With Halloween just around the corner, I thought that I would write about another unappreciated film, TheThing.
The Thing was releases in 1982, starred Kurt Russel and was directed by John Carpenter.
The film was initially disliked by critics and movie fans alike, but over time has garnered a strong following.
The general consensus of the film's box office disappointment was due to the idea that it followed a tiny film called E.T. The Extraterrestrial.
Since most movie goers fell in love with Spielberg's gentle and friendly ET, they just couldn't get behind an evil alien.
In my opinion, most critics and movie goers just didn't catch on to The Thing's underlying theme of Paranoia and the film was initially seen as a simple Sci-fi horror movie.
To me, these are the reasons why The Thing is so scary. First, we have a crew that cannot simply pick up and leave because they are trapped in Antarctica. Second, there is an alien that can transform itself and clone any one of the crew which casts mistrust and panic on the team. Third, none of the team come across as the hero type. In fact, the men are scared and confused as to what is going on which I think, adds a sense terrifying realism. And lastly, for its time, the special effects on The Thing are simply frightening.
So if you're tired of watching the same old horror flicks this Halloween, look no further than The Thing.