The Thing (1982) -

Link to heading

Where do I even begin with this movie? The Thing was fantastic. I had high expectations going in, knowing the reputation this film has built for itself, and it didn’t disappoint. This is a true horror film. It doesn’t rely on cheap jumpscares or poor decision making by the characters. The Thing is something that can be beat, albeit not easily, which makes the ending not nearly as predictable as some other horror films where the antagonist is quite literally immortal.

I felt nervous when watching. Not bad, just nervous. I felt my heart beating a bit faster at certain moments, and I was certainly sucked in throughout nearly the entire thing (pun intended). The way it sets itself up is really well done, which brings me to the pacing. The pacing of this movie was fantastic. I find that a lot of horror films take a long time for the actual climax to culminate, but these types of movies benefit more from building a foundation that can be laid upon for the rest of the movie, bit by bit.

The overall concept for this movie was really well thought out as well. There’s clear foreshadowing in the beginning, and it starts off as a sort of mystery for the scientists (and viewer) to work through. The fact that it takes place in Antarctica is the icing on the cake. What’s scarier than being stranded with the Thing and no communication? Nothing. You’re left with little hope for the scientists, but ultimately still rooting for them throughout the entire thing, hoping that there’s a small chance everything will end up ok.

I think this movie ultimately falls short where many other horror films do: separation. Look, I get it. In order to have horror films work, some of the characters need to be alone. But there have to be other ways to do this! I’ll give The Thing a pass considering how old it is, and considering how excellent it is otherwise. Also, the character separation is, for the most part, justified. There’s lots that needs to happen in order to protect the site, so splitting up is realistically the only way to make sure it all gets done. So is it something that I think drops the film’s overall rating? Sure. But it doesn’t matter. It’s negligible in the grand scheme of things.

Anyways, there’s hardly anything to complain about with this movie. It was gross, scary, entertaining, fun, somewhat action-packed, and interesting. I really wish more studios would take after this plot structure. This was such a joy to watch and if you haven’t already seen it, check it out! You won’t be disappointed.