The Thing (1982)

I'm not a fan of the horror genre, but maybe that's due to the fact that my opinion of horror films has been twisted over the last decade by the awful cookie cutter, torture porn, teen films that have now taken over the genre and won the hearts of millions. But there was a day when horror wasn't devoid of an interesting story, talented acting and a good script. Instead the horror films of twenty years ago, which usually incorporated science fiction, proved that making a good film wasn't very difficult at all, if done correctly.

With The Thing, an American scientific expedition team is in for quite a treat one morning when what seems to be another normal day in the frozen tundra of Antarctica, turns into a mission to stay alive. It all begins with the unexpected arrival of a group of crazed Norwegians who seem set on killing one of the team’s dogs, and ultimately blows up their own helicopter and gets themselves killed. Upon examination of one of the bodies, nothing appears to be physically wrong with the man, but a few of the American scientists agree it would be wise to visit the Norwegian's camp in hopes of gaining some answers. Helicopter pilot J.R MacReady (Kurt Russell) agrees to fly a few of the men out to the camp, where they discover it in shambles and a strange mutated corpse, which appears to be human, lying outside.

The team returns with the body, to perform an autopsy, and quickly begin to learn what exactly happened when they discover one of their dogs (the one the Norwegians where attempting to kill) was not a dog at all. The final piece of the puzzle is in place when they learn that the Norwegians had unearthed something from an icy grave, a being with the ability to mutate into any living form, a being that could be impersonating anyone of them.

The Thing is probably more science fiction than horror, but it's entertaining none the less. Joining the character's in attempting to figure out whose human and whose not adds extra suspense to the film and keeps you glued to your seat. The mutation scenes, when the thing transforms from its human form, are quite graphic and at times a little cringing but are amazingly well done and realistic. What really impressed me was the acting and the script. Today a film such as this would be based on a horrible script and lot of mediocre acting, relying more on gore and special effects to entertain. The Thing isn't complicated but it does everything right, and therefore isn't your typical corny monster film.

A scene three quarters of the way into the film, where the remaining team members are attempting to revive a colleague who has apparently had a heart attack, is where I went from mildly enjoying The Thing to almost loving it. That scene is a spark that ignites the rest of the film into chaos and really makes it highly suspenseful and entertaining. Overall, The Thing is a solid science fiction horror that should be on the viewing list of anyone who has the stomach for a few gruesome scenes but more so wants to see what a real science fiction horror film should be like. The Thing isn't perfect, and has it's dull moments, but take it from someone who's not a big fan of horror films, it's worth it.

8/10