The Thing

It would be reductive to dismiss The Thing as merely boring, bleak, derivative, and gross; as so many contemporaneous reviewers did. It’s far more ambitious, stylish, effective, well-crafted, and thematically rich than the average B-movie creature feature. And yet, I can’t help but feel like some of those critiques had a bit of merit? Its greatest crime might be that it’s just not very fun. Mileage obviously varies. If you like slow burns, building paranoia, claustrophobic isolation, and body horror, then this could be your cup of tea! A nice, hot gruesome toddy (made with J&B scotch) to enjoy on a cold winter evening. I personally find more entertainment and pleasure seeing those same ideas rendered in other movies from the era, like Alien and The Shining. The Thing was as influenced by its predecessors (its a remake for one) as it is influential going forward. So many creators I love and the media they’ve made clearly call back to it. Still, I can appreciate its legacy position in the genre while simultaneously finding it something of a slog to get through. Some parts do work for me! The creature effects/gore, crackly spider leg sounds, lighting, Morricone score, antarctic setting, and incendiary devices are all excellent. It’s just not going to be a part of my regular horror rewatch rotation any time soon. But I do find it incredibly precious that the film is screened annually to mark the start of winter at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station.