One of my favorite horror movies! The tension and atmosphere is incredible. The creature make-up effects are legitimately among the best ever put to screen and still hold up against some of the very best CGI.

First off, this movie is incredibly graphic, practical gore effects are used through out and come across very realistically at times. This might not be a fun watch for the more squeamish out there but if you enjoy your blood then this shouldn't disappoint. This is a chilling tale of paranoia and suspense as an American research group stationed in Antarctica come into contact with an alien presence that leaves the crew questioning who they can trust. The cast are fantastic and sell the high tension in the outpost with tight cinematography and direction from horror master John Carpenter, and the music composed by him and Ennio Morricone sets up for a pulse pounding time. Unfairly maligned in it's release year of 1982 and opening against ET The Extra Terrestrial, this nearly forgotten sci-fi horror gem is a must see for anyone who want to put their nerves to the test.

The absolute definitive sci fi / horror film. A must for any fan of either genre

The only movie to feature Mac AND Windows (and a great flick, besides!) My husband and I, being non-traditional, watch this every November for "Thingsgiving."

One of a very small number of movies that genuinely terrifies me. It's not even the body horror stuff (rendered by practical effects which hold up remarkably well), but the way the men all turn on one another. Definitely a case where a remake outshines the original in every way.

From a box office flop to a home video hit, John Carpenter's The Thing is now widely recognized as one of the greatest horror films of all time. Based on a novella from the 1930s and the Howard Hawks film adaptation from the 1950s, The Thing is about a group of scientists in the Arctic who stumble upon an alien creature that invades lifeforms on a cellular level and transforms them. It's a wonderfully made and extremely paranoid movie, the practical effects are top notch, and it's a lot of fun if you're looking to be scared. If you've never seen The Thing, do yourself a favor and check it out!

One of my fav horror movies. Fav effects parts are the spider head, & the combo dogs.

Best horror film ever made, period, end of story.

The Thing was a terrible show. The only good thing about the show were that the transformations were gory but cool. It was kind of suspenseful trying to figure out who was “The Thing” and who wasn’t, but since I hated all of the characters it didn’t really matter. However the acting was terrible, all of the characters are unlikable, so I didn’t feel bad for any of them. Also how the problem wasn’t solved at the start was pretty dumb. Like how hard is it to shoot a dog. Also if someone was trying to shoot it why would they let it into their camp. Also, you would think though after several years together they would be able to ask each other a question about themselves to know who’s who, but apparently not. The ending was like one of the only good parts of the movie because if the show is over I will never have to see the characters again. The alien looked pretty cool though during transformations. Don’t watch bad show.

Good, but not great.

Boy, that Norwegian was a REALLY bad shot...

My headline is "Good but not great" and the kind of questionable stuff I saw in the opening sequence did not heighten the suspense--It made me question the integrity of the direction--maybe even the script. Can it be THAT tough to kill a dog when you're in the helicopter aiming an automatic weapon?? Ans: Yeah, if you want the dog to live and move the plot along... So, the dog's untouched shot after shot after shot...

Other problems: one editing mistake and one direction mistake wrenches a thinking viewer away from the suspense of THE moment when the three (count 'em, three) team members first see the space craft and rappel down for a closer look. I'd get more specific, but will leave it to astute viewers to spot the problems themselves. Bad, bad, bad.

Much ground-breaking care and attention was devoted to the central challenge here: visualizing the alien--and the rationale behind it. Unfortunately, NOWHERE in the dialogue did I find the really significant reason why the Thing continually looks different and goes through so many transformations. I DID hear it on the excellent "making of" documentary--but, unless I missed it (and if I missed it, how many others do?) there's no quick 1-2 line explanation from any of the Antarctic crew. This is a key element that would have given what we see even more credibility.

And it needed credibility. "Less light, less light," the brilliant man responsible for creating the alien's many transformations pleaded when Carpenter was shooting. He simply wanted to ensure we couldn't see the movie-making artifice. Another reason: it's just too, too fantastic to believe, making it bizarre--but not scary enough.

I do appreciate the fact that director John Carpenter latched onto the key component here: trust amongst the team members. Who is real, who is not? Got it. But he kept sidelining the critical suspense issue with those transformational sequences. Creepy? Not so much. Grotesque? Oh, yeah. Is that enough? Not for me. Which is why I say this is a good movie--but not great.

Want a great movie that gives you EVERYTHING? See the new alien feature, A Quiet Place. Ooooh, boy: now that's what I call GREAT.