Every once in a while I'll make a post discussing an older classic film that's a favorite of mine. Your homework this weekend is to watch and appreciate this film by any means necessary. To make it easier on you, I'll try to always be sure the film is readily available for viewing online by certain movie streaming websites I won't mention here since they aren't sponsors. You get the drift.
From the mid-70's through the early 80's, John Carpenter had possibly one of the meanest hot streaks in film history. Beginning with his fiery 1976 debut Assault On Precinct 13 and ending with the goofy 1986 Big Trouble In Little China (I may somewhat extend it to 1988's They Live but it really depends on the day and the direction of the wind), Carpenter did what few filmmakers ever accomplish - release a string of original groudbreaking work that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.
Right smack dab in the middle of that hot streak was 1982's The Thing starring Kurt Russell - Carpenter's sci-fi/horror masterpiece about paranoia, aliens and lots and lots of sick body effects. Forget the supposed prequel that was just released in theatres - I already have. I had no interest in seeing it especially after I saw the terrible reviews. Talk about an unnecessary film but I guess you could say that about plenty of movies these days.
John Carpenter's The Thing takes place at an American research facility in the frozen Antarctic wasteland. An Alaskan malamute is being chased and fired at by a helicopter for some unexplained reason. Shot after shot is fired at the dog but the gunman isn't well-trained in gunmanship apparently. One thing's for sure: he wants that dog dead. The helicopter lands near the Americans in an attempt to take the animal out on foot. The Americans - a rough, ragtag bunch headed by Kurt Russell's swaggery pilot R.J. MacReady - notice the unexpected visit and immediately call for the gunman to lay down his weapon. But the man refuses, shouting back at them in Norwegian. When the Norwegian man's attempt to lob a live grenade backfires and destroys his helicopter (killing the pilot as well), he continues after the dog, firing off his gun. After repeated warnings, he is shot himself by the station's commander.
The Americans, confused and one of them wounded, wonder why the man would want to kill the dog and bring the animal into the base, not knowing it carries a deadly secret within its own flesh and blood. So begins the action of The Thing. That deadly secret is an alien virus that kills and copies other life forms, taking on their appearance so flawlessly you wouldn't know it wasn't them. It isn't long before the alien begins to copy the Americans one by one. Unfortunately, the humans figure this out too late and are forced to turn on each other, fearing any one of them could be "one of Them."
Paranoia is a running theme of the film. In one pivotal scene, Kurt Russell's character is forced to tie his teammates up so that he can test their blood and make sure they're clean. And just a few hours ago, they were all buddies. How quickly they turn on each other is almost as frightening as the monster itself. Indeed, Carpenter's films always had something to say about human behavior and its dark side. It's a shame that his most recent films (what few there are) do not have as much impact. But I guess age might be a factor in that.
The more paranoid these characters get, so do the audience. The claustrophic setting of a research base in the middle of the Arctic only adds to the feeling of isolation and fear Carpenter wants to impose on his audience. And on top of that is Ennio Morricone's synth score - a minimalist work that perfectly encapsulates that building sense of dread for these men.
Your homework this weekend is to watch this terrifying film, and if you have time, why not check out other Carpenter films from around this time? I recommend Assault on Precinct 13, Halloween, Escape From New York (its sequel Escape From LA is certainly not as strong, but a guilty pleasure to watch anyway), The Fog, Big Trouble In Little China, and They Live. You will not be disappointed.
Kyle Waldrup is a contributing writer for Groove Sandwich. Follow him on Twitter here.
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Kyle: Carpenter's version of THE THING is worth seeing, tho it's kinda gross. But you didn't mention PRINCE OF DARKNESS, which is probably my favorite Carpenter movie, right up there with the hilarious BIG TROUBLE. True, PRINCE sorta degenerates into mush during the last half, but there's some great ominous atmosphere, wild cosmic concepts, great sequences (the whole breaking-the-big-mirror thing near the end), pretty good acting, & the synthesizer music's pretty chilling. & Alice Cooper does a cameo! I've always liked it, even tho it turns into a slash-'em-up comedy. Pretty spooky....
Posted by: TAD | 11/04/2011 at 02:36 PM
I've always wanted to compose my own soundtrack to The Thing. Maybe I will when I don't have EVERYTHING on my plate.
Posted by: Jeff Higgins | 11/05/2011 at 07:37 AM