The team stationed at an American research station in the frigid plains of Antarctica watches in horror as a Helicopter flying nearby violently crashes while pursuing a sled dog, the pilot tries to shoot the dog while yelling at the Americans before American station commander Garry kills him in self-defense. Helicopter pilot R. J. MacReady and Dr. Copper head to the nearby Norwegian base to figure out what caused the bizarre scene. Upon arrival, they discover the base in ruin, frozen corpses, and some charred humanoid remains that they bring back to the American station. While the station biologist, Blair, autopsies the remains Clark kennels the recovered sled dog. The team is alerted as a disturbance breaks out in the kennel shortly after, upon entering the team discovers the dogs fused into a monstrous creature trying to free itself from the cage. Childs grabs a flamethrower and proceeds to incinerate the shifting mass of what was previously the stations’ sled dogs. Blair begins an autopsy of the creature’s corpse discovering that the organism can perfectly imitate other organisms by shifting its cellular structure to mimic its prey. The team reviews data discovered from the ruins of the Norwegian base that leads them to an excavation site where a previously frozen-over alien ship has been unearthed. The recovered remains assimilate an isolated team member as a deadly game of predator and prey begins in the American base.
While the original release of this film was met with a slew of negative reviews centered on visual repulsiveness, The Thing would go on to become a film with one of the biggest cult followings and widely considered one of the best Sci-Fi horror films ever created. The special effects featured throughout the film were some of the most visually impactful of its time and would go on to influence the field as a whole. The film captures the solemn isolation of the setting and pairs it perfectly against a razor-sharp tension carried scene to scene as the creature shifts itself into advantageous positions hoping to escape into the human world. The Thing is a film that succeeds in almost every aspect, from the frozen isolation of the backdrop, the edge-of-your-seat tension, and the absolute visceral inhuman special effects, to a simply executed plot drenched in mystery. The film would go on to have a prequel released in the guise of a remake in 2011 under the same title The Thing.
As always, if you’ve seen the listed film, dislike the film, or just don’t believe you would like it we have provided a list of alternative choices for you to pick from: alternative-films-for-this-spooky-season
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