So what did you guys think of Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.’s THE THING? Personally I had fun with it, but to be fair I wasn’t expecting a whole lot. One thing that seemed to irk a lot of people was the use of CGI in the film. Was it really that bad?
Regardless, it seems we could’ve been treated to some very vicious practical effects instead. But alas it wasn’t meant to be. What am I getting at? Check it:
The guys over at Make-Up Magazine got the scoop on special effects artist Vincent Guastini and how he was supposed to be on THE THING team. Guastini was hired back in 2004 by SyFy, when the channel was gearing up to produce an episodic version of The Thing, and later, a made-for-TV feature version penned by Frank Darabont. Ultimately Darabont wasn’t feeling Guastini’s take. But then when the project switched over to Strike Entertainment and producer Eric Newman. Guastini pounced on the opportunity to score a meeting with Newman and designed some new models.
Inspired by John W. Campbell’s story WHO GOES THERE? Guastini said he designed the alien as “a more tangible, cohesive being. I wanted to show what the creature looked like in its purest form, a chance to glimpse these beings as a race before they took the shape of those they assimilated. Eric [Newman] loved the concepts and mentioned that if I was hired for the show, they would love to keep the effects like they were designed in the ’80s and made by Rob Bottin.”
In the end Guastini’s designs weren’t used in the film but thanks to Make-Up Magazine we can now check them out regardless! I’ve tossed up a couple shots up above and below but you’ll want to click through on either one to see more over at Make-Up Magazine!
THE THING star Mary Elizabeth Winstead
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