The Thing

[Amontillado]

Hail Zod!

[Goji_girl]

Okay, maybe I was wrong. But the part with the guy's head falls off when he's on the operating table threw even me off. I haven't seen it in a long time but I did remember it being... well, to my standards... just wierd.

[Neville]

+1 for bravery. And I'll stop giving away karma points for today, before it becomes addictive.

[Zapranoth]

Okay, maybe I was wrong. But the part with the guy's head falls off when he's on the operating table threw even me off. I haven't seen it in a long time but I did remember it being... well, to my standards... just wierd.

Correct me if I'm wrong, because it has been a while, but I think his head actually launches off.  It gets forgotten in the scuffle for a bit, and it sprouts eyes on stalks, little buggy legs, and it scuttles off under the furniture like a crab dropped into the bottom of your fishing boat.  It then tries to sidle away, very disturbingly, while their backs are turned, until it gets a good dose of flame.

Dang, what a movie that is.  It was incredibly harrowing to watch, for me, back in the 80's (when I was a teenager).  It is a great masterpiece.  It builds slowly, and has periods of tension building punctuated by absolutely horrifying violence and gore.    It ranks up there with Alien, and with Roger Federer's forehand.

[RCMerchant]

Okay, maybe I was wrong. But the part with the guy's head falls off when he's on the operating table threw even me off. I haven't seen it in a long time but I did remember it being... well, to my standards... just wierd.

I apoligize for thinking you were Wyre Wizard,but I was kinda shell shocked that you had never heard of the THING.! As for not liking it...to each his own. I can't stand ROCKY HORROR,which for most cult movie fans,is something of a masterpiece....Again,I really am sorry! Welcome aboard!

[Oldskool138]

Correct me if I'm wrong, because it has been a while, but I think his head actually launches off.  It gets forgotten in the scuffle for a bit, and it sprouts eyes on stalks, little buggy legs, and it scuttles off under the furniture like a crab dropped into the bottom of your fishing boat.  It then tries to sidle away, very disturbingly, while their backs are turned, until it gets a good dose of flame.

Dang, what a movie that is.  It was incredibly harrowing to watch, for me, back in the 80's (when I was a teenager).  It is a great masterpiece.  It builds slowly, and has periods of tension building punctuated by absolutely horrifying violence and gore.    It ranks up there with Alien, and with Roger Federer's forehand.

The "head-bug-thing" is from The Thing.  The first time I saw that scene was probably the only time I could actually feel my flesh crawl.  I wanted to turn away but I just couldn't.  Now, I think it's one of the all-time greatest gore moments in horror movie history.

I like the scene where Wilford Brimley's character is smashing up the radio room and then the following scene where they elect McCready as their leader.  The movie has a perfect blend of suspense, gore and tension...Plus a great feeling of claustrophobia since there's nowhere to run in Antarctica.  They either kill the monster or it kills them.

[ulthar]

They either kill the monster or it kills them.

Or they kill each other.   

[Allhallowsday]

I give Goji Girl alot of credit, as did Neville, and karma likewise.  You are most definitely entitled to your opinion, but apparently you'll find many 'round here jealously guarding our beloved movies, good or bad.  Dissenting opinions make for real discussion.    

BTW most of us have seen THE THING.   

[Goji_girl]

I've seen the thing when I was about six... mostly with a pillow covering my face but I sat through it. After a while I couldn't help but to laugh. Again, I watched it alone in a trailer and the neighbors kept yelling at eachother... damn those neighbors for making me soil myself! And it was about twelve at night. So yeah, I got nightmares for a week.

[Snivelly]

I give Goji Girl alot of credit, as did Neville, and karma likewise.  You are most definitely entitled to your opinion, but apparently you'll find many 'round here jealously guarding our beloved movies, good or bad.  Dissenting opinions make for real discussion.    

BTW most of us have seen THE THING.   

I think because Goji_girl is one of the younger members here (as far as I can tell) she might not know that many others who have seen The Thing, although I'm sure that will change as soon as someone decides to remake it as well.

[Amontillado]

...to each his own. I can't stand ROCKY HORROR,which for most cult movie fans,is something of a masterpiece....

I hate that movie, too! Phantom of the Paradise was so much better. I also can't stand the Doors, Robert Plant (i.e. not a huge fan of Led Zeppelin), and the Grateful Dead (though that has nothing to do with movies).

Dissent makes this country great!!   

[Dennis]

This is just my opinion, I think that the thing should be enjoyed in the proper order

First

The story should be read.

Second

The original movie should be watched.

Third

The remake should be enjoyed

Each is a classic in its own way, my daughter and I found that the original movie with Kenneth Tobey and James Arness to be the most frightening of the three.

[Just Plain Horse]

Great topic, great movie...

To Gojigirl: Yeah, it's weird but worth a look. I'm no fan of gory movies- probably one of the lesser reasons I think most zombie movies are crap- but I felt the gore helped show what the monster was capable of... shapeshifting must hurt like a b***h! No wonder it's always p**sed off.

To RCMerchant: Thanks for posting only my favorite clip of the whole dang film! The suspense, the effects, and Keith David's attitude- an underrated actor, in my opinion. I really felt sorry for Windows at the point he gets a little too close. That Venus flytrap head transformation is a real fX masterpeice.

To DENNIS: I've read the story and seen both movies, and they're all worth it.

[ulthar]

Goji_Girl, I owe you an apology.  I completely misunderstood the "tone" of your original post.

One thing I find interesting, though, is all this reference to "gore."  THE THING is an intense flick, on many level, but really, there's hardly any blood in it at all.  The creature does some wierd stuff, true.  But in my opinion, the 'gore' in this movie is tame compared to say KILL BILL or any number of gore-fest slasher films made since.

The reaction at the time THE THING was released was that it was so gory, and I wonder if some of that reactionist psychology is driving the reputation.  Bottin made some wonderfully wierd, creepy, over-the-top effects, but are they really what you'd call GORY?

A few gore moments I can think of:  (okay, spoiler warning JUST IN CASE)




The dog'shead ripping open
The alien autopsy, I suppose, but again, compared to things we see nowadays, not really That Bad
Copper's arms being bitten off

When Windows' head got munched, you don't really see much of anything.  It's the THOUGHT of that THING biting someone's head and slinging them around that makes it repellent.  I contend that nowadays (and maybe with the remake) we'd see crushed skull, brains flying everywhere, a headless body twitching and about 17 gallons of blood.

Carpenter commented on the DVD that the audiences reacted very strongly to the close-up of Windows slicing his thumb for the blood test.  Yeah, it's intense, but is that really so much after 20 years of slasher flicks?

THE THING is a masterpiece - easily my favorite movie of all genres.  But gory by today's standards?  I see ALMOST that bad on TV these days.

[Zapranoth]

A fair contention...  I guess I didn't use "gore" in its literal sense.  Or you could say I misused the word.

I meant that it was "harrowing."   As in, hard to take, in places.  Tense.  And (especially given how young I was when I saw it) it had that rarest sort of awful-but-still-have-to-watch-it quality that others have commented upon.

There were some gross things in the Kill Bill movies -- parts are just brutal.  But c'mon.  When Beatrix

oh, dang.  Spoilers:

When Beatrix plucks out Elle's remaining eye, and leaves her to die horribly, flailing blindly in the trailer with the black mamba, we all jumped out of our chairs and cheered.   But you don't get that kind of reaction in Carpenter's movie... you feel like you're locked in a camp in Antarctica along with the rest of the humans, whoever those are! 


There are other nasty/gross/bloody effects these days, but for whatever reason (and I lack the film expertise to explain this), the violence in the remake of The Thing had a particular psychological effect (a strong one).