The Thing

I don't like horror as a genre, but survival horrors are an honorable exception. And The Thing is almost a perfect representative, apart from the repulsive "gore" scenes, it contains something much more effective – a game with the psychology of the viewer. The principle of placing a group of characters in an isolated place (in this case, the white plains of Antarctica), making it impossible to escape (in this case, a massive storm) and exposing them to an enemy that can hide inside any of them is proven, but nowhere does it work as perfectly as in The Thing. The minimalist screenplay draws attention to the raw atmosphere, the replicas of the characters are more so purposeful, everything important can be seen and, above all, FELT. Something almost physically palpable comes out of The Thing - fear is not felt by artificial props, but by real experience. When the Thing appears, there is almost relief... Real fear is ignorance, insecurity. In short, this is how I imagine the perfect horror about surviving in extreme conditions. And the atmosphere of the polar base is so unique that The Thing probably won't be improved upon any time soon. (2004-01-27)

I'll admit this one got me. As always, great atmosphere (I managed to nibble on the Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film while watching it), decent Morricone music, a pretty good Kurt Russell, really good visual effects for its time and above all a brilliant ending. I love this movie! (2002-10-14)

This is my idea of a quality horror film. Carpenter created an extremely intense atmosphere. The script works like Swiss clockwork from the first moment until the end credits. I first saw The Thing as a school kid on a second-hand VHS tape. The quality of the sound and image corresponded to a copy of an eleventh copy of the tape, but it lost none of its power. I have seen it many times since, and it’s a powerful experience for me every single time. One of my favorite scenes is definitely the testing of blood with a hot wire. My review in three words: cult, classic, awesome. (2016-07-16)

The story is about a group of American scientists at a research station in Antarctica fighting against an extraterrestrial creature that can take human form. The film’s biggest strength is its superb atmosphere, which relies on the ubiquitous tension and mistrust among the main characters, and it’s amplified by the endless ice plains. But the “beautiful” creature effects are not very far behind and even the orthodox fans of bloody horror will get their fill. The Thing is hands down one of John Carpenter’s best films. (2007-08-29)

Perhaps I’m overly sensitive to the genetic transformations of people in movies, but the first time I saw The Thing, when I was an eighth grader at elementary school, I couldn’t sleep all night and was sweating like I had a fever. It was a terrifying experience. I vowed to never watch another horror movie. However, that intense experience was also the reason that horror later became my favorite genre. The Thing has a unique atmosphere of isolation and despair, which is perfectly supported by Morricone’s gloomy music, timeless special effects and a wonderfully dark, pessimistic ending. It’s a precisely paced horror movie that gradually tightens the noose around your neck and it’s an existential downer almost from the start to finish, with some of the most terrifying horror scenes ever. (2002-06-04)