Editorial Review:Amazon.com:Howard Hawks's original 1951 production of
The Thing from Another World can be glimpsed playing on a TV that fateful October evening in John Carpenter's blockbuster hit,
Halloween (1978). A few years later, Carpenter reteamed with his
Escape from New York star Kurt Russell to do a remake. But while the first movie version of
The Thing was in atmospheric black and white, Carpenter's 1982 version is in widescreen, full color, and features some of the most revoltingly explicit, surreally imaginative special effects (courtesy of FX-meister Rob Bottin) that have ever been seen on the screen. Researchers in the remote Antarctic dig up the remains of a spacecraft that has long been frozen in the ice. But the alien life unthaws and infects the living (not only humans but sled dogs too), living and gestating inside them. (This horrific concept was also explored in the two versions of
Invasion of the Body Snatchers and the
Alien movies.) This
Thing is chilling in every sense of the word, with plenty of terrifying, adrenaline-pumping moments that build it to a powerful and shockingly nihilistic conclusion. It's a harsh and uncompromising movie (hewing more closely to the original 1930s story 'Who Goes There?')--so much so that it probably never would have been given a green-light by any studio in the more cautious and doggedly upbeat 1990s.
--Jim Emerson
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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still scary
I was seven years old and forbidden to watch this movie. My parents went out and I watched it with the babysitter. Couldnt sleep for weeks and it remains one of only two movies ever to truly scare me. The other was a vincent price horror that I also wasnt supposed to watch. Its was so weird seeing it again 25 years later and I can see why a seven year old would be terrified.
Rating: 
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It's a GOOD THING. It has some good suspense. Worth watching once.
I was impressed and pretty scared when I first watched it on VHS a long time ago. However when I watched it again a couple of years ago, I found it not as good as Aliens 2. It still have some good suspenseful moments. The special effects are not as good as those of Aliens 2.
It's definitely worth watching once.
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The Thing
You never know who or what The Thing is! This movie is extremely creepy! Youve got to watch this with someone! A young Kurt Russell plays a very brave guy trying to help everyone. The Thing is too fast though and keeps taking control over things! Watch this terrifying tale!
Rating: -
Paranoia and Gore - On Ice!
More exiting than the vague title would suggest, J. Carpenter's infamous gore-fest is a finely crafted thriller featuring some of the most bizarre make-up effects ever captured on celluloid.
Situated in a remote arctic research facility, the film follows Kurt Russel and his colleagues as they battle against an extraterrestrial horror they inadvertently unearthed from a glacier.
This 'thing', whatever it is, can take any shape it wants, leading to frequently bloody creature transformations. As the movie progresses the creatures get weirder and more grotesque, an impressive feat considering that it was accomplished without any computer special effects.
The relative lack of cheesy dialogue and complete absence of female nudity (or females altogether) are notable departures from the standard format of the genre. This gives the film more time to explore the evolution of suspicion and paranoia between the researchers, as well as the desperate acts of self-preservation that ultimately result.
An excellent film with very few weak moments. A worthy 'collectors' edition with tons of extras including an 80 minute making of movie, commentary, deleted scenes and more! Highly Recommended.
Rating: 
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Thing
Movie scared me to death as a child. now kind of cheesy but still cool. the scene where they are all tied up together on chairs and one of them turns out to be the thing....way scary. I would have the same reaction they did, like, Oh,#$%@!!!!! in hd the quality is good. not much for bonus features. still highly enjoyable.