Upon its initial release, John Carpenter’s “The Thing” was poorly received both at the box-office and by critics. It didn’t help that it had been released around the time of “E.T” and its domination of pop culture, and that it had been considered by most to be a remake of a classic, barely flawed monster movie from the fifties. John Carpenter proved you can remake a film and provide your own twist without ruining the integrity of the original. “The Thing” is considered by most to be the closest adaptation to the original short story “Who Goes There?” around, while “The Thing From Another World” is not so much an adaptation and opts to create a hulking beast in place of an amorphous entity that hides inside human beings. Perhaps they thought it’d be too cerebral or dark for its time.
And maybe the American consciousness was too spoiled on monster movies to appreciate a dark psychological horror film, who knows? “The Thing from Another World” is still considered a classic in its own right, and while it may seem like I’m belittling it when compared to John Carpenter’s treatment, in reality I happen to love this film. Truth be told, I saw Howard Hawks’ version before I ever watch John Carpenter’s in its entirety, and still manage to adore both versions because of their entertainment value. “The Thing from Another World” does succeed in being claustrophobic, harrowing, and menacing, but in a much different vein than Carpenter’s film. Though the dialogue for “The Thing from Another World” can often be clever and quite witty, the monster is never played for laughs. James Arness, best known for “Gunsmoke,” dons the make up of the bulking merciless monster from the ice, and whenever he stomps on-screen, it’s a guarantee he’s going to tear someone to pieces.
“The Thing…” is basically the same premise. A group of scientists and researchers at an Arctic outpost discover a massive space ship buried under a thick sheet of ice. Disastrously trying to unearth it, they instead retrieve the frozen corpse of the ship’s alien travelers. The alien pilot is thawed out accidentally and is unleashed on the crew in the arctic, laying siege to everyone and everything it comes across, even ravaging helpless sled dogs in an attempt to survival among the human intruders. Director Christian Nyby creates something of an atmospheric and often tense monster film where the thing is a basically unstoppable force that manages to outwit and outmatch much of the crew, in spite of its size and violent tendency. The make up for the Thing is still rather striking as most times its depicted in the shadows or in extreme light that make it much more imposing than it actually seems.
Arness’ immense girth adds an extra accent of horror to the monster as it systematically ensures its own survival among the base and hints the potential for even more beings of its nature to roam the Antarctic wasteland. Though the battle in “The Thing from Another World” is still utterly exciting, it’s the fight for humanity, and one that may continue on if we’re not careful. Though the monster movie has become something of a lost art in horror, “The Thing from Another World” has retained its sheer entertainment value, even in the face of the superior remake. It’s still a very harrowing and action packed horror film with a wonderful monster and strong performances from entire cast. While contemporary audiences often prefer John Carpenter’s treatment, Howard Hawks’ version is an exciting and classic monster fest that inspired many a horror fans and still entertains.