The Thing

[Invincible]

I heard this is a really scary horror movie, disgusting in particular. But I really wanna see it!

Anything positive you guys have to say before I rent it?

P.S. Kurt Russel is badass :cool:

[Requiem-for-a-Dream]

The Thing- 10+ ***Top 5 Horror Films Of All Time***

Genre: Horror/Sci-fi

Year: 1982

Rating: US R/ Can 18A for Extreme/Bizarre Horror Violence and Gore and Terror.

Director: John Carpenter

Cast:

Kurt Russell

Plot:

A group of workers up in the Arctic come face to face with an evil, shapeshifting alien.

My Thoughts:

This is a true masterpeice of the genre. It's almost impossible to beat this flick in terms of sheer terror, gore and atmosphere.

John Carpenter has made his fair share of gems but this is his greatest work, with Halloween in a close second. His vision is impeccable, the extremely cold Arctic weather is shown in vivid detail and I feel cold ever time I watch it. The combination of the right actors, effects, atmosphere, direction, lighting and everything else make this a must see for anyone that's into either horror or sci-fi.

The effects are some of the nastiest and qualitative I've ever seen. The gore sequences are handled with such pizzaz that you forget that it's all fake. Even the stop-motion effects are top notch and add an authentic feel to the already wonderful horror opus.

If you haven't seen The Thing, you owe it to yourself to buy it or rent it or...just fucking see it ok?

Acting- 10/10

Kurt is the man! His very human approach to this role takes this flick to an even higher level. The rest of the cast is excellent and are never poor in any way.

Directing- 10/10

John my man, you truly are an artistic genius! Every shot is perfect, every sequence important and there's not a fault in the whole film.

Gore- 10+ ***Gore Hall Of Fame***

Nonstop gore from the start to the end. We get an eye shot out, a corpse that's been shredded, a gory mess of an alien, a tranformation sequence that has an animal's head split in four (you read that right) and all sorts of gory holes opening up in the creature and more gory transformation stuff, dogs are shot and decapitated, ripped off arms, a head rips itself off of the body it's attached to, a head splits in two vertically, a couple of extremely gory autopsies and tons more!

Nudity- 0/10

AxeHorror©=Copyright

Matt

[KcMsterpce]

A lot of schmoes have high opinions of this movie. Myself included.
The violence is over-the-top and highly imaginative. It's great to see high quality monsters without the CG FX... leave it up to Rob Bottin and John Carpenter to make THIS viewer happy!

As for the fright factor... yes, this movie is freaky. As is usually the case with Carpenter, the quiet score is a wonderful accompaniment to the isolated setting.

Kurt Russel kicks major ass. So does everyone else for that matter; but they don't get to look awesome with a flare lighting up your frosted beard in a doorway!

The cinematography is outstanding. Well, I could go on, but I won't. It's one of my all-time favorite horror movies.

"You gotta be fucking kidding..."

[TheDeadWalk]

It's got the great tension and acting between a bunch of male characters in an almost claustrophobic atmosphere. It's got the "stuck" feeling that you get from watching films like Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Maximum Overdrive for example, with also a touch of a "whodunit" mystery to it.

Great film.

[Invincible]

Originally posted by Requiem-for-a-Dream
a head rips itself off of the body it's attached to

Yeah speaking of that, thats what really got me interested in seeing this flick. That clip was shown on 'TCM' the show was called 'Masters of Horror' and I've wanted to see that show again ever since!

[KcMsterpce]

Dude, Requiem please be careful about spoilers, buddy! Some of the great gore you included in the review ruins a lot of the element of surprise for a first-time viewer!
:(

[Xipe Totec]

Yeah, It really can ruin it, but th.....
(SPOILERS)

chest opening sequence was so freaking..BOOOO, that it made me jump even the 10th time I saw it

(SPOILERS END)

I too have really positive emotions towards this flick, it was one of those films that didn`t let me go to sleep when I was a kid.
I`d just want to see one horror schmoe on this board that has anything really negative to say about it.....

[pyscho dude]

4/4 Carpenter's best work. This movie delivers it all: great acting, great directing, great script, great score, great fx. If you haven't seen it by now then get offline and go rent it.

[Dandridge]

Should any other schmoe not seen this movie I think they are sold on it now. The movie is great from start to finish. 1951's The Thing (From Another World) is a great view too. It doesn't have the gore factor but is full of suspense.

[Jewbo]

maybe a little long but thats bout the only bad thing i can say about the film. its got sum great effects and none of that shite CGI crap. the dvd is amazing too.

[Requiem-for-a-Dream]

Originally posted by KcMsterpce
Dude, Requiem please be careful about spoilers, buddy! Some of the great gore you included in the review ruins a lot of the element of surprise for a first-time viewer!
:(

I report the gore as seen and never mention any names of people who die or circumstances around it. Gore itself is a spoiler just like if I were to say in Jeepers Creepers, hollowed out corpse. Everyone would yell, spoiler! But, unless you've seen the movie you don't really know what the hell I'm talking about, could be anything, could happen at any time. Since you guys are a bit pissed about me revealing the gore in this movie, I'll edit my post, even though these are reviews from my site.

Matt

[ERIN_LoJ]

SUPREME film-making, one of the best flicks of all time. I recommend for all horror fans. Not just for gore - but mainly atmosphere, intelligence, supsense, mystery, acting -- the best of moviemaking all in one picture!

[TheAxeGrinder]

Probably one of the most underrated movies ever, John Carpenter's remake is one for the ages. Great atmosphere, great actors, great effects, great everything! If I were you, and I already didn't have a copy of The Thing: CE on DVD, I'd go out and get one NOW. Trust me, you won't regret it.

[Pumpkinhead]

Brilliant movie. One of my favourites, if not my favourite horror flick ever. Extremely well-liked around these parts (just look at the replies in this thread). This is one of those films that I just can't see people disliking. It's simply amazing.

Everything about this film is top notch. It's extremely scary, extremely engrossing, and extremely original. It easily contains the best effects I have ever seen put on film. The cast is way above average. Kurt Russell, Keith David and Wilford Brimley all contribute especially memorable performances. The blood test scene is one of my favourite scenes from any movie.

Basically, I can't praise this film enough. It's perfection. I am dumbfounded (and pissed off) that it received such a poor reception upon its initial release. See it as soon as possible.

[the night watchman]

My favorite Carpenter flick, and one of my all-time favorite horror movies. "The Thing" retains the ability to give me the willies even after eleven years. Rob Bottin and Stan Winston's special effects are unsurpassed, and we mustn't forget the wonderfully unearthly sound effects, which were at least half as important as the effects themselves. The characterization is tip top; each guy is well-defined and, even if they are not the most likable bunch, their terror and paranoia of the situation they find themselves in is palpable.

Next to Palmer's classic utterance, my favorite line comes from Garry:

"I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of this winter tied to this fucking couch!"

[Invincible]

Originally posted by Jewbo
maybe a little long

How long?

P.S. Schmoes, I might be renting The Thing tomorrow!!

[Invincible]

Originally posted by the night watchman
Rob Bottin and Stan Winston's special effects are unsurpassed

STAN WINSTON?!? that's all I need to frickin' hear to get myself off the comp and go rent his movies!

He is my favorite Creature Designer! that's it I'm so renting this tomorrow!!!

I just pray they have a DVD version of it at 'Movie Gallery'

[the night watchman]

Originally posted by Invincible
[B]STAN WINSTON?!? that's all I need to frickin' hear to get myself off the comp and go rent his movies!

He is my favorite Creature Designer!

The "kennel thing" (you'll know when you watch it) is Winston's effects. The rest, as far as I know, are Bottin's. All the effects mesh together, and there's no sense that these creations are the work of one designer or the other.

[the night watchman]

Oops. And James Belohovek does some brief stop-motion (more of which you can catch in the extras).

[Xipe Totec]

Originally posted by Invincible
How long?

P.S. Schmoes, I might be renting The Thing tomorrow!!

I wouldn`t call it long, it could seem a little slow to todays demanding (cough)stupid(cough) teens, but it`s exactly the way I like it. The build up, the tention. Yet, I would not watch it when I am a little sleepy.

The PROS of this movie in my eyes:

*Inventive story,
*GREAT music (I only needed to make that dum-dum sound a few years back to seriously scare my sister, and actually myself a little bit too.
*Scary
*Atmosphere
*Funny (the head on the spiderlegs)
*Special effects
*Acting
*Intense

[the night watchman]

Do some people actually think this movie is slow? Well, whatever. After watching Bad Boys II I guess any movie that doesn't supply an explosion every ten minutes, a one-liner every five, and a jump cut every ten seconds would seem slow to anybody raised on this stuff.

[quoth_the_raven]

Invincible, go get it now. it is one of the greatest horror movies ever made, my joint favourite in fact. go get it....NOW!

[TheAxeGrinder]

As I said before, this movie got slaughtered (no pun intended) as the box office. Considering the movie hit theatres during the E.T. craze, no wonder it went to the 'chopping block' so fast. To add insult to injury, most critics slammed it for it's graphic violence, including Jabba The Hut (AKA Roger Ebert). One critic went so far as to call Carpenter a 'pornographer of violence'. Tough love, eh?

[KcMsterpce]

Originally posted by TheAxeGrinder
..One critic went so far as to call Carpenter a 'pornographer of violence'. Tough love, eh?

So he tried to make up for his violent antics with the release of Starman, that PG rated alien movie that has little violence, a lot of heart and was more of an influence to me as a kid than E.T. ever was.

But it's still nowhere near as good as The Thing.

[Invincible]

GREAT NEWS! I'm renting it tonight! I'll post my thoughts on it when I'm done watching it! thank you all for your inputs on the movie, it really hyped me up even more!!! http://216.40.249.192/s/otn/holiday/madnoel.gif

[Invincible]

I saw it!

and I gotta say, John Carpenter knows how to create some seriousely fucked up horror! Of course the credit is due to Robert Bottin. The Thing was very creepy. It had nice characters and a solid plot. I found many of those SFX really disgusting. Especially in the beginning, dog's head split, and then it began to mutate and all those little shits coming out of the dog's skin...brrr, creepy!!!

Kurt Russel stood out really good in this film. I really dug him, he's a really good actor. Others did their duty as well.

The chest opening creeped me out! no music, and hten suddenly 'crack!' some gross shit goin' on. Another time where I fucking jumped was when MacReady tests everyone's blood and then he says that he'll test that one's dude blood last and then that shite pops out of the blood right away. Geez, that was scary, the intensity and the suspense..you can feel it when everyone is going nuts shouting to tie them loose. When the dude whose head gets chewed is burned, now that felt real, cause of they way he couldnt even yell, that added that creepiness effect. Nonetheless it was a cool flick, definitely something every horror fan should see.

7/10

[Jason13thh]

I own the DVD edition and it is really a great movie and a great DVD,too.
Rob Bottin looks really cool !!

[pyscho dude]

Yeah the DVD is excellent. The dvd is packed full of extras. Any fan should own this.

[the night watchman]

I love the commentary by Carpenter and Russell on the DVD. The shoot sounds like it was a blast.

[Requiem-for-a-Dream]

Originally posted by Invincible
I saw it!

and I gotta say, John Carpenter knows how to create some seriousely fucked up horror! Of course the credit is due to Robert Bottin. The Thing was very creepy. It had nice characters and a solid plot. I found many of those SFX really disgusting. Especially in the beginning, dog's head split, and then it began to mutate and all those little shits coming out of the dog's skin...brrr, creepy!!!

Kurt Russel stood out really good in this film. I really dug him, he's a really good actor. Others did their duty as well.

The chest opening creeped me out! no music, and hten suddenly 'crack!' some gross shit goin' on. Another time where I fucking jumped was when MacReady tests everyone's blood and then he says that he'll test that one's dude blood last and then that shite pops out of the blood right away. Geez, that was scary, the intensity and the suspense..you can feel it when everyone is going nuts shouting to tie them loose. When the dude whose head gets chewed is burned, now that felt real, cause of they way he couldnt even yell, that added that creepiness effect. Nonetheless it was a cool flick, definitely something every horror fan should see.

7/10

Only a 7/10 rating? Wow, you really make it sound like a masterpiece but then give a 7/10. Oh well, glad you liked it anyway.

Matt

[Invincible]

Originally posted by Requiem-for-a-Dream
Only a 7/10 rating? Wow, you really make it sound like a masterpiece but then give a 7/10. Oh well, glad you liked it anyway.

Matt

Yeah I did like it, I made it sound like a masterpiece..heh, thats cuz I liked how realistic it was

7/10 because some scenes got really boring, there was no action for a long time. Now I know why people said it was 'long' It sure felt like it.

It's a good movie, just...could've been better if there was a bit more of 'the thing'

I might give it a higher grade when I watch it again.

[Xipe Totec]

To each their own, I think it was the best how it was. More action or the thing would`ve probably ruined it.Most likely on the atmosphere level.

[TheAxeGrinder]

Originally posted by Invincible
Yeah I did like it, I made it sound like a masterpiece..heh, thats cuz I liked how realistic it was

7/10 because some scenes got really boring, there was no action for a long time. Now I know why people said it was 'long' It sure felt like it.

It's a good movie, just...could've been better if there was a bit more of 'the thing'

I might give it a higher grade when I watch it again.

Keep in mind that the movie was made during before the MTV era, so the pacing isn't as fast as some people would like it. Come on, give it a perfect 10. Evil Dead had a slower pace than this movie, so why knock The Thing? If you don't want to sit through a slow start, go rent something up to speed. As for seeing more of the alien, keep in mind that Carpenter didn't want to make this movie revolve around the monster. Plus, budget and technological limitations have to be taken into consideration. If you want more info, get the Special Edition DVD. That has all the info you'll ever need on The Thing. Also, check out Outpost #31 (http://www.outpost31.com/index2.html), which is THE best resource on the net for The Thing, and even points out errors in the DVD information!

[Xipe Totec]

I`d like to visit that site myself, but the link leads to nowhere.

[Invincible]

Originally posted by TheAxeGrinder
Keep in mind that the movie was made during before the MTV era, so the pacing isn't as fast as some people would like it. Come on, give it a perfect 10. Evil Dead had a slower pace than this movie, so why knock The Thing? If you don't want to sit through a slow start, go rent something up to speed. As for seeing more of the alien, keep in mind that Carpenter didn't want to make this movie revolve around the monster. Plus, budget and technological limitations have to be taken into consideration. If you want more info, get the Special Edition DVD. That has all the info you'll ever need on The Thing. Also, check out Outpost #31 (http://www.outpost31.com/index2.html), which is THE best resource on the net for The Thing, and even points out errors in the DVD information!

Well I might have given it a low grade cuz I saw it once, I'll see it once more tonight...and then consider a higher rating is possible.

[Tom Samborski]

I thought it was a great cult horror flick. The anamatronics on the alien heads were excellent, Kurt Russell and the others gave great performances. The ending was quite underwhelming, and left open a lot of questions, but I guess it was supposed to. 8/10

[Xipe Totec]

I think the ending was kick-ass.

[TheAxeGrinder]

*SPOILERS*
Originally, I think that the short story just had Mac at the bar after the explosion getting a bottle of booze, when someone places their hand on his shoulder. Mac turns around, about to scream. It was Childs.

[the night watchman]

Originally posted by TheAxeGrinder
*SPOILERS*
Originally, I think that the short story just had Mac at the bar after the explosion getting a bottle of booze, when someone places their hand on his shoulder. Mac turns around, about to scream. It was Childs.

What short story are you talking about?

[Draven2277]

"The Thing" is one of the finest horror movies ever made. One of the finest movies directed by one of the finest directors, Mr. John Carpenter.

Carpenter was born to direct this movie. This movie had it all...scares, tons of gore, atmosphere, intelligent script, great acting (Kurt Russell and Keith David are at the top of their game), and to top it all off....this is one scary flick. And Rob Bottin nearly steals the show, for he creates some of the most gruesome and gory effects ever to grace the horror screen.

This is one of the best horror movies ever made, and one of my personal favorites ever. I am a HUGE Carpenter fan, and i think this is his best movie. If you like horror and haven't seen this masterpiece, you are missing out.