Hello, Enthusiacs! I am your Lord of Shadow, and today we are taking a look at a film for a good friend on his birthday.

In 1982 John Carpenter basically made one of the first remakes in Hollywood history with The Thing based John Campbell Jr’s novel “Who goes there?” which was also adapted into 1951’s The Thing from Another World.

The story is simple yes but sometimes that what you need to make a good scary movie. Their is something out in the Antarctic that is killing Rangers at a base. Yes I am being simple here because I don’t want to give much away should you somehow not have seen this classic.

What makes it work is two things. The acting which is top notch. Kurt Russel leads the cast along with Keith David and the master of diabetus, Willford Brimley. They have great on screen connections it feels like these people are in the situation not just actors looking for a paycheck.

Then we have to talk about the effects which hold up shocking well for a movie over 30 years old. The Thing itself as well as all the ways it is represented is legitimately creepy and you end up scared for all the characters not knowing who if any are getting out alive.

Sad thing for this movie is that it opened the exact same day as Blade Runner. Bad timing to be sure and no doubt why it became a cult classic and didn’t become a blockbuster at the time.

Going back to the effects I have to admit that I would be lying if I said everything in this movie was photo real, some effects are a bit dated but they don’t take you out of the moments.

Years later a prequel film would explain what happened to the camp these people are coming to investigate and while not nearly as good as this one I do feel like you should watch it after just for the sake of comparison.

This in my opinion is one of the best films Carpenter ever did and I’m hopeful after you read this you’ll become just as big of fan as I am.

Until next time I am your Lord of Shadow saying….

Stay Scared

Happy Birthday Tony!!