John Carpenter's The Thing...The Perfect Horror Movie?

[R3P0]

And just in case its brought up I mean the John Carpenter Halloween not the zombie one

[Astro Zombie]

Originally Posted by R3P0

And just in case its brought up I mean the John Carpenter Halloween not the zombie one

Oh, then I take my thumbs up back

[Show spoiler]

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by R3P0

And just in case its brought up I mean the John Carpenter Halloween not the zombie one

I take it for granted that when someone refers to a remake, they'll mention that. Especially one that is vastly inferior and has slipped from most people's memory.

As to a perfect horror film, it simply does need female characters. I think it's an instinctive thing, but I automatically feel more scared for female characters than for male characters when they are in peril.

[alvarez468]

The only reason I ever saw this movie was back on the ps2 there was a game called the thing and I loved playing it. I just never knew there was a movie until I found it online sometime later. The game wasn't the greatest but I enjoyed it and I love the movie even more.

The thing is one of my favorite horror films.

Sorry I rambled for too long LOL.

[Josh B]

Originally Posted by alvarez468

The only reason I ever saw this movie was back on the ps2 there was a game called the thing and I loved playing it. I just never knew there was a movie until I found it online sometime later. The game wasn't the greatest but I enjoyed it and I love the movie even more.

The thing is one of my favorite horror films.

Sorry I rambled for too long LOL.

I forgot about that game, never did get around to playing it.

[Blu Myers]

Originally Posted by R3P0

Sorry man Id have to say Halloween or the Original Nightmare is the perfect horror film.

You don't have to apologize because I agree with you. Halloween is my all time favorite film. I thought my avatar would have given that away.

[alvarez468]

Originally Posted by Josh B

I forgot about that game, never did get around to playing it.

carpenter says its canon and you find out what happens to macready and Chiles. Good stuff if you wanna know more about the story.

[Josh B]

Originally Posted by alvarez468

carpenter says its canon and you find out what happens to macready and Chiles. Good stuff if you wanna know more about the story.

I'll watch some gameplay on youtube, if it looks interesting enough I may have to break out the PS2.

[Gamma_Winstead]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

I take it for granted that when someone refers to a remake, they'll mention that. Especially one that is vastly inferior and has slipped from most people's memory.

I have never had a worse movie theater experience than that of Rob Zombies Halloween 2. It and College are among the two worst films I saw in the theater. I asked for my money back ten minutes in and they told me no. I spent the two hours walking in and out of the movie. As a broke high schooler, 12 bucks was a LOT of money, and I couldn't stand to part with it , so I watched as much as I could.

HATE that film.

[Mr.Twinks]

One of my favorite horror movies is The Thing (1982)! If anyone remembers when this movie came out it was lambasted by the critics then and it was the same year E.T. came out (alien movies on opposite ends of the spectrum). Now though most critics holds this movie up as a modern classic. I watch this film when we get our first snow and it makes it that much better.

[navydavey]

My absolute favourite movie - The thing is a masterpiece, I never tire of seeing it and I would happily discuss the ending for the rest of my life.
For the record I'm open to all theories and I don't consider the prequel movie when discussing the originals ending, the original is a stand alone film in my eyes.

[Mr.Twinks]

Originally Posted by navydavey

My absolute favourite movie - The thing is a masterpiece, I never tire of seeing it and I would happily discuss the ending for the rest of my life.
For the record I'm open to all theories and I don't consider the prequel movie when discussing the originals ending, the original is a stand alone film in my eyes.

The 2011 Thing is ok for a horror movie but a lackluster follow up to the 1982 classic. IMHO, Rob Bottins effects work in the 82' version looks better than the newer film. I am biased though because I love Rob Bottin effect/John Carpenter movies.

[sukraj]

I love the thing its one of my all time fav movies.

[DenOfEarth]

Originally Posted by AKORIS

isn't it amazing that this film has so much love now?

when it was released it was a financial and critical failure! I remember hearing at the time how audiences "didn't want to see the other side of E.T." in the summer of '82....

I think Leonard Maltin still gives it 1.5 stars in his movie guide!!

Mick Martin and Marsha Porter of Video and DVD guide gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

I saw this at age 4 on video and thought it was scary as hell then at age 13 i re-rented it and loved it, it became one of my all time favorites. It was also one of the first DVDs i bought and one of the first blu-rays i bought. The effects are amazing and so is the paranoia, i think it's Carpenter's masterpiece with Halloween.

This movie is barely a "remake" of the earlier film, it's soooooo different than the "original" film and labeled foolishly as a "remake" as The thing from Another World and The Thing are hardly anything alike, i don't consider it a remake.

I mean okay there were a few homages to the earlier film like circle of men and the opening title card sequence but those are it as everything is sooo different like the location (one in the north pole and the other the south), the discovery/origin of the spaceship, discovery of the alien, the nature and methods of the alien, the characters and their backgrounds etc.

I consider Hawks and Carpenter's films to be 2 completely separate and independent adaptations of the same original source material which is an excellent novella called "Who Goes There" by John Campbell written in 1938. In 1951, Howard Hawks and Christian Nyby made a film called The Thing From Another World which was the first adaptation of the story yet despite being a good film on it's own but in reality it's truly nothing like the original story and it IGNORED it as the alien was not the shapeshifting creature from the book but rather replaced with a goofy Frankenstein vampire vegetable humanoid that didn't imitate into anyone or any living creature as it only had one form and even the characters were different from the book and the location was completely different as it was the north pole than the south pole, a good film but in reality it's one of the worst film adaptations of a book ever just like The Running Man or Lawnmower Man or some others, there is no film in 1951 called "The Thing" . In 1982 John Carpenter unleashed a film called The Thing as it was not a remake in name, source or origin as Carpenter's film was the second adaptation of Campbell's story and it was an excellent adaptation as it was set in the South Pole, the characters, the alien being the shapeshifting being that could imitate lifeforms etc. from the book. The name of both movies come from the character in the story called "The Thing" as even the 2 films have separate names. They should never ever be compared and should be treated as 2 separate films similar to how Burton and Nolan are two separate adaptations of Batman.

To me, the definition of a remake is when it's based on a screenplay written earlier that is an original screenplay not based on any existing source material (comics/novellas/books) and original motion pictures like say The Blob, Hills Have Eyes or Night of the Living Dead 1990, all TRUE remakes as their screenplays are original and the film acknowledges in those movies.

There are also re-adaptations which means a separate adaptation of source material ( book, comic or novella) and have nothing to do with the film produced earlier that that film was based on that source material like say Carrie, The Thing, The Shining, I Am Legend films etc.

To say The thing is a "remake" of the earlier film is like saying every Dracula film is a "remake" of 1931's film and 1922's Nosferatu or saying that I Am Legend is a "remake" of Omega Man or saying Omega Man is a "remake" of Last Man on Earth, nope they are all separate adaptations of the same original source material. Carpenter's film remains the quintessential adaptation of the book.

[Xenia]

One of the best science fiction movies of all-time. One of the best horror movies of all-time. One of the best movies ever made.

[aiman04]

Best sci-fi horror ever, I mean even Alien is at the second spot for me so you know. Haven't I said that at my age I'm still nervous about watching this? The first scenes with the helicopter and Ennio Morricone's music already give me goosebumps. And that lasts the whole film. I'm not scared of anything in reality but this, that childhood feeling while watching this still carries until today.

[stvn1974]

Originally Posted by Xenia

One of the best science fiction movies of all-time. One of the best horror movies of all-time. One of the best movies ever made.

Exactly.

[A Sith Lord?]

Originally Posted by aiman04

Best sci-fi horror ever, I mean even Alien is at the second spot for me so you know. Haven't I said that at my age I'm still nervous about watching this? The first scenes with the helicopter and Ennio Morricone's music already give me goosebumps. And that lasts the whole film. I'm not scared of anything in reality but this, that childhood feeling while watching this still carries until today.

Agreed. Sorry to bump this, but I didn't wanna start a new thread about this movie.

Watched it 4 times this past weekend. So good. Feels brand new everytime and I notice something new every time I watch it.

[The Fallen Deity]

The Thing is my favourite John Carpenter film. It's a masterpiece.

[James_Younger_Gang]

I was thinking about this the other day. John Carpenter's the thing came into my life in 2011, and I've probably watched it 5 to 8 times. Everytime I watch it I think this is the perfect horror movies, or should I say one of the most perfect horror movies. While some other classic horror movies are great, but don't always connect with the audience, the thing just clicks. The characters feel real, and they can be tolerated despite being somewhat unlikable. There is a constant sense of danger and threat. The gore and creature effects are great, but subtle in a certain way. Even the ending leaves you in tension, yoj dont know what will happen.