The Thing

"Anytime. Anywhere. Anyone."

1982 1h 49m EN

🙌

8.1

BANGER

★8.1TMDB · 8,323

HorrorMysteryScience Fiction

Synopsis

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A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.

“Anytime. Anywhere. Anyone.”

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Cast

Kurt Russell
MacReady
Wilford Brimley
Blair
T.K. Carter
Nauls
David Clennon
Palmer
Keith David
Childs
Richard Dysart
Dr. Copper
Charles Hallahan
Norris
Peter Maloney
Bennings

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Carpenter
Writers: Bill Lancaster
Languages: English, Norwegian
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

44 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Norwegian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Thing Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Carpenter, shot by Dean Cundey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Todd C. Ramsay shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kurt Russell and Wilford Brimley and T.K. Carter carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Anytime. Anywhere. Anyone.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Carpenter directs. Dean Cundey behind the camera. Ennio Morricone scores. Todd C. Ramsay cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Norwegian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

144 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Norwegian.
3Part of the "The Thing Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by John Carpenter, shot by Dean Cundey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Todd C. Ramsay shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Kurt Russell and Wilford Brimley and T.K. Carter carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Anytime. Anywhere. Anyone.".
9IMDB entry: tt0084787 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 32 themes, including "spacecraft", "helicopter", "space marine", "cold".
11Released under 18 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Dean Cundey
Original score: Ennio Morricone
Editing: Todd C. Ramsay
Production design: John J. Lloyd
Makeup / hair: Rob Bottin
Sound: Steve Maslow
Stunt coordinator: Dick Warlock
Runtime: 109 min · 1h 49m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $15,000,000
Box office: $19,629,760
Return: 131% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Thing (1982)

Part of

The Thing Collection

‘The Thing’ is an American science fiction horror film directed by John Carpenter. It is a remake of the 1951 movie ‘The Thing from Another World’, in turn based on the 1938 John W. Campbell novella ‘Who Goes There?’ A "remake with a twist" to the 1982 film with the same name was released in 2011.

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John Carpenter

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2015-10-31
★ 10/10
Flips the scenario round from the original to great effect. John Carpenter shows how much he loves the 1951 original by giving it the utmost respect that he possibly could, the only difference here is that Carpenter chooses to stick to the paranoiac core of John W Campbell Jr's short story. The secret to this version's success is the unbearable tension that builds up as the group of men become suspicious of each other, the strain of literally waiting to be taken over takes a fearful hold. Carpenter then manages to deliver the shocks as well as the mystery that's needed to keep the film heading in the right direction. Be it an horrific scene or a "what is in the shadow" sequence, the film is the perfect fusion of horror and sci-fi. The dialogue is laced with potency and viability for a group of men trying to keep it together under such duress, while Ennio Morricone's score is a wonderful eerie pulse beat that further racks up the sense of doom and paranoia seaming throughout the film. The cast are superb, a solid assembly line of actors led by Carpenter favourite Kurt Russell, whilst the effects used around the characters get the right amount of impact needed. But most of all it's the ending that is the crowning glory, an ending that doesn't pander to the norm and is incredibly fitting for what has gone on before it. Lets wait and see what happens indeed. 10/10
fenicka2018-07-02
★ 6/10
It was a good and original movie but some parts were still too boring, am i the only one who thinks like this?
Wuchak2018-08-02
★ 7/10
Stuck on a remote station in Antarctica with… The Thing RELEASED IN 1982 and directed by John Carter, “The Thing” stars Kurt Russell as the helicopter pilot of an eleven-man crew at a research station in Antarctica who encounter a ghastly shape-shifting alien that perfectly replicates the appearance of its victims. This is basically a sequel to the 1956 film and even includes footage from that classic sci-fi/horror. The creature is unconventional to say the least and this adds an eerie component to an already otherworldly and confined Antarctic setting. There are no females and therefore no romantic complications. The characters are thin so the story focuses on the thing and how the crew tries to track it down and eliminate it, if they can. The nature of the gruesome entity, how it functions and how it can or cannot be killed leaves you with a lot of questions. The ending is haunting. “The Thing” may not be as great as gushing devotees insist, but it’s solid sci-fi/horror with some pretty horrific scenes, although only one really creeped me out (the blood scene) while another made me bust out laughing (the torso jaws). THE FILM RUNS 1 hour, 48 minutes and was shot in Alaska & British Columbia. WRITER: Bill Lancaster. MISC. CAST: Keith David (Childs), Wilford Brimley (Blair), T.K. Carter (Nauls), Richard Masur (Clark), Thomas G. Waites (Windows), Donald Moffat (Garry), etc. GRADE: B