The Thing

( 35 )

Overview

Although given a lukewarm reception by critics and the public upon its release, The Thing, like so many of John Carpenter's films, has since acquired a fiercely loyal cult following, and MCA Home Video will have fans of the chilly sci-fi horror in rapture with this outstanding reissue DVD. Originally released in 1998, this Collector's Edition is an exact replica of the previous disc, except for the chilly slipcase packaging. Picture-wise, the film's immaculate whites and cold blues are clean and sharp, and the ...
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More About This Product

Overview

Although given a lukewarm reception by critics and the public upon its release, The Thing, like so many of John Carpenter's films, has since acquired a fiercely loyal cult following, and MCA Home Video will have fans of the chilly sci-fi horror in rapture with this outstanding reissue DVD. Originally released in 1998, this Collector's Edition is an exact replica of the previous disc, except for the chilly slipcase packaging. Picture-wise, the film's immaculate whites and cold blues are clean and sharp, and the polar landscapes are awe-inspiring in widescreen. Carpenter is renowned for his inventive use of sound effects and music, and the Dolby 5.1 Audio truly heightens the film's suspense. There is also a mind-boggling array of extra features on the DVD. The theatrical trailer, production notes, and biographies of Carpenter and star Kurt Russell are welcome, but they pale in comparison to most of the other additions. The production archives section, for example, is an extensive combination of text and photos that concentrates on Rob Bottin's eye-popping special effects, and equally interesting is the production art showing early designs of the alien creature. The background archive will interest would-be screenwriters, as it uses pages from the original draft to show how the film took shape. Of the countless other bits and pieces, the outtakes section is surest to please confirmed fans, even though the stills and deleted scenes here are of a mainly expository nature (though at least one deleted scene will delight fans of the movie's sardonic humor). Yet even if it had none of the aforementioned special features, this would be an essential DVD due to the commentary track and 80-minute documentary "Terror Takes Shape." The latter, featuring contributions from all the main players, is an utterly engrossing background to the conception and production of The Thing, and also includes spectacular stop-motion footage that was not used in the final version. The commentary by Carpenter and Russell, meanwhile, is a winning blend of astute analysis and warm recollection that is always enjoyable and occasionally hilarious. This is a wonderful DVD package that will give pleasure to even casual fans of the film.
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Special Features

Closed Caption; All-new digitally remastered picture; Feature commentary with Kurt Russell and director John Carpenter; John Carpenter's The Thing: Terror Takes Shape, an 80-minute original documentary featuring interviews with John Carpenter, Kurt Russell, special effects make-up designer Rob Bottin, legendary matte artist Albert Whitlock, plus other members of the cast, crew and special effects team; Stop motion animation cut from the film; Exclusive work-in-progress visual effects footage; Behind-the-scenes location footage; Original theatrical trailer; Outtakes from the film; Behind-the-scenes photographs; Storyboards and conceptual art; Annotated production archive
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Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse
Upon its theatrical release in 1982, John Carpenter's reworking of the 1951 sci-fi classic The Thing from Another World took a drubbing from some outspoken genre devotees who thought it deviated too much from the original and sported unnecessarily gross special effects. In fact, writer-director Carpenter deliberately avoided paying obeisance to Christian Nyby's 1951 film and instead went back to the source material, John W. Campbell's 1938 novella "Who Goes There?" for inspiration. He retained the story's central conceit, making the alien a shape-shifter capable of perfectly mimicking any life form it ingests. The basic premise was the same: a research team working in a remote Antarctic outpost comes across the body of a frozen alien and brings it back to the base, where the creature thaws out and begins killing the men one by one. Kurt Russell, who had felicitously teamed with Carpenter on the preceding year's Escape from New York, is rather subdued as the fatalistic hero R. J. MacReady. The supporting performances of Wilford Brimley, Richard Dysart, Richard Masur, Donald Moffat, and T. K. Carter are similarly restrained and lend believability to a patently unbelievable situation. The special effects, while certainly on the repulsive side, are extraordinarily convincing by 1982 standards, although they won't seem quite as impressive to younger viewers weaned on the CGI effects of the last decade. In retrospect, Carpenter's The Thing was a lot better than some of us thought, and it has taken its place among the masterworks of sci-fi cinema. This Collector's Edition includes a commentary by Carpenter and Russell, a making-of documentary titled "Terror Takes Shape," and a host of extras including work-in-progress special effects footage, conceptual art and storyboards, and even some stop-motion animation that didn't make the movie's final cut.
All Movie Guide - Jeremy Wheeler
John Carpenter's remake of the 1950s monster film is a grotesque exercise in how to scare the living socks off of even the most jaded viewer. Cold, claustrophobic, and expertly realized, The Thing creeps under your skin and doesn't let up until the last credit rolls. Carpenter is at the top of his game as he flexes his horror muscles once again and arguably surpasses original with an expertly crafted film that continues to ask questions of its audience decades later. Equally worthy of praise is the amazing work of the still young FX guru Rob Bottin. With free reign to let his imagination run as wild as he wanted, Bottin (fresh off of The Howling) spent a little over a year living at Universal's back-lot creating some of the most horrific images audiences had ever seen. The outrageously surreal and bloody work he created (with the brief help of another young lad named Stan Winston) has been a benchmark for practical makeup effects since its release in 1982. The Thing wouldn't be the same without the palpable dread provided by Dean Cundey coldly controlled camerawork and Ennio Morricone's Carpenter-esque score thumping in the background. Apart from its exceptionally crafted aesthetics, the note-perfect ensemble goes a long way to sell this menacing tale. From the chilling Blair (Wilford Brimley) to the cool of Childs (Carpenter fave Keith David), these are meaty characters facing a no-win situation -- with Kurt Russell as MacReady leading the motley crew. Russell is a mean quiet machine as he and Carpenter create another iconic hero to rule over the annals of cinema. Famously, The Thing flopped at the box office against the feel-good alternative - a little film called ET - yet the bleak picture found its real audience - and near-universal reverence - in the years that followed.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 10/26/2004
  • UPC: 025192543722
  • Original Release: 1982

    • Rating:

  • Source: Universal Studios
  • Region Code: 1
  • Presentation: Special Edition / Wide Screen / Subtitled / Dubbed
  • Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
  • Time: 1:49:00
  • Format: DVD
  • Sales rank: 12,057

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Kurt Russell MacReady
Wilford Brimley Blair
T.K. Carter Nauls
David Clennon Palmer
Keith David Childs
Richard Dysart Dr. Copper
Charles Hallahan Norris
Peter Maloney Bennings
Richard Masur Clark
Joel Polis Fuchs
Norbert Weisser Norwegian
Larry J. Franco Norwegian Passenger with Rifle
Larry Franco Norwegian Passenger with Rifle
Tony Cecere
Kent Hays
Larry Holt
Nate Irwin Helicopter Pilot
Melvin Jones
Eric Mansker
Denver Mattson
Donald Moffat Garry
Clint Rowe
Thomas G. Waites Windows
Rock Walker
Jerry Wills
William Zeman Pilot
Technical Credits
John Carpenter Director, Screenwriter
Roy Arbogast Special Effects
Rob Bottin Makeup Special Effects
Thomas D. Causey Sound/Sound Designer
Michael A. Clifford Special Effects
Stuart Cohen Co-producer
Dean Cundey Cinematographer
David Foster Producer
John M. Dwyer Set Decoration/Design
Larry J. Franco Asst. Director, Producer
Larry Franco Associate Producer, Asst. Director
Mick Garris Screenwriter
Bill Lancaster Screenwriter
Burt Lancaster Screenwriter
Henry Larrecq Art Director
John J. Lloyd Production Designer
Ennio Morricone Score Composer
Graeme Murray Set Decoration/Design
Todd Ramsay Editor
Wilbur Stark Executive Producer
Raymond Stella Camera Operator
Lawrence Turman Producer
Albert J. Whitlock Special Effects
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Scene Index

Side #1 --
1. Main Titles [2:06]
2. Antarctica, Winter, 1982 [2:26]
3. Station 4 [2:28]
4. Death in the Snow [3:20]
5. Looking for Answers [3:58]
6. It Begins... [1:26]
7. The Norwegian Camp [6:23]
8. The Man-Thing [2:36]
9. What Appears to Be Normal [2:11]
10. The Beast Within [3:12]
11. The Thing [2:49]
12. Autopsy on an Alien [1:12]
13. The Perfect Imitation [1:47]
14. Something in the Ice [1:19]
15. The Crater [2:42]
16. It's Different Than Us [1:39]
17. The Probability of Infection [3:47]
18. They're Not Dead Yet [:59]
19. The Thing That Was Bennings [3:46]
20. Blair Goes Berserk [4:25]
21. Matters of Trust [2:52]
22. Bad Blood [1:32]
23. The Man-in-Charge [3:38]
24. Waiting [2:41]
25. Where's Fuchs? [4:22]
26. MacReady Cuts Loose [4:31]
27. The Deadly Defibrillation [3:20]
28. A Little Test [1:01]
29. Something in the Blood [6:33]
30. Finishing the Test [1:21]
31. Blair's Little Project [2:37]
32. No Way Out [1:55]
33. Warming Things Up [3:10]
34. Right Down Into the Ice [2:53]
35. The Real Thing [1:55]
36. One Last Thing [2:54]
37. End Titles [6:31]
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Menu

Side #1 --
   Scenes
   Bonus Materials
      Feature Commentary With Director John Carpenter and Kurt Russell: On
      Feature Commentary With Director John Carpenter and Kurt Russell: Off
      John Carpenter's The Thing: Terror Takes Shape
      Production Background Archive
      Cast Production Photographs
      Production Art and Storyboards
      Location Design
      Production Archives
      The Saucer
         Frame by Frame
         Full Motion
      The Blairmonster
         Frame by Frame
         Full Motion
      Outtakes
         Frame by Frame
         Full Motion
      Post Production
      Theatrical Trailer
   Languages
      Spoken Languages: English 5.1 Dolby Digital
      Spoken Languages: Français 2.0 Dolby Digital
      Feature Commentary With Director John Carpenter and Kurt Russell: On
      Feature Commentary With Director John Carpenter and Kurt Russell: Off
      Captioned for the Hearing Impaired: English
      Subtitles: Español
      Subtitles: Français
      Subtitles: None
   Play
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 35 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(23)

4 Star

(9)

3 Star

(2)

2 Star

(1)

1 Star

(0)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 35 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 4, 2012

    A Masterpiece

    Carpenter's remake is easily the best film version of "The Thing", surpassing even that of the 2011 prequel to this film.

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  • Posted October 1, 2010

    I Also Recommend:

    Day of the Dead
    The Blob
    The Return of the Living Dead
    Alien
    Hellraiser

    When horror was scary

    You cannot find a horror film made today that is any where near as scary as this film. FIlms like this are hard to ignore. These older horror films may have some cheesy looking special effects, but, they are actually gory. Some of the horror films that come out today, I am ashamed to watch them, because they are just awful. I know this movie is old, but, you must see this film. You will not be disappointed.

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  • Posted October 1, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    An enduring classic!

    Usually remakes are quite inferior. John Carpenter's The Thing is superior over the 1951 version. The Thing is based on the story, Who Goes There, by John W Campbell. It is able a shape-shifting alien terrorizing some humans in Anarctica. This is what Carpenter goes by. The classic is typical of 50's alien films. The visitor is humanoid, there's a romantic couple, no minorities, a happy ending where mankind is always victorious, and a prophetic message. 1982's version is more thrilling with no gore or nudity & little profanity. The alien certainly lives up to it's name. The Thing is fun to watch because you don't know who the alien is disguised as. It's dog form was very convincing. There should be a sequel.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    the thing

    i'm sure you all have heard about this movie but never got to see the whole thing through. i know i have. i love horror movies and loved halloween and finally got to see this and it was incredible, real and great story and suspense. basically the thing is about a group of people and an alien amongst them but who? is there any awesome or classic movie that kurt russell hasn't been in? just a compliment.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Simply the best

    Frame by frame, it is simply the best alien invation flick ever made.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    A Overlooked Classic!!!!

    An intense, white knuckle, masterpiece. Shows why movie theaters are can be the scariest places on earth. Not appreciated when it was first released it has earned (rightly so) a cult following and makes you wonder what happened to director John Carpenter that he has not made any movies lately that come close to this lever of horror mastery. Its not what 'The Thing' does but who might be 'The Thing' that matters. Better than 'Invasion of the body snatchers'.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    AWSOME

    Best movie I've ever seen by far. Great acting and even better special effects. I'm still amazed that the did that back then! GO BUY IT!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    A flat out Masterpiece

    This movie is what horror movies are all about. It is scary, entertaining, and intense. It is also a great movie period. It reaches a level of intensity and terror that few movies I have seen have. The visual style is breathtaking. The lighting and sets and use of the camera is masterful. The cast is brilliant. There is not a weak performance in the bunch. The stand out here is obviously Kurt Russell as the alcoholic pilot MacReady who is a born leader. Kurt takes complete command of the role and the movie. As Kurt becomes increasingly paranoid we are right there with him. By the end we are completely terrified for his survival and in his corner to kick The Thing's a$$. It is truly among the very best and most absolutely believable perormances in horror history. John Carpenter has achieved something truly amazing and mesmerizing. This, in my opinion, is his finest hour behind the camera. The Thing is a stomache churning, paranioa inducing, journey that is worthy of every fan it has and so many more that will experience it for themselves in the future.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    body contortions and explosions rocking the tundra!

    An excellent movie for lovers of the destruction of the human anatomy. But also a good movie in its own right, focusing on humanities wild side. In the world of the movie no-one can be trusted; it is every man for themselves. They need to be on their vigil for the very imaginative 'thing' means buisness, needing their bodies for its own survival. It takes the saying 'I want your body' to the extreme, and doesn't seem at all interested in conforming to ettiquette, in particular, the rules and regs of eating at the dining room table.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Intense and exceedingly well-crafted horror/sci-fi

    ON MY TOP 10 HORROR/SCI-FI LIST. Some viewers of this movie have had issues with the level of gore... yes, there is a lot. But it can readily be argued that the gore is truly integral with the needed level of terror that the movie wants to convey - we must feel the terror and disgust and fear of those men trapped at that frigid site. The movie is so sharply edited and tightly plotted - no extraneous filler in this story. Reminded me of the old classic (1934) all-male THE LOST PATROL, just a bunch of men in a difficult life-or-death situation - no distracting romance and 'relationship' issues here. Also, have you ever read Stephen King's PET SEMATARY? The Thing reminds me of it, in how it is so lean, and focused, and intense - unlike King's more expansive and thick novels. See if you can guess the voice of the female that is heard over the radio. ;-)

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Thing

    Get ready for one wild ride, if you like the aliens trilogy you'll love this: once again poor humans cop it at the whim of a dribbling, frothing, mutating, steaming pile of extraterrestrial filth. You'll enjoy this film if you hate humans but you'll probably enjoy it anyway because the ideas have been realized in a professional manner. THe special effects still hold worth, so strap yourself in, and get ready to see the human anatomy come apart in many imaginative, and original ways. Has many parallels with Aliens 3, amongst others, so if you liked that you'll love this.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Thing

    get ready for some pretty confronting scenes! if you like watching people come apart at the seams: melt, contort, vomit up their intestines, convulse into a spray of brains and meat, metamorphosis with wolves, have their heads grow legs and walk off pissed off, if you like watching the human form breaking down into its basic parts, if you think it's pretty cool to have your intestines start thrashing about violently, then you'll like this movie. Kurt Russell is the beauty that contrasts the horror, playing as he does a convincing role as the helicopter pilot/flame thrower operator. The other shining light to the movie is the atmosphere: great use of lights, and space to compell the viewer to suspend disbelief. The claustrophobic spaces, the moody interiors, contrasted with the deep space of the Antarctic wilderness, make for a convincing feel. Don't be put off by the age of the movie: the fx are still reasonable, they still chill me, and make me laugh because of their sheer violence. watch this movie, even if you hate the horror genre

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    This is one of John Carpentars best

    This is a great horror movie. The gore fx was impressive.Definetly a good movie for horror fans.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    who goes there?

    An excellant movie that tips the boundaries of paranoia. You can watch the movie and still not come to the conclusion if the movie's main character is actually the thing himself, or maybe you can?

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Trust No One!

    I just got this movie a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it. I love scary and horror movies so this movie just took me away. I was surprised at some points but it was obvious at others of who the Thing was. If you like scary, horror, and gore you'll like this.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    John Carpenter and The Thing rule!

    I first watched this Carpenter classic when the PS2 game was coming out and fell in love with it. I love this movie it's just awsome, that's all I have to say.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    a very good movie

    this is a good movie if you like horror sci-fi movies. I give it a 5 star rating because of the effects and sound in the movie. Im not going to tell you any of the parts you will just have to see for your self. Its a great movie, very scary and two thumbs up.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Who can you trust?

    I first saw this movie at a very early age. I recently watched it for the first time in years. I feel the movie starts off a little slow but then takes off from there. It's a battle of who is who and what is what. You have to be on your gaurd. This movie is full of gore and surprises. If you like early 80's type horror and science fiction movies, then you will love this one.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Kurt Russel kicks butt

    This movie focuses on the friendship/trust factor. And the fact that everyone trusts everyone makes it hard, just ask Blair. It's an awesome movie with a great cast and if you like to pick pick who's who try at this if you've never seen it before.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    hardcore gore

    I first saw this movie in 1983, i was 10 years old. i think i slept with my parents after that until i was 12!!! It scared the daylights out of me, thats why i love it today and still watch it when i get a chance. Anyone that loves horror and gore will with out a doubt be entertained by this movie. Ive havent seen such originality since. It will keep you guessing as you grip the edge of your seat waiting to see who is the ''THING'. you find yourself sympathising with the characters as they struggle to fight a losing battle and second guess and point fingers at their friends. ''everybody watch! whoever your with'' John Carpenter's finest!!!

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 35 Customer Reviews