Another (short) "The Thing" video coming soon!!! Dedicated solely to discussing the movie more! There were a few of my favorite "things" I forgot to talk about in the original discussion (like the sound design and music). PLUS, during editing, I noticed a few more details that I HAVE to talk about..should I have trusted an instinct I had at the end...IS HE THE THING, after all?!?!? What's YOUR favorite element of how the movie was made? When was the first time you saw it, and what's your favorite John Carpenter movie??? Leave suggestions of your favorite sci-fi/ horror movie, also!
Internal sets are done in Filming then moved to the Universal lot, where the outside heat was over 100 °F (38 °C). The internal sets were climate-controlled to 28 °F (−2 °C) to facilitate their work., external shots are in Juneau, Alaska.... the guy rob Bottin who did the effects was hospitalized due to exhaustion. the main dog was called Jed owned by The Fonz`s cousin... The Thing is screened annually at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(1982_film)
Saw it in theaters. It was the same summer as ET. Needless to say, after the sweetness of ET, audiences weren't embracing this. But some of us were used to great effects, having already seen groundbreaking films like The Howling. But the blood-test scene resulted in a lot of popcorn flying. The Thing was re-released to theaters a couole months ago (which is how you should have gone to see it.) Believe it or not, it actually cracked the top 10 box office. Not bad for a 40 year old film. "How did they do that?" was a common trait in movies past, from Jason and the Argonauts to 2001 to The Exorcist to American Werewolf in London to... That's what was meant by "the magic of movies" because we knew what we were seeing was always real...as in images captured on camera. That magic is sadly gone in today's CGI movies. Nothing is real and many movies look more like high tech cartoons. Not even background scenery is real anymore in many films, everything created in a computer. Ingenuity and cinematography is a lost art.
The thing was filmed on a set in LA but also Alaska and British Columbia.It's great you had other thoughts about the movie.When I watched this originally I was exhausted afterwards.The 2011 The Thing movie is actually a prequel.Leviathan is a similar movie.But hopefully your doing good and catch you later
I like the idea of an "after party" video about the thing. The end is one of the most discussed of all times, I would love to hear your insights about that, and maybe in the comments discuss a bit. To answer your questions, I love the score, simple but in complete tune with the atmosphere, so much Carpenter, I saw on video in a friend house when I was about 13... Favourite Carpenter movie? tough choice! Maybe is this one, "The Thing" (which is a remake from a black & white movie btw) and very closely In the Mouth of Madness, then... I can`t decide, but in no particular order: They Lived, The Fog, Escape from New York and Big trouble in little china are top ones too. I also like specific scene from other movies like the beginig of Halloween and some effects from Christine. Favourite sci-fy/horror movies? I wouldn't know where to start! But let's try a few suggestions: Event Horizon, Screamers, Cube, Sunshine, The Abyss, Tremors without horror, but interesting options I would say Starship Troopers, Dune, 12 Monkeys, Stargate, The Puppet Masters, I could go on, but I think those are enought for today xD
23-year-old Practical Effects prodigy Rob Bottin worked on The Thing seven days a week (including late nights) for a year and five weeks straight, producing every creature effect (with the exception of the transformed dog, which was partially done by Stan Winston). His effort was so great that he had to be hospitalized at the end of filming.
I just absolutely love watching people react to The Thing. It's my favorite Carpenter film and one of my top 10 favorite films in general. But it's so great to see how it holds up so well, especially considering it bombed so hard when it was originally released. Thanks, Angel!
I have it on my "movies to watch at least once a year" list. I'm desensitized to the gore and ick at this point (although the effects are still impressive) but the handling of tension in this film is a masterclass.
Nick, I see why you like it so much...i already can't wait to re-watch it (for SO many reasons)! The cinematography, the sound, the practical effects, the cast, the settings, the story (and more)! Love it. A lot of fun. Thank you for your comment! :)
@@AngelGroves Dean Cundey knew how to shoot a lower budgeted film in that era and make it look classy and vibrant. Heck, I think Halloween and Escape From New York's reputations owe a lot to Dean's smart anamorphic cinematography.
@@fauxrowsdower7610 I agree. But SotL wasn't a box office failure. It was a hugely successful film. I think it made over $200 million on a $20 million budget (or somewhere around there). Also... ROWSDOWER!!!!
Wilford Brimley is almost unrecognizable here as Blaire. He was a really talented dude. The sheer influence this movie had and the amount of inspiration taken from it by movies, games, books, and TV is insane. Also incredibly ironic you mentioned Halo, since Keith David (whose voice you recognized) was Arbiter.
OH MY GOSH lol You're right (about Keith David/Halo)! Too great. I am going to take the time to game again soon...it has been too long; just so busy. Also, I can only imagine all of the influences this movie had on so much, and now, I'll be able to recognize them. Love it. :) The only thing I would have known Wilford Brimley from at around this age (after looking on IMDB just now), would be Where the Red Fern Grows part 2. I've definitely seen him in other things, at a later age, though. You're right about him being talented. Thanks for the comment!
Speaking of "The Thing" and games, there was a game version of "The Thing" years ago that did a really great job of incorporating a "trust" system as well as a sanity system. As you navigated the levels and your NPC companions saw horrifying things (bodies, monsters, blood, destruction, etc), they would get increasingly freaked out. If any one of them got sufficiently freaked out, they had a chance of snapping and doing something drastic (such as attacking the group, suddenly ending themselves, running off into danger, etc), which would of course increase the freak out meters of the other NPCs. You could calm them down in various ways to keep it from reaching that drastic moment but there was always a give and take. E.g. You could point a gun at them which was very effective at deescalating the situation but you'd lose some trust, both from the person you're pointing the gun at and the rest of the group. Or you could just try to talk them down, but it was way less effective and might fail. Alternately, you could try to steer them around the scary bits so they didn't see them in the first place (though that wasn't always possible). There was more to it but it's been a while since I played it so I don't remember a lot of the details. I just remember that the rest of the game was decent but that mechanic and the balance it required as you navigated the levels was really awesome and made the game for me.
Nothing more enjoyable for a longtime fan like myself than people reacting to this classic for the first time. "Where did they film this?" Most of the exteriors were filmed on location in Juneau, Alaska and Stewart, British Columbia, while the interiors were filmed on refrigerated sets on the Universal Studios backlot in Los Angeles. "How'd they do it?" A combination of makeup effects and practical animatronic effects. In the final scene, where the Thing breaks through the floor of the generator room and pulls the detonator into the hole was done as stop motion (in fact, there was a lot more done for stop motion, but due to how the stop motion looked, Carpenter had the shots cut from the final). Essentially, it's how movies were made back in the day. "What were the Norwegians yelling?" What the Norwegian yelled the following: "Get the hell outta there. That’s not a dog, it’s some sort of thing! It’s imitating a dog, it isn’t real! Get away you idiots!” (the fact that when people first watched this film and had no way to understand the Norwegian, it helps put the audience in the shoes of the guys at Outpost 31, not being able to understand what was happening and then proceeded to end up in the exact same situation as the Norwegian camp).
You are AWESOME! Thank you, thank you, thank you. :) I couldn't be any happier. Very neat. I wish you could have seen me reading your comment. lol I love it! I am a nerd for all of this info. I love what the Norwegian was actually yelling...wow. Thank you, again!
@@AngelGroves You're very much welcome. A lot of fans for years have asked the question about what the Norwegian was saying, and it finally was translated. There's a lot of info that the fans of The Thing have, with the exception of who was infected and when (for example, no one knows when Palmer or Norris were turned), and that's because John Carpenter purposefully designed the film to where you're always asking questions (in fact, when it comes to the ending, there have been users who have gotten different responses from Carpenter about if MacReady or Childs being infected. He purposefully left the ending open and anyone who asks is just him trolling them). Carpenter is a master in crafting a story, and this film is a great example of that. It's a shame that E.T. was dominating the Box Office at the time this film was released. It certainly affected Carpenter's career, and was given negative reviews because people preferred the cute alien that wanted to be your friend instead of the alien that wanted to absorb you and take over the world. However, most of his films are good and memorable (and he even did the scores for most of them).
My #1 FAVORITE JOHN CARPENTER MOVIE!! It was a box office and critical disappointment making $19 million dollars against a $15 million dollar budget. It recieved mixed reviews by Critics. Roger Ebert called it "A great barf bag movie." Others called it "Boring Dull and A Wretched Excess." However it's gained a cult following overtime and has been regarded as one of John Carpenter's best movies.
@@AngelGroves It's also been re-evaluated by critics since and is now rightfully considered a milestone of the sci fi horror genre. I would argue it's now too popular to even be considered a cult classic, it's just plain classic.
I can see 'a wretched excess', but dull and boring? I was tense the whole way through! Maybe if you weren't paying attention to the dialogue, then you would see only people talking and no action. But you'd have to be brain dead for that to be the case.
The sound of THE THING were that of Bears, Crocodiles, Pigs, Horses, rattlesnakes and human screams all done by a synthesizer. Some of the sounds were sped up or slowed down to make it sound more terrifying.
I was too young, but my sister saw this in the movies when it came out. I remember her coming home and giving me a play by play. I saw this movie without ever even seeing it because of her. She mentioned that there was complete pandemonium and chaos in the theater throughout this movie. 😂
Child's is played by Keith David who also voiced Spawn in the HBO Animated Series. Also the "Doc"(Richard Dysart) voices Cogliostro from Spawn as well.
Some will also recognize him as the voice of The Flame King from Adventure Time, Dr. Facilier in The Princess and the Frog, Lemuel Kane in Archer, and both the narrator and Okkoto from the English dub of Princess Mononoke. Not to mention a million other games, cartoons, documentary narrations, and movie roles. With a voice as rich and buttery as Keith's, you get a lot of work...
@@johnplaysgames3120 I love Keith's voice! Now that I remember he was also Spawn and the president in Rick & Morty, I didn't think at first in his voice roles in other media than vg, weird!
Just some weird trivia: when the dog thing's head opens up in the kennel scene there looks like what appears to be a blossoming flower open. The petals were actually an array of mutant dog tongues.
It always amuses me how people nowadays ask "How did they do that?". Before computers, they did it by hand. Models, makeup, animatronics, paintings, all of it was done by hand
Fun fact, the pinball table in the rec room is called Heatwave. On the back display is a thermometer, the idea of play is to score points to make the thermometer rise in temperature, when it reaches the top, it blows. A fun bit of foreshadowing that most people miss.
All I can say is John and the effects guys worked overtime on this movie 🎥 . Yes I am 66 years old now and did see this in the theater. It was a blow away movie. Amazing!
Nobody saw this amazing movie in theaters. That was the whole problem. I'm old enough to remember when everyone but me hated this movie, so I'm even more delighted it's finally considered a classic 😁
It's 20 to 3 in the morning here in the UK and I was just about to finally go to bed but I might actually watch this first. :) And don't worry, I won't get nightmares. I seen The Thing a bajillion times before. :)
Aw, Well whether you watch it before bed or in the morning, I hope you enjoy, and sleep well! Normally, uploads will be earlier in the day, on upload days. Just here in the beginning will the times sometimes be later, as I'm still getting all the timing for YT uploads worked out. I'm glad you're here! And, I actually did get frightened walking down my hall last night on the way to the kitchen. hahaha. I still can't wait to re-watch!
@@AngelGroves I watched it all but at x2 speed (I often do, it's related to me being autistic) which is kinda fitting since you're wearing The Flash on your shirt. :) Anyways fun review and yeah, most people are concerned about the dog (amazing canine actor there) until it's face splits open. And yeah 40 years old and those practical effects still hold up superbly. The film bombed when it came out but is now regarded as one of the best sci fi / horror movies of all time and one of the best remakes too (along with The Fly by David Cronenberg a few years later which also has great and gross practical effects). Ok I'm off to bed now. I was up late playing God of War: Ragnarok. Which is good. :D Have a good night. :D
Great reaction to a n absolutely classic film! This is one of my all time favourite films, still love the suspense and paranoia. Childs also played Mary's stepdad in There's Something About Mary, such a drastic difference between the two roles, what a talented actor 👏.
Oh my gosh! I could still only think of him from 3 things (this, Halo, and Future Man), but I KNEW there was something else in particular I had seem him in more than once. It absolutely was "There's something about Mary". Thank you for this comment! You're right; he is incredible. :)
In the final scene, when Mac hands Childs the alcohol, Childs drinks it without hesitation and MacReady shows a weary smile. Remember how Fuchs warned people to prepare their own food and to only eat from cans? It was to prevent infection by the Thing. Yet, Childs didn’t hesitate to take a swig from an open container given to him by someone he knew was in close proximity to a Thing recently and outside of his view. My personal theory is that Mac was testing Childs. If Childs was human, then he would not want to drink from the bottle. But a Thing wouldn’t be worried about getting infected.
It was more the dog in question. Jeb...or was it Jed? Either way, was a husky/wolf mix and, as such, didn't act like a dog would. He was never really happy to see actors or his trainer (at least, it would not display it in the same eager manner a dog would). He would stare and the bright blue color of his eyes gave an appearance of calculating intelligence. Creeped the actors out.
John Carpenter did all the aforementioned films you asked about earlier and the Thing is actually part of the "Apocalypse trilogy" he made with "Prince of Darkness" and "In the Mouth of Madness", both of which I hope you'll give a chance later on. Yeah this film's going to do a number on you when it comes to trust issues but I'm glad you got a chance to check it out and that you have quite the history of Carpenter films. It's effects, atmosphere, traditional Carpenter score not only make it timeless but outshines the original IMO. Keep up the great work and "remember to watch Clark.." 😛
Oh cooool. I've never heard of either of those and had no clue. Very neat; I'm adding them to my list. Thank you! I was hoping someone would recommend some more of his. :) Love your comment!
He also wrote and directed the original "Assault on Precinct 13" (1976) Very gritty, dark movie. One of my favorite movies. Worth it. Outclasses the remake in every way. And yes, Prince of Darkness is an underrated forgotten gem of a horror film.
Great reaction!! I saw this in the theater with my best friend opening night, nearly empty theater. This was on the island of American Samoa. We were both seniors in HS in 1982. We had seen Escape from New York and Halloween, but hadn't even seen a trailer for this. When the dog turned, at the end of it, we were in shock. We looked at each other like WTAF...We had to walk home in the dark after and a freaking dog trailed us on the way to his parent's house lol, no joke... It was quite a night. I have seen it like 12 times since over the decades. 😨😱
When my friends and I saw this in the theater when we were young, we knew there was something sketchy about the dog. It's a horror film. There had to be a reason 2 guys in. a helicopter were hell bent on killing the 'dog'.
Well, you guys were definitely right. If I had known it was "horror" going in, I might have guessed better right away. haha Thanks for sharing; that's cool you saw this in theaters!
i only saw this semi recently myself. i always didnt watch it cuz the name kinda sounded stupid. but this was a GREAT movie and blew me away. the effects in this movie were some of the best i've ever really seen. the monster would just keep getting more and more horrifying..... and then, it would get even MORE HORIFYING lol. the heart ache of watching the dogs :( and the shock of when that dudes chest opens like a mouth and bites that guys hands off. WoW
Parts of the Dog Kennel Sequence was done by Oscar Winning VFX company Stan Winston Studios. Rob Bottin ended up in the hospital for exhaustion, and Winston designed the Dog Alien Puppet while the tentacles and reverse shots were done by Bottin.
Stan Winston Studios?? No wonder! That is so cool! And Oh my goodness. what?!? That is crazy (the exhaustion)....and really cool (the design). Just like the movie itself. Thank you, for this!
Going by Memory and not direct translation, the Norwegian at the beginning said something similar to "Get away from it! That is not a dog... it's a thing... You stupid idiots". "What is your favourite aspect of the movie?" Everything. The characters, The acting. The music, The sounds, The practical effects, The paranoia and the story. This is my favourite horror movie, it touches every aspect of fear (Paranoia, terror, isolation and anxiety). Watched the cut version by accident when it was on TV as a kid... it gave me nightmares and as i grew up i understood and respected why.
It's ultimately based on a 1938 Science Fiction story called "Who Goes There?", which is well worth a read (you just have to ignore the over-enthusiastic descriptions of the characters), by John W. Campbell writing as Don A. Stuart. That does depict an initial form for the alien (there are no Norwegians, so they find it in the ice themselves and thaw it out) and the ending is quite different. There's an extra bit of tension involving the migratory habits of skuas. An episode of the X-Files ("Ice") was inspired by the same story.
I can't recall but none of the characters talk about their families. I suppose it adds to the isolation and the pure focus, on each individual trying survive. Definitely in my top ten. Cool reaction/review 🤙
Wow....I love that point. That is so true, and normally in movies like this, characters mention them. Very cool thing to notice. I can't wait to re-watch, for multiple reasons. Love the movie. And I appreciate your comment; glad you liked the reaction and review, and glad you're here at the beginning of the channel. :)
@@AngelGroves An interesting aspect to this movie is there is basically no subplot. In most movies, even if only as a single side scene, they would have a love interest, or a scene where a guy is trying to get back to his kids, or something. Not here. You've got this thing that if it escapes will destroy the world. Nothing else is relevant.
Remember that this isn't these guys' first week there. They've been at Outpost 31 for quite some time before the events of the movie. Small-talk like family has probably been exhausted. This is a group who's way past the "getting to know everyone" phase.
I'm so glad you are joining me in my adoration of Kurt Baby. I love him. The guy who's voice you recognized might be the older, big one. He used to sell oatmeal. His name is Wilfred Brimley. He's a good ole character actor.
LOL No shame at all because my eyes also water whenever I really get goosebumps from a scary scene/movie! This is one of my all time favorites. A simple yet excellent blend of setting, characters, premise & music. It still astounds me how so many critics & audiences during the movies’ release didn’t appreciate it because to this very day The Thing just feels so fresh & intimately engrossing. Used to be one of the films I’d always watch to the very end whenever it popped up on cable TV
If you're into reading, I'd recommend checking out the book "Frozen Hell." It's the original (extended) version of the short story that this movie was based on, and it was thought to be lost for about 50 years or so, until it was found in some old university storage room. We have John W Campbell's wife to thank for doing most of his record-keeping for him, otherwise w definitely wouldn't have it.
It's really cool you posted this; I was going to get on and ask you all if the book was worth a read, because I'm definitely already interested. Thank you!!
@@AngelGroves Absolutely! And thanks for the reaction. The introduction to the book tells the story of what happened to the manuscript, and it's as interesting as the story itself. Good luck!
One of the more interesting things about this movie (OTHER than it was all practical effects) is that when it was released in '82 it BOMBED at the box office. Later became a big hit on home video but it sank in theaters as it came out about a week after release of E.T.
What a movie! Masterful filmmaking, one of the best ever. Great reaction too, and loved your references - "it's like Alien + Audrey II", and talking into the mouse like Scotty haha
This was released within weeks of E.T The Extra-Terrestrial. It’s been said that at the time the public wanted their aliens to be cute and friendly, not other worldly shape shifting killing machines. 8:24
Rob Bottin (Bo-Teen) was a genius. He used every practical effects technique known at the time and developed a few of his own for this film. He was in his early 20's when he landed this gig.
This was Rob Bottin's first ever movie as a special effects artist. You may be familiar with his make-up effects work in both RoboCop and Total Recall ;)
Bottin had worked with Carpenter on The Fog previously. He was special effects assistant on that one. The Thing was his first movie as lead Special Effects designer.
Apparently Rob was so stressed out helping to make this film he passed out during work. I can see why. A lot was riding on this film and the effects had to look amazing lol
The man behind the visual effects in the Thing is also one of the people who designed the Robocop suit (1987) and who is also in John Carpenter's the Fog.
I tried to warn you about the dogs, too bad it was too late. The special effects master here is Rob Bottin, and you'll see his name on many great projects in this era along with guys like Phil Tippet (Robocop), Stan Winston (Terminator), and Tom Savini (Friday the 13th). There aren't too many guys on their level, making them stand out. Wait til you get into the Cronenberg 80's movies, they owe a large debt to this film here for pushing the envelope. Anyway also check out The Thing (2011), which is a weird movie that fools you into thinking it's a remake, but actually it's a prequel and it ends where this movie begins, with the dog escaping the other base. It has cgi effects instead of the practical ones, but otherwise it's a good companion and you get to see what happened in the places they investigate in the start of this movie and the finding of the alien, and you get to see the inside of its ship. Not too many answers so it's still a mystery, but a bit more information. And the voice is Keith David, he's done a ton of video games so it's certain you've heard him before. He might even be in Halo. You'll see him again co starring in They Live. If you'd like a little clarification on the ending, there is a recorded message from McCready (Russell) in the videogame sequel which indicates neither he nor Childs were a Thing, they were just suspicious, and it hinted that they were somehow trying to reach civilization, but the message left it unknown if they made it. But it's up to you if you want to consider that canon or not.
ummm, yeah! i can only imagine! lol i didn't play Halo alone at night, at 12, bc I was too scared. I would have absolutely been scared after watching this at 12...certain scenes...geeze. Thanks for the comment!! :)
Great reaction Angel! I just found your channel and I'm definitely subscribing after seeing this video. The scene with the defibrillator where the guy's chest opens up and chomps down on the doctor's arms is my favorite scene in the movie. It gets everyone the first time they see it. I love that they took such a common scene that the audience had seen dozens of times in other movies and turned it into a fantastic little horror sequence that kept getting weirder and weirder. Since you like practical effects, you might like The Fly from 1986. The movie leans a bit toward the gross side of body horror, but you didn't seem bothered by The Thing which is somewhat along the same lines of horror so I thought I'd suggest The Fly as well. If you haven't seen The Exorcist, that's another good film for practical effects. The makeup was done by the legendary Dick Smith, one of the first guys to really turn special effects makeup into an art form. However, the king of practical effects is the transformation scene in An American Werewolf in London. It was so impressive that it won the first Oscar for best makeup. Can't wait to see your next reaction!
Dr. Blair is played by Wilfred Brimley, a very famous actor who has been on TV and Silver Screen (a "Golden Age" old term for movies 🎬 from the 1950s to the late 2010s. Highly respected, he was the advertising spokesman for the American Diabetes Association. His pronunciation of the disease "diabeetus" was well-known and used in humor. At the time of this movie 🎬 (1982), he was well-known enough that The Thing was often advertised and spoken of as The Thing starring Kurt Russell and Wilfred Brimley. 🙂
The greatest horror and sci-fi movie of all time, and one of the very best in general. A masterpiece from beginning to end. So many little details and clues that you'll need multiple rewatches to appreciate the intricacy and cleverness of it all.
I read somewhere that there is an annual party at Antartica for all the people that work there, and one the main events is the viewing of this film. A comment from one those people was: "A flamethrower? We're lucky to even get a butter knife."
It comes from a short story written a zillion years ago. Here's the bit from google: "Who Goes There?": The novella that formed the basis of "The Thing" is the John W. Campbell classic about an antarctic research camp that discovers and thaws the ancient, frozen body of a crash-landed alien. The creature revives with terrifying results, shape-shifting to assume the exact form of animal and man, alike.
There were a few comic series that told of what happened after the movie, basically McCready chasing the Thing up through South America destroying towns. In the end the Thing and MacReady have a final battle in New Zealand. After ending up near death, the Thing escapes and decides to remain a fish to join a passing school of fish with no longer driven to assimilate all life.
I still remember seeing this at the theatre 🎭 of course I was a very young 15 year old at the time and many of those scenes to this day still dwell in my mind. But all in all it will always be a timeless classic😉👍🥳
For years I heard fan wishful thinking that some day someone would make a prequel movie telling the story of the Norwegian camp. I still can barely believe that in 2011 that exact prequel movie was made.
The Childs actor voiced one of the Gargoyles, he voiced quite a few DC comic villains and he even voiced Spawn who is an Image comic anti-hero. Plus he voiced Krypto the Superdog's papa.
I saw this first day, high as giraffe balls. Then it was on a loop in the main mess on a cruise up to Skagway. It took a long time to get desensitized to it. It’s almost a perfect movie not just a horror movie.
The Norwegian at the beginning of the movie yells, '"Get the Hell out of there. That's not a dog, it's some sort of Thing! It's imitating a dog, it isn't real! GET AWAY YOU IDIOTS!!" in bad Norwegian. It's clear that the person was barely fluent, or perhaps even only had his lines coached. Even though it was poor Norwegian, the Norwegians were pretty happy that it wasn't just gibberish, like in many other movies at the time.
You hit the nail on the head when you expressed frustration that you could no longer keep track of who might be a Thing. Palmer and Norris, neither one of them has a profile like the guy whose silhouette you saw just before the dog walked in. That's because the man used in the shot was a random crew member. Likewise, there's never any way to know (it's never explained, at least) how the whole blood was sabotaged or how Mac's name tag ended up where it was. Lots of loose ends, which aren't as annoying when you realize it's all intentional.
There's a popular, if probably untrue, theory that Childs was the Thing at the end; The bottle MacReady has wasn't filled with whiskey, but gasoline/petrol. He gave it to 'Childs' as a test to see if he'd drink it, and he failed it. That's why he smiled at the end.
My impression is that Childs was a Thing. Mac laughs because Childs drank from the same bottle as him when they all knew to avoid contact like that. Another theory is that the bottle is full kerosene that from bombs Molotov cocktails they used to burn down the base. Obviously if Childs can drink it with no issues he isn’t human. Also there was a videogame sequel to this movie. I don’t think it is considered canonical, but Childs was a thing in that game.
Greatest horror ever in my opinion, I can't think of a more bleak and horrifying scenario. In the Winter everytime I hear the wind howl I think of this movie...and it's inspired me to get a flamethrower...cause...you never know 😝 I do the same thing btw because I'm a serious animal lover, I just keep reminding myself no animals were actually harmed lol
Hahaha. Nice. I would LOVE a flamethrower (I would learn to use it properly lol). This movie is incredible, and now that you mention the wind in the winter, I'll be thinking of it too. Everything is done really well, to where you can almost feel the conditions yourself! Also, yes, sometimes I have to remind myself it's a movie, especially if animals or kids are involved. I'm glad you get it (and it didn't bug you me saying it to myself)! Thank you for the comment!
@@AngelGroves its definitely done very well but truly the concept gets me...an intelligent alien that is willing to be violent (we don't know it's intent) , if it touches you you're basically dead and can imitate all organic life and needs fire or acid to die ? Only thing worse I can think of is Total Nuclear Annihilation or the End of the Universe 😅 I've always wondered what the Thing would do if you locked it in a room it can't escape or harm be done. Would it speak to you ? Would it explain itself ? I feel bad if it just wants to survive but at the same time it's choosing to be violent , perhaps based on its encounter with the Norwegians (I refuse to acknowledge the prequel that was made 😝)
At the time this movie came for the type, genre and class of movie it was it was literally one of the most terrifying movies.The whole story of how the entity can live and how in its true form it has no body or form and can jump from being to being and can go dormant for centuries, can destroy everything on a planet and hop to another, the effects in the movie, the seclusion of being so far away from civilization, all ment the movie was a terrifying master piece of its time. Nice to see it being remembered still.
Saw this movie in theaters. Only a dozen or so folks where in the theater and folks did walk out. One couple walked out at the dog event. Two more left at the head popping off part one was crying.
Regarding your question about what the Norwegian character says at the beginning of the film, it's something along the lines of "Get away from it you idiot, it's not a dog. It's some kind of thing!" I've seen the proper translation in the past on RU-vid, but that's more or less it.
Blair isn’t just scared, he wants to stop any living thing from reaching humanity because it could be the thing right. Human, dog, doesn’t matter, i don’t blame him but he definitely should have spoken with them instead of freaking out. And locking themselves in their rooms with supplies wouldn’t do much for helping the rest of civilization, that would actually be something the thing would want. Then when help arrives in the spring the thing can quietly hitch a ride to civilization. Who would believe them? A shape shifting thing that copies people perfectly? No one would believe them and the thing would take over the planet.
