| The Thing (1982)
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| Front Cover |
Actor |
Back Cover |
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| Kurt Russell |
R.J. MacReady
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| Wilford Brimley |
Dr. Blair (as A. Wilford Brimley)
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| Keith David |
Childs
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| Richard Masur |
Clark
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| T.K. Carter |
Nauls
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| David Clennon |
Palmer
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| Richard A. Dysart |
Dr. Copper (as Richard Dysart)
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| Charles Hallahan |
Vance Norris
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| Peter Maloney |
George Bennings
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| Donald Moffat |
Garry
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| Plot |
| Howard Hawks's original 1951 production of The Thing from Another World can be glimpsed playing on a TV that fateful October evening in John Carpenter's blockbuster hit, Halloween (1978). A few years later, Carpenter reteamed with his Escape from New York star Kurt Russell to do a remake. But while the first movie version of The Thing was in atmospheric black and white, Carpenter's 1982 version is in widescreen, full color, and features some of the most revoltingly explicit, surreally imaginative special effects (courtesy of FX-meister Rob Bottin) that have ever been seen on the screen. Researchers in the remote Antarctic dig up the remains of a spacecraft that has long been frozen in the ice. But the alien life unthaws and infects the living (not only humans but sled dogs too), living and gestating inside them. (This horrific concept was also explored in the two versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and the Alien movies.) This Thing is chilling in every sense of the word, with plenty of terrifying, adrenaline-pumping moments that build it to a powerful and shockingly nihilistic conclusion. It's a harsh and uncompromising movie (hewing more closely to the original 1930s story "Who Goes There?")--so much so that it probably never would have been given a green-light by any studio in the more cautious and doggedly upbeat 1990s. --Jim Emerson |
| Movie Details |
| Genre |
Action; Horror; Sci-Fi; Thriller |
| Director |
John Carpenter |
| Producer |
David Foster; Lawrence Turman |
| Writer |
John W. Campbell Jr.; Bill Lancaster |
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| Studio |
Universal Studios |
| Country |
USA
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| Language |
English |
| Audience Rating |
R |
| Running Time |
109 mins |
| Movie Release Date |
6/25/1982 |
| Color |
Color |
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| Personal Details |
| Format |
DVD |
| Seen It |
Yes |
| Index |
541 |
| Collection Status |
In Collection |
| Purchase Date |
10/15/2005 |
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| Product Details |
| Edition |
Collector's Edition |
| Region |
 Region 1 |
| Screen Ratio |
 2.35:1 |
| Layers |
Single Side, Dual Layer |
| UPC (Barcode) |
025192543722 |
| Release Date |
10/26/2004 |
| Subtitles |
French; Spanish |
| Packaging |
Custom Case |
| Audio Tracks |
 English Dolby Digital 5.1
French Dolby Digital 5.1 |
| Nr of Disks/Tapes |
1 |
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Extra Features
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Feature commentary with Kurt Russell and director John Carpenter
John Carpenter's The Thing: Terror Takes Shape, an 80-minute original documentary featuring interviews with John Carpenter, Kurt Russell, special effects make-up designer Rob Bottin, legendary matte artist Albert Whitlock, plus other members of the cast, crew and special effects team.
Stop motion animation cut from the film
Exclusive work-in-progress visual effects footage
Behind-the-scenes location footage
Original theatrical trailer
Outtakes from the film
Behind-the-scenes photographs
Storyboards and conceptual art
Annotated production archived |
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