The Thing (1982)
96%RT Audience Score: 92%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Grimmer and more terrifying than the 1950s take, John Carpenter’s The Thing is a tense sci-fi thriller rife with compelling tension and some remarkable make-up effects.
If you’re looking for a movie that’ll make you jump out of your seat and scream like a little kid, then John Carpenter’s The Thing is the perfect pick for you. This sci-fi thriller is so intense, you’ll be on the edge of your seat the whole time. And let’s talk about those make-up effects – they’re seriously impressive. You’ll be wondering how they pulled off some of those gruesome scenes. Trust me, this movie is not for the faint of heart. It’s grimmer and scarier than the 1950s version, but that’s what makes it so darn good. So grab some popcorn and get ready for a wild ride.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-14
Year of Release
1982
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Stereo
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Aspect ratio:16:9 HD
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Runtime:1h 48m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 25, 1982 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 14, 2006
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
The Thing, R rating, horror, John Carpenter, directed by John Carpenter, Kurt Russell, starring Kurt Russell, Richard Dysart, Wilford Brimley, T.K Carter, Richard Masur, Donald Moffat, Bill Lancaster, written by Bill Lancaster, David Foster, produced by David Foster, Lawrence Turman, Universal Pictures, box office performance, Dolby, Stereo, Surround, MPAA rating, reviewed by Scott Cain, Anton Bitel, Adam Smith, Dave Kehr, Edward Porter, Peter Bradshaw, Brian Eggert, Peter Stack, Ginger Varney, David Nusair, Allen Almachar, Howard Gorman, 1982, 1h 48m, Antarctica, research scientists, helicopter, sled dog, shape-shifting, resourceful, gory battle, compelling tension, remarkable make-up effects
Worldwide gross: $19,629,760
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: $19,629,760
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Wilford Brimley – Dr. Blair
T.K. Carter – Nauls
Richard Dysart – Dr. Copper
Richard Masur – Clark
Donald Moffat – Garry
Director(s)
John Carpenter
Writer(s)
Bill Lancaster
Producer(s)
David Foster, Lawrence Turman
Film Festivals
Toronto
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (75) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (62) | Rotten (13)
Such a pity. John Carpenter is too gifted a moviemaker to let nauseating special effects take over his biggest, film, but that’s what happened in The Thing.
November 9, 2021 | Rating: 2/5
Scott Cain
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TOP CRITIC
The Thing is set in an all-male environment, and is as much a study of masculinity in crisis as an update of the sort of siege scenario that Carpenter had already played out in Assault on Precinct 13.
October 23, 2017
Anton Bitel
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
The Thing is a peerless masterpiece of relentless suspense, retina-wrecking visual excess and outright, nihilistic terror.
May 25, 2011 | Rating: 5/5
Adam Smith
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Carpenter’s direction is slow, dark, and stately; he seems to be aiming for an enveloping, novelistic kind of effect, but all he gets is heaviness.
May 25, 2011
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The special effects can’t hope to be as creepy to our seen-it-all eyes as they were to the film’s first viewers, but we can still enjoy the monster’s unique weirdness, and the story is a rock-solid yarn.
September 18, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
Edward Porter
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
It’s pretty scary and entertaining stuff, though I always get the feeling that nothing in it lives up to the tremendous opening section.
September 18, 2009 | Rating: 3/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
The Thing’s brilliance rests on the equilibrium between implied and visceral horror, often incompatible ideas that Carpenter stirs together in a stylish, engrossing way.
March 21, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
This version is so full of “the thing” that it strangles our imagination and becomes a mere exercise in ugly, mechanical horrorifics. Very dumb, very disappointing.
November 11, 2021 | Rating: 1/4
Peter Stack
San Francisco Examiner
The Thing is like The Howling, a showcase for fiber and latex and the products they produce, by and for people who need their nightmares to be completely comprehensible and completely unreal.
November 10, 2021
Ginger Varney
L.A. Weekly
…a methodically-paced endeavor that essentially (and effectively) captures the viewer’s interest and attention right from the get-go…
November 1, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
A masterpiece of horror filmmaking.
October 1, 2021
Allen Almachar
The MacGuffin
Whether it scares you with its paranoia, claustrophobic setting, Ennio Morricone’s brooding score or Rob Bottin’s bar-raising practical creature effects, The Thing’s sole purpose is to get under your skin…
June 10, 2021
Howard Gorman
NME…
Plot
Based on the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria that resulted in her husband, Russ’ conviction, but he insisted he did not kill her. This brutal crime set off a chain of events that would expose a diabolical scheme deeply involving Pam Hupp.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Kurt Russell stars as the resourceful helicopter pilot in The Thing.
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