March Double Bill: The Thing

[Foxbat]

Please put your thoughts/deliberations/paranoia here

[Leto]

This film is one of the rare case where I prefer the clone to the original (made in 1951 by Christian Niby). Not that the first one wasn't a good movie, it was. But this one is made by my favorite director, has Kurt Russel when he was still sexy and scares the hell out of me. And on a plus side, no "happy-end" ala Hollywood.

One of my favorite scenes is at the beginning : the one in the kennel when the Thing attack the dogs. I still wonder how did they do such realistic FX.

[Winters_Sorrow]

the bit where the doc operates and loses his hands!

still scares me now - even when I know it's coming!

really good film with a 'believeable' reaction from the characters to the situation.......you almost believe they'll make it out alive..

[Tsujigiri]

I have always enjoyed this film, it has strong a Lovecraft theme to it, a deserted and inhospitable place, isolation, paranoi and an unnameable 'Thing'.

The build up of tension could have been done better, but once established is quite excellent, Never knowing who may have been infected by the parasite keeps the characters guessing and bouncing off each other nicely.

I see strong parallels between this film and Lovecrafts book 'At the Mountains of Madness' although 'The Thing' has a far less intricate and evolved storyline.

[Foxbat]

This movie is much closer to the original story (Who Goes There? by John Campbell) than the 50s version. It's probably down to the fact that special effects were just not up to making a film like this way back then. In saying that, the 50's Thing From Another World is still a fine film and worth checking out

Personally, I think this is one of Carpenter's best (if not the best) and his build up of paranoia even outshines the excellent visuals which still look good today. Russel is very good in this film - but has the luxury of a fine supporting cast which always makes it easier for an actor to shine.

As for Lovecraft connotations, I'd agree with that - but it's probably more likely that old HP influenced the story more than the movie (the Lovecraftian overtures being a carry-over from Campbell's original text)

All in all, one of my favourites and a film well worth revisiting

[Leto]

Casting alchemy is one of the strength in most Carpenter's movies. (But the Best is Prince of Darkness IMO

[rune]

I remember watching this with my Mam and she was grossed out by the movie (she remembered the first one with affection)

Personally I really like this movie. Some of the scenes with the alien are kinda awful and I think that's why I like it so much. The head that grows spider type legs really sticks with me, that did feel creepy.

[ravenus]

I haven't seen this movie but...apart from the fact that it deals with people in an isolated environment, is Lovecraft really a significant ifnfluence. I ask because the concept of the parasite creature does not seem Lovecraftian to me. Lovecraft's 'things' are generally gargantuan mind-shatteringly powerful entities with whose very breath mortal civilizations would rise and perish.

I've seen the older movie though...unassuming B-pic, moderately amusing if obtained cheap.

[Tsujigiri]

A lot of Lovecrafts entities were simpler that such beings as Cthulhu or Nyarlathotep. The Haunter of the Dark was a fairly simple if powerful creature.

However I wasn't suggesting that the script or screenplay was Lovecraftian entirely, but simply that there are parallels there.

[Leto]

Checking for more detail on Lovecraft and John Carpenter's work : http://www.geocities.com/j_nada/carp...liveretro.html Although IMO the Lovecraft influence is much more important in the second movie mentionned The Mouth of the Madness.

[ravenus]

Oha, Madness was basically Carpenter's attempt to do a Lovecraftian story (even the title has its roots in At the Mountains of Madness). It was not all even but an interesting attempt all the same and from what I've heard more in the Lovecraft spirit than other so-called adaptations of HPL works.

[stencyl]

I'm not a huge horror fan, but I really enjoyed this film, especially in relation to the story, "who Goes There?" One of the things that struck me was the way that Carpenter dealt with an interesting aspect of character found in the story. Most of the guys in the story are described in terms of metal--McReady is "bronze", while others are iron, steel, etc. They are literally "men of steel" of sorts that the thing (described in terms of it's liquid, soft, mallablility) destroys them pretty easily.

While Carpenter didn't have the ability to describe his characters in these terms, I was struck by the tough-guy nature of them all. The only womem that "appear" in the film are comptur with a female voice who beats McReady in chess (he calls the computer a "bitch" and pours his drink on it) and a few images posing on posters in the background (which I think are old army posters warning of the dangers of sex, if I am not mistaken). These guys weild guns, and Carpenter even takes advantage of the cowboy image in one scene where they are all standing around a table and the carmera pans across their waists revealing a holster and gun slung across a few.

One nice thing about this genre is that it can resist the Hollywood idea that everything will turn out okay in the end, and Capenter's ending does just that. He basically dismantles all the tough guy images with some great gore scenes and pacing that kept me interested. In the end, the cowboy-tough guy does not win, and thus I think that the film works to dimantle some of the more mainstream images of masculinity.

[Foxbat]

One nice thing about this genre is that it can resist the Hollywood idea that everything will turn out okay in the end, and Capenter's ending does just that. He basically dismantles all the tough guy images with some great gore scenes and pacing that kept me interested. In the end, the cowboy-tough guy does not win, and thus I think that the film works to dimantle some of the more mainstream images of masculinity.

Interesting comment. Carpenter is (more or less) quite independant when it comes to making films and not as restricted as some of his contemporaries by the demands of Hollywood. It makes me wonder what another director would have done with this.

[Tsujigiri]

Just think...if Tarantino had done this....then we would have to lynch him....

[Leto]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Interesting comment. Carpenter is (more or less) quite independant when it comes to making films and not as restricted as some of his contemporaries by the demands of Hollywood. It makes me wonder what another director would have done with this.

BTW, someone have seen the recent remake of Assault on Precinct 13 with Laurence Fishburne and Ethan Hawke ?