The Thing
National Film Registry
Rent/Purchase
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
What critics thought
DivisiveSavaged on release and nearly career-ending for Carpenter, The Thing has since reversed its reputation almost entirely — what contemporary critics called cold, nihilistic, and grotesque is now celebrated as masterful tension and groundbreaking creature work. The gap between its dismal original reception and its current standing as a genre landmark is one of the starker critical reversals in horror history.
“the most vividly gruesome horror film to ever stalk the screens”
Variety
“bereft, despairing, and nihilistic”
Linda Gross·Los Angeles Times
“sacrificing everything at the altar of gore”
David Ansen·Newsweek
“At its best, this film is scary. At its worst it lacks the power to involve us within its confines, making it just another horror film in the end.”
John Nubbin·Different Worlds
“may be the most unloved monster in movie history ... but it's also the most incredible display of special effects makeup in at least a decade”
Cinefantastique
Genres
Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Cast & Crew
DirectorJohn Carpenter
StarringKurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter, David Clennon, Keith David
ComposerEnnio Morricone, John Carpenter, Alan Howarth
The Thing
National Film Registry
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
What critics thought
DivisiveSavaged on release and nearly career-ending for Carpenter, The Thing has since reversed its reputation almost entirely — what contemporary critics called cold, nihilistic, and grotesque is now celebrated as masterful tension and groundbreaking creature work. The gap between its dismal original reception and its current standing as a genre landmark is one of the starker critical reversals in horror history.
“the most vividly gruesome horror film to ever stalk the screens”
Variety
“bereft, despairing, and nihilistic”
Linda Gross·Los Angeles Times
“sacrificing everything at the altar of gore”
David Ansen·Newsweek
“At its best, this film is scary. At its worst it lacks the power to involve us within its confines, making it just another horror film in the end.”
John Nubbin·Different Worlds
“may be the most unloved monster in movie history ... but it's also the most incredible display of special effects makeup in at least a decade”
Cinefantastique
Genres
Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Cast & Crew
DirectorJohn Carpenter
StarringKurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter, David Clennon, Keith David
ComposerEnnio Morricone, John Carpenter, Alan Howarth
Rent/Purchase