Review of The Thing (1982) by Thomas B — 03 Dec 2017

****.

John Carpenter's 'The Thing' is a masterpiece of practical filmmaking. I can honestly say that the practical effects used in this film are some of the best I've ever seen - and it was made over 30 years ago. Once again, much like 'Alien' and 'The Shining' before it, Carpenter has managed to understand what horror truly is. It's not jump-scares. It's not unnecessary, gratuitous gore. It's all about tone. The setting in this movie is as much of a threat as the creature itself, and whilst the gore is spectacular, it's not exploited. In other words, everything in this movie serves a purpose. The performances, too, are excellent; with a special mention towards Kurt Russel a given at this point. The main problem that stopped it from reaching the heights of something like the aforementioned 'The Shining' is a lack of character development. They were all engaging enough, and Russel's character in particular is interesting to watch, but you never really feel attached to anyone. Other than that though, this is an excellent example of how to do shock-horror right.