Why The Thing Is One of The Best Monsters In Horror

- by Ninja Ross, 9 July 2014

What’s the best horror movie ever in the whole wide world? No, you’re wrong. Unless you said John Carpenter’s “The Thing.” If you said that, you’re completely right. Good for you! Have a cookie. Wait... THIS ISN’T A COOKIE!!!

The best horror movies stick with the “less is more” style of idea. Monsters are rarely seen, causing your imagination to create most of the fear. Think about how often you see a Xenomorph in Alien. Or how often Jason Voorhees dances on screen. The best moments in horror are the parts where the monster briefly pops up on screen to spook the poop out of you.

The Thing, however, is all over the place. Carpenter doesn’t REALLY stick with the “less is more” approach in this movie, and that should, in theory, make it boring. “Oh, it’s THAT guy again.”

But what makes the Thing an effective monster is that it’s EVERYWHERE. It’s puppet frenzy all up in this Antarctic base. We’re constantly treated to new, creative scenes with the movie’s monster terrorising the ultimate badass that is Kurt Russell. And his friends.

The best horror monsters are easily recognisable. You know Michael Myers by the melted Shatner mask. You know Chucky. You know Freddy Krueger. You know Jaws. You know Slender Man. Heck, you could probably even doodle these things right now, if you wanted to. But The Thing is constantly changing.

CH-CH-CH-CH-CHANGES!

The nature of the Thing is that it doesn’t stick with a single form. One minute it’s a head with spider legs, the next it’s a mass of meat and nastiness. Sure, some versions are more iconic than others, but when first viewing the movie you can never be sure how it’ll appear. All you know is that it’ll be strange and twisted.

This stays true to the “less is more” ideal in a slightly different way. It offers and iconic monster without offering you a truly distinct, iconic look. Sure, some appearances are more iconic than others, but when first viewing the movie you can never be sure how it’ll appear. All you know is that it’ll be strange and twisted.

The overall style of the monster is still easily recognisable. You know the thing when you see it. But the constant change keeps it interesting and exciting.

But that alone isn’t what makes this monster the iconic freak that it is. It’s the fact that these shape changing abilities allow it to look like other people. It consumes its victims before becoming them. Even worse, it can spread. It can separate and continue eating humans.

The concept is similar to that of the Body Snatchers, but a lot more violent and fun, thanks to fantastic creature effects by Rob Bottin and Stan Winston. It creates a feeling of paranoia in the film, among the characters. Everyone suspects everyone and nobody seems safe. Even our hero, Macready, isn’t safe. Heck, he spends a good chunk of the film outside in the snow, shivering his badass beard off. All because everyone inside thinks he’s a flailing monster with creepy spider head legs.

The Oscar-worthy beard of Kurt Russell.

So, when the monster is on screen, it’s a messy mess with some of the most creative creature effects in the history of horror movies. When it’s off screen, it might not be off screen. It could be one of any of the characters. It might not be any of them at the time. You just don’t know, and it’s freaking you the frag out!!!

So, no matter what, the monster is present. You’re constantly thinking about it, where it could pop up, how it’s going to change. Is Mac’s chest gonna explode? Is Dr Blair’s elbow going to become a giant knife that eats snow? You just don’t know.

If you’ve seen the film before, you know who’s the Thing and who’s human. Don’t you?

The ever-loving blue-eyed (?) Thing.

There’s actually a lot of debate over the ending (spoilers, by the way). After burning the base down, it’s only Childs and Macready left to freeze to death. They’ve stopped a space alien from eating everyone on earth.

Except, that might not be so. One of them could be the Thing. Both of them could be. A lot of people have explored these possibilities in videos like this.

Some guy, who claims to have a friend who has a friend who once spoke to John Carpenter, says Carpenter said that Childs is obviously infected since he doesn’t breathe at the end. Or, rather, there’s no water vapour when he DOES breathe.

It’s all very fascinating. The point is, this is the kind of monster that could survive anything and YOU WOULDN’T KNOW. It slept in the ice for years. Actually, Steve Niles wrote a very cool comic book not so long ago, featuring Vikings being attacked by the Thing. It’s a monster that can give Vikings AND Kurt Russel a run for their money!

KURT RUSSELL AGAIN.

The creature effects in this movie are fantastic. They’re gory, silly and creative. But couple that with the paranoia created by the tight script, excellent acting and incredible directing and you have the ultimate horror monster. No matter what it’s doing, how much is revealed on screen, you’re constantly aware of it. It’s always there, even when it’s not.

And THAT, ladies and gents, is why The Thing is awesome.


Well! So that's settled. What are your favorite moments from "The Thing"? What are other horror monsters you'd rank among the best? How amazing is Kurt Russell's beard, on a scale from 1-10? Sound off in the comments!

Tagged: movies & TV.

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