurt shaved in the interview 🪒 seems way younger than the McCready roll he plays!
If you haven't already then you should watch this movie with the commentary on.
It's never on TV I wish AMC TNT TBS HBO Cinemax Stars Showtime encore would show it this master peace is almost 40 years old they run gone in 60 seconds and tombstone 20 times a week. Please just run THE THING that much
One of the best sci-fi/horror films ever. Still can't believe this bombed at the box office and got terrible reviews at its release.
AWESOME MOVIE! Thanks for sharing. I see the movie at least one time every year. Still amazing. I don´t know how they don´t make so good movies today when it's easy to make the fx.
Loved that movie. Seen it so many times and own a copy.
Dang Kurt Russel looks a totally different person without beard and glasses.
Carpenters tje bomb
My favorite film of all time
I first saw this when I was in my early teens, late at night, alone. My heart never pumped so hard - it was that believable to me! I'm so glad we can learn about the making of the movies these days to calm our nerves down... lol
this movie ranks #1 all time horrow movie to me and maybe top 5 any movie, he could do great things with the way the monster progresses in shadowfires
The novelisation of Bill Lancaster's script (by Alan Dean Foster) had a different enough ending. Childs and McCready still encounter each other in the remains of the camp, but their conversation is much longer and (as far as I can remember) goes more into what they'll have to face next/the implications. I don't know if that's taken directly from the script or something that Foster expanded in the novel, but it does end the film on a different note.
Rob Bottin had a cool mullet
Rob Bottin looks like the thing in this video :)
Damn, the TV ending doesn't hold a candle to the proper ending. Completely strips it of ambiguity.
Awesome! Thanks for the post..
Why people insist in say this is a remake, when it is not. ¬¬
rob bottin and kurt russell are twin brothers with that 80's tina turner hairdo
Absolutely love this movie, even though I generally don't "get" the horror genre.
the horror is that anybody could be the Thing.
Wow that was GREAT!! It's my all time favorite horror movie!! There were some things in here I'd not seen. What a nice and pleasant surprise. Really enjoyed this video!!
Practical effects vs CGI. No contest! Practical effects....
Miss tv quality like this.
11:03 "It all looks good, because it's real."
The reason why for me practical effects are better than CGI.
" you've got to be f****** kidding me!" That was one of my parents and I favorite lines in the movie. I can't remember the character's name but he was a THING. And his head detached and he turned it to a spider. That is, a human head with spider legs. Then Palmer made that comment right after seeing the head with spider legs on it. They were pretty good effects for not having CGI weren't they? I have always liked that movie. My father rest his soul disliked the fact that the movie did not end. I always feel it is a major plot gaffe with as adamant as McCready was to destroy the thing before they died and then to just see he was in no condition to check on Childs at the end of the movie is kind of a let down for me as well as my dad. He knew how to test weather someone was the THING or human. Just get your knife out and cut Childs' hand and then torch the blood. And then as a measure of good faith do the same for himself. The idea what's the make sure that the rescue team did not pick up anything that wasn't human. Because it would only need one human that was the thing to make it back to civilization and consume the world. McCready was ready to die for that. The death of that thing was more important to him than his own life.
I've always loved horror and scifi but when I saw this I didn't really care for it even though I wanted to. It was 1982 and I was 12. I think it was just a little gory and dark and paranoid for 1982 sensibilities. Today it's one of my favorites. As for ET, when I saw it in 82, it was ok but not worth seeing again. Also it was marketed and merchandised into the ground; ET shirts, watches, glasses, figurines, posters, books, lunchboxes, shitty video games, everything but ET tampons. I was sick of his stupid face. On the other hand The Thing grew on me and I think it was just ahead of its time.
"Move over, Farrah Fawcett!" -Rob Bottin's hair
Very interesting video. Thanks so much for it. This is my 3rd favorite Sci-Fi/Horror movie in the world (after Alien (1979) and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1979)). I adore this trio
Some movies you have to judge in their own time. It doesn't look half as scary to me now as it did back when it was on HBO in the early 1980s. But back then, when you consider what was passing for "horror" in movies, The Thing was pee-your-pants scary. And the fact that it refused to have some happy Hollywood ending and ends on the bleakest, most cynical note imaginable makes it a classic imo.
+OroborusFMA What do you mean by "what was passing for 'horror' in movies"? There are more great horror movies from the 70s and 80s, than there have been in the past 20 years. Modern horror could learn a thing or two (or twenty) from older horror films.
Also, imo, this film holds up extremely well. If you're judging how well it holds up from this clip, then you're not judging it "correctly." And even if its not "scary" to some people anymore, I don't think anyone can deny that its extremely well made/entertaining.
+akiuop123 I agree, but I do suggest you watch some exceptions like the babadook, 1408, and so on.
Modern Rorshach
Yeah, I know there are exceptions. And thanks for suggesting those ones. I've been told before that those are both pretty good. Despite what IMDb might say!