Bill Hader reacts to John Carpenter's 1982 masterpiece The Thing. Source: Eli Roth's History of Horror Apple: podcasts.apple... Spotify: open.spotify.c...
at one point he said that if he made one more mutant alien dog he probably died and he demanded an assistant. so apparently it was Stan Winston who stood in. would be nice to know which one was his.
@@frustriert Winston was asked to help with the effects because Bottin's attention to detail was putting things behind schedule. Winston picked up the dog thing in the kennel scene. Everything else was Rob
Carpenter is a master, I love how he lets a scene breathe. The long silent shots of the corridors in station with the wind howling outside tell you everything you need to know about the situation and the isolation. It makes you feel like you are there. Its such a perfectly done film, one of my all time favs
The corridor shots reminded me of the opening to Alien, Ridley Scott said those shots (which he operated the camera) were his favorite scenes of Alien. Carpenter said the scenes he dreaded shooting were the ones where the whole cast is together in cramped quarters, like when they check the blood supply. You can see how he moves the camera slowly to make sure every actors is on screen when they say a line. Also the CPR scene they used a fire bar in front of the camera, and the first take the whole set blew up because of the solvents they used as part of the creature effect. They had to rebuild it all and re-shoot it.
The reason it’s my favourite movie of all time is because the characters are so real. It’s a bunch of working guys with different personalities trying to make sensible decisions in a crazy situation. No crazy over-reactions but people do eventually crack when the pressure ratchets up to unbearable levels, like when Garry finally loses his cool after the blood test.
Totally, the main character felt like a person who would react to something that is going to maybe cost you your life, unlike other movies in which characters behave like really stupidly just so it can fit with the plot.
@@dariosaenz940yeah exactly, they actually do generally try their best, use logic, science, everything they got but the alien is just too evasive and clever. It didnt feel cheap like so many horror movies wheres its like Yeah that was really dumb, theres no wonder why you're dead. I appreciate a good gruesome movie death as do many, but I hate how lazy it is. Also, no romantic sub plot or anything of the sort. Just thinking men with some tools, explosives and a couple flamethrowers
It's been so great that through the years this movie got the real recognition it's deserves. Because it's true, it wasn't well liked critically or with audiences at the time. I went to see it when it was released and thought it was a total blast, but as I was walking out of the theater I heard various other audience members talking about it, and they didn't like it at all. And they really were shitting on it too. I was thinking "Did you guys see the same movie as I did?" I guess in a way they didn't. It's a hugely entertaining movie.
I STILL don't get it... I'm like how could they disrespect this movie and it was TRUE fo the novella, unlike its predecessor lol. The original is good but Carpenter's is waaay better and more faithful to the original work... like you said I'm glad it's finally came around and got its proper dues 💯💯
@@shanenolan085I would guess that it had something to do with the fact that ET came out just a couple of weeks before. People really wanted a lighthearted story about aliens, and The Thing is anything but.
People want clear cut, happy (or at least hopeful) endings and this film did not deliver. I think the scene with the dogs can be upsetting too - it’s like children, nobody really wants to see them victims in films. I’ve seen speculation that the recession at the time made people want more escapism and ET delivered more of that. Sometimes it’s just not a film’s time. It’s A Good Life was also a flop upon release.
@@TheAndrewj96 True, I only saw E. T. in the theater back, I have no desire to ever watch it again. The Thing, I at least watch it once a year. One of my favorite movies.
I feel like Bill's only begun to show us his talents, despite how incredible Barry is. I would love to see his take on a pure horror film. I feel like he really understands what scares us
As an eight year old, my dad took me to see The Thing in the theaters. I loved it. I got scared and I didn’t have any nightmares. I’m always surprised when someone does not know of the brilliance of John Carpenter. Like this person, you don’t know who John Carpenter is, they’ve only lived half a life.
Hope at some point throughout Bill Hader's life he just starts recording audio commentaries for movies. He was a great low-key secret that only so many of us paid attention to 15-20 years ago, but he's blown up now and will probably always be too busy to do that.
I’ll never forget watching it with two of my old friends from university, one of them had already seen it but myself and my buddy Dan didn’t have a clue what to expect we went in cold. It was even better because Dans favourite type of dog he loves was Husky’s so the shock of the dog scene completely ruined him but yeah suffice to see that was a hell of a watch, I knew I witnessed something special that night what a masterpiece.
It's all about when you first saw it being between 10 and 15 is the perfect age for watching this film. Scared the utter shit outta me 😂😂😂😂😂 great stuff don't make em like this anymore
I was never really scared watching this movie but I love it because it's a compelling story and fun to re-watch to piece together the clues and timeline of events. Good example is the plot-beat involving who sabotaged the blood. If you pay attention and follow the logic of who would have the keys to access the fridge you can piece it together and it makes the film that much more enjoyable that there are answers to key moments like those in the story.
Family watched this on Christmas Day (it's a family tradition in my household: horror movie on Christmas) about fifteen years ago and it was the greatest get-together ever. Everybody was screaming for joy!
My buddy and I set up a tent in his decent sized yard when we were 12ish brought a portable TV out and right as a episode of xfiles came on that we were jazzed about my buddy's dad shows up and watches the show with us. We ask Eddie (RIP BIG ED!) what he thought he says " Good...but not scary...I know a scary movie." Leaves abruptly, shows back sometime later went and RENTED The Thing and brought a VCR out to us along with the essential extension cord and was like "Let me know in the morning if you think that's scary."
I'll never forget seeing the trailers for this on TV (that scene where the thing goes underneath that walkway with the boards flying in the air) and I was anxiously anticipating it hitting the theaters. When it finally came out, I was on business travel for like 3 weeks and when I got back it was already out of almost all the theaters. It bombed so hard. Partly because people could not deal with the graphic special effects, and partially because it was completely eclipsed by the release of ET. It wasn't until it finally made it onto HBO that I got to see it. If I've watched it once, I've see it at least 100 times.
Such an eerie, creepy movie, and sooo well acted. I totally agree with what Bill Hader said about the simple scares - like theyre outside and they said they all turned the lights off, and seeing a light on.. it checks all my boxes, simple but brilliant scares like that and the remoteness and eerie ness of it!
When Bill Hader talks about The Thing's ending, for those who don't know, there is a video game sequel to The Thing, also called "The Thing" that shows us that Childs died of exposure to the elements and MacReady was able to escape as a human. This game was made with John Carpenter's blessing (and he even voices a major character in the game). The game shows that Childs could not have been a "thing" because the alien creature can't die from the cold, it just goes dormant (you use fire to kill it), so because Childs froze to death, he couldn't have been a thing, as he was found dead in the game. And MacReady could have jury-rigged the helicopter back to working order and flown out if Antarctica , because he actually comes back in the game's ending to rescue the game's playable character, Blake, in a helicopter after the final battle. If Mac was a thing, he wouldn't have gone back to rescue one guy, he'd have been in civilization trying to assimilate the rest of the human race. Neither one was a thing.
I had it for PS2 but was severely disappointed when I discovered that my actions had no bearing on who became the Thing. That at certain points in tbe game it just picks a random ally to Thing out. Like an example: I had saved the game. Then I went into a building with an ally without ever losing visual on him. Suddenly he Things out and attacks me, tentacles flailing. Ok. I reload and test him. He must have been sloppy and let him get infected before, right? Nope. Hes clean. Go through the same spot and a different guy Things out now. It was just a real let down and I was so disappointed that I didnt even bother finishing the game.
I need to find my copy of that game. I packed it when I moved, and it was never seen again. I do like that it was endorsed by John Carpenter as canon to the legend.
There is also an official novel which as far as I recall changes what happens to MacReady and Childs in a different way. It's really no more valid one way or the other. You simply choose which direction you want the story to take. Personally, I liked the game more or less, but idk if I'd consider it canon. I guess why not?
What I liked about this was the alien. It acted on instinct. It did not know or consciously care about where it was or who are the creatures around it. It just acted in a primal way and adapted to the situation to defend itself from whatever threat it preceived. This ruthless obliviousness is scary af.
It’s an intergalactic space traveler, I think it’s more than oblivious, it’s perfectly replicating the voice and mannerisms of people, that takes focus
@@Aragain-son-of-Aratrain These things are not mutually exclusive. You can be primal and tactical even strategic. You know what's the best example? humans. You know why humans do anything and everything they do? primal instinct. Why does a cat take care of its kittens, then starts to fight them when they get older? same with humans asking their child to move out. Why does someone work hard to become a CEO and earn lots of money? so he can have the best available p***y, no joking, s/he are looking to preserve their legacy and you can't get any primal than that. We are as instinctive as any other animal. The Thing was the same but it had more tools in its toolbox and won the battle in the movie. After you made me write this essay, I demand a PhD.
i showed my gf and mom this movie in our home theater a couple years ago (they'd never seen it) and they were *riveted* the entire time. truly a timeless classic
I would love to see a multi-hour conversation about movies between Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Hader and Patton Oswalt. All cinemaphiles and all have a sense of humor.
I was 19 when I saw it the first time in 1982. I went to a theater in Oxnard California and watched it and was terrified of course. Then I had to go to my night job as a security guard working from midnight to 8am…alone…in a huge factory building. It was on East Fifth street. At night it would get foggy in the parking lot and you could barely see fifty feet. Every creak, every automated machine groaning was amplified by that movie and the fact that the lights were out in the building after the crews left. I had just my flashlight and a Detex clock. If you had scripted the setting in a horror movie no set designer could have done a better job than how that building looked and felt at night with the fog as thick as cotton candy. I couldn’t wait until sunrise!
2:49 someone recently turned me onto another reason why Childes at the end may just be the thing (its not the breath thing, you can see his breath it's just hard to see without upping the brightness) its that he accepts McCready's drink without hesitation. Childes is shown sharing a joint with palmer at the beginning of the movie but later they decided that each man must prepare his own food to prevent someone infecting another. So the fact that Childes takes the drink without a second thought is 1 of 2 reasons. 1 He, possibly like MacCready has stopped giving a shit, or 2 he's trying to build trust and not arouse suspicion
I had almost the same experience. Saw it for the first time on HBO at my friend's house and left a scar on me to this day. It's my favorite horror movie of all time.
I swear for like a decade in the 90s anytime we went on vacation, checked in and settled in for the night "The Thing" was on, usually about the time the dog changes or shortly after. It became almost a tradition, this and The Predator.
One of the greatest horror films of all time. That movie scared the shit out of me when I was kid. It’s the kind of movie that you have to put your hand over your face and watch through your fingers. Awesome movie.
being that young and in someone’s basement must have been fucking amazing. Growing up in the 90’s and early 2000’s was my time. I’ll never forget going to theatre’s and watching Darkness falls and being scared shitless. Only to go home with friends to watch super troopers and crying from laughter. All at 12 years old.
I love carpenter films but this one is my favourite in terms of filmmaking. He manages to create a really eerie lonesome atmosphere in the film and I like how it takes its time to develop. Something good in horror when use the landscape and environment to create a convincing backdrop for the strange things to unfold. Also the cinematography and effects seem to really budget up this one compared to some of his more low key type movies which are great too.
I've seen that movie really late, 8 years ago and as an adult, so there's no nostalgia in play, or not much at least. And we all know nostalgia is the enemy of critique. All that to say, it instantly became, and still is, my favorite horror movie.
Also, anyone else felt like Tarantino's The Hateful Eight was a sort of non sci-fi reinterpretation? Even has the weird tense Enio Morricone soundtrack, the who's it tension, the snowstorm AND Kurt Russel
I saw The Thing at a drive in cinema. It was normal at the end of a movie that ppl would flash the headlights and sound their car horns. When that movie finished it was dead silent, everyone was in shock.
Not big into horror but The Thing is one of the few horror movies that I actually really liked. I like psychological horror much more than jumpscares and stuff thats too focused on violence and gore.
I highly recommend the original 1951 version, The Thing From Another World, shadow-directed by Howard Hawks. It's well worth your time. Hawks was a legendary director that made masterpieces such as Red River, Rio Bravo, The Big Sleep, Sergeant York, Bringing Up Baby, Only Angels Have Wings, His Girl Friday, and the original 1932 Scarface. Howard Hawks' foray into the sci-fi horror genre deserves to be remembered. At the time, it wasn't "respectable" for a director of his stature to make a sci-fi horror film, so Christian Nyby got the credit. But Hawks really set the bar for the 1950s sci-fi horror genre with it. John Carpenter idolizes Howard Hawks, and not just for The Thing but for his entire film career, and you can see the influence Hawks had on Carpenter's entire career when you watch both of their filmographies. As for John Carpenter's take on The Thing, it's definitely one of my favorite movies of all time as well. Yes, Carpenter's version is more faithful to Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell, but Hawks still made a very innovative movie for the 1950s. Here's a video of John Carpenter discussing the Hawks original if you want to see his take on it: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TNMOih9zkR8.html
I just watched Red River a couple of weeks ago. I enjoyed it but wasn't blown away by it like John Carpenters (The Thing) did. Red River runtime is over 2 hours long and just has some boring ass moments mixed with awesome scenes. The ending scene was 100% trash too. No way in hell John Wayne chases them halfway across the country with aim to murder them and then just decide were best friends again don't worry about it ole pal it's just water under the bridge.
@Wallyworld30 I understand and respect that. Personally, it's a favorite of mine because I think combining aspects of Mutiny On The Bounty and Moby Dick and placing them in the Old West is a very interesting concept. I think John Wayne gave a great anti-hero performance as a Bligh/Ahab-type character, and Clift gave a great subtle performance as a Fletcher-type character. As for the ending, it probably would've benefited from a different one, but a combination of the Hays Code and producers' orders at the time apparently prevented it. This is talked about in The Criterion Collection release of Red River(it comes with the book). Still, my favorite part of the movie is when the Cattle Drive starts turning on each other around the middle of the film. Reminds me a bit of The Thing actually, just replace the monster with a grueling cattle drive and how it affects people's paranoia and trust within a group. Of course, that's a universal concept and can be seen in other movies like Reservoir Dogs and The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre, but it can be very effective when done right, in my opinion.
@@azohundred1353 When the cattle drive start turning and John Wayne starts going all Hitler like is by far the best part. Clift steps in to stop John Wayne from murdering those men for nothing more than wanting to quit their lousy job on the cattle drive. Then John Wayne gets kicked out as Boss and promises to murder them. Rest of the movie we have tension of when is John Wayne going to show up and try killing Clift? When they woke up with all that Fog I thought for sure that would be the showdown but instead we get that embarrassing ending. Before the cattle drive does a Mutiny I was getting really bored but it's great from their until the final scene. Still a really good movie but it could have been an all time great.
@@Wallyworld30 I haven't seen that movie in like thirty years, and yet, that ending is burned to memory for being such a weird about-face to everything that came before it. The tension is still great, and arguably worth it for the adventure alone.
And I highly recommend the Twilight Zone episode "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street," which also heavily influenced John Carpenter's interpretation of The Thing.
Apart from the spectacular work of special effects and direction, the best of this The Thing from Another World alternative view, is the sensation of despair about the scariest fear of mankind: to lost the humanity, the identity. That gives an atmosphere of pure nihilism
I've always loved this movie. John carpenter always delivers. And then you've got kurt russell, keith david and wilford brimley. I Watch it several times a year. EVERY YEAR.
THE THING is a masterpiece. Hands down my favorite line delivery in the whole movie; When they all look and see spiderhead, I forget the character and the amazing character actor's name who plays him, sees spider head and says what a real man in that situation would really say: "You gotta be fucking kidding!"
For me it was a very similar scenario. 4th of July weekend in '83 or 84, we were having a family bbq and when it started getting dark my uncle had us all come in to watch a movie. I was 12 years old at the time. There was about 7 of us kids and other adult family members. We had no clue what we were about to watch. As he slid the tape into his top-loaded vhs player my uncle's only words were "You're gonna love it." Long story short, it was probably the most fun I ever had watching a movie. Of course there was plenty of scares, eye-covering and "Ewws" but the great character interaction and humorous moments is really what made it so damn entertaining. From that moment on it's been my all-time favorite movie.
I love thinking that the creature was confused when impersonating Norris during the heart attack. Like it's so perfect at mimicry that it copied his heart condition, and so The Thing was literally going "What the fuck, why my chest area hurt so bad???"
There was some movie a friend was showing me recently, and about halfway through, the police have to stop an old mustached man with a gun whos freaking out over some weird situation, and when the police first address him, he shouts ‘I’ll kill you’ and lets off a few rounds. It’s crazy how much this movie has influenced story telling.
What Carpenter succeeded at best in this movie was the value and effectiveness of practical special effects and design. No CGI, just talented and skilled people making monsters and animations and horrific scenes with just their imagination and it looks as good or better than most CGI monster effects. It's becoming a lost art. I remember watching this when I was younger and the scene with the head of the guy slowly stretching and pulling off, I remember watching it and saying "Oh god... oh GOD... OH GOD", like it got worse and worse. Never had that kind of reaction with CGI.
One of the most underrated games ever is The Thing. It’s the continuation of the storyline from the movie, about an investigative team arriving after everything happened in the movie. You have to make the right decisions to build trust within your team. It’s a very creepy game!
My mom used to introduce my brothers and I to a new scary movie every Halloween when I turned 11. Great tradition. First year it was the blob. I remember thinking," nothing can be worse than that." Next year, she put on hellraiser, then the thing, back to back.
I don't know why I'm listening to Bill Hader talk about one of the greatest horror movies of all time, I don't watch any of his movies or television, never liked SNL all that much, but here I am enjoying him talking about this movie in a youtube clip.
He’s right that’s such an odd but funny take with Wilford Brimley saying “I’m fine, I’m fine” but all the while there’s a noose hanging in the background. 😂😂
Perfect horror movie. I remember seeing it as a teen and it was the first horror film that genuinely scared me. The special effects are shocking, I'd never seen anything like it before.
That first time going in with little knowledge of it - it's hard to think of a movie that does a better job of making you feel lost/paranoid the same way the characters are experincing it.
Going off the thumbnail and title I thought this was gonna be one of those mash up edits where they just put Bill Hader in different scenes from the thing.
I love that people respect this for what it really is…a psychological paranoia tale. The gore is great but disguises the genius of this movie. It’s so much more than a scary horror movie and it’s great that it is getting the respect it really deserves. A masterpiece of film making. Carpenter and everyone involved should be rightly proud of what they achieved.
