The Thing

A horrifying parade of disgusting special effects with bodies disintegrating and mutating into hideous slimy creatures, the human head with spider legs is very cool. The chilling atmosphere of hopelessness and isolation perfectly underscores everything. We can only thank Carpenter for his bold directorial concept and the distribution company for having the courage to put this into wide distribution in its time. (07/07/2002)

Carpenter's The Thing is, without question, the scariest sci-fi horror film of all time. An orgiastic atmospheric experience that cuts deep into your nervous system from the very opening moments, in an oppressive and bleak setting, with a cold and unbearably depressing directorial rhythm and accompanied by a chilling soundtrack or physically disgusting (or cinematically beautiful) gore effects, only to place a devastating charge at the end and scatter even the last vestige of hope and light. A brilliant, incredibly compact film that never wavers, even with a single shot or spoken line, from its predetermined, most beautiful and purest imaginable genre path... One of those very few films I really never get tired of. 100% (30/04/2011)

In my opinion, this is the best film by John Carpenter, who managed to extract the maximum out of the B-movie concept and, thanks to his excellent and imaginative direction, created a lasting cult film in the horror genre. The film is based on John W. Campbell's short story "Who Goes There?" from the classic golden era of American science fiction, and although it is often rumored that the film is usually weaker than the book, Carpenter knocked out Campbell. By the way, it is a remake, as the first film version was already made in 1951. While in the story, the creature takes on the form of a classic alien from space, Carpenter works with hints and combines solutions to scientific problems while creating a paranoid atmosphere of distrust and horror, where nobody knows if the person in front of them is really who they claim to be. Excellent camera work and music, very decent special effects shots for its time, but above all, a screenplay that maintains tension until the last second. The whole film builds up to a chilling, depressing, and completely hopeless ending. It was a very helpful role for Kurt Russell. It is also noteworthy that at the time, the film was coldly received not only by critics but also by the audience, and then it slowly gained recognition among film fans before becoming a classic. Carpenter managed to create a more emotional work with minimal resources than Scott did with a huge budget and the support of an influential film studio in Alien. Overall impression: 95%. (29/11/2007)

Perhaps I’m overly sensitive to the genetic transformations of people in movies, but the first time I saw The Thing, when I was an eighth grader at elementary school, I couldn’t sleep all night and was sweating like I had a fever. It was a terrifying experience. I vowed to never watch another horror movie. However, that intense experience was also the reason that horror later became my favorite genre. The Thing has a unique atmosphere of isolation and despair, which is perfectly supported by Morricone’s gloomy music, timeless special effects and a wonderfully dark, pessimistic ending. It’s a precisely paced horror movie that gradually tightens the noose around your neck and it’s an existential downer almost from the start to finish, with some of the most terrifying horror scenes ever. (04/06/2002)

This is my idea of a quality horror film. Carpenter created an extremely intense atmosphere. The script works like Swiss clockwork from the first moment until the end credits. I first saw The Thing as a school kid on a second-hand VHS tape. The quality of the sound and image corresponded to a copy of an eleventh copy of the tape, but it lost none of its power. I have seen it many times since, and it’s a powerful experience for me every single time. One of my favorite scenes is definitely the testing of blood with a hot wire. My review in three words: cult, classic, awesome. (16/07/2016)