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doomonfilm · 4 years

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Thoughts : The Thing (1982)

When the video game Among Us found a sudden boom in popularity this past summer, two years after its 2018 release, immediate comparisons to John Carpenter’s classic creature feature The Thing began to pop up. Whether intentional or not, the remote location and the sinister nature of imposter presence could not be ignored. Seeing as I had only recently (FINALLY) gotten around to watching The Thing, now seemed like the perfect time to share my thoughts on the film.

A dog finds its way onto the grounds of an American research facility in Antartica, and shortly after its arrival, a Norwegian helicopter follows with gunfire and grenades. After one of the Norwegian contingent accidentally blows himself up with a dropped grenade, the second is killed by station commander Garry (Donald Moffat). MacReady (Kurt Russell) and Dr. Cooper (Richard Dysart) head to the Norwegian research facility to investigate, while the remainder of the team stays behind and watches the dog. MacReady and Dr. Cooper find a malformed corpse they are unable to identify at the Norwegian station and bring it back to the American station for Blair (A. Wilford Brimley), the site biologist, to autopsy. While Blair is in the midst of discovering that the creature has human organs, Clark (Richard Masur) kennels the dog, only for it to transform and absorb the other dogs it is locked in the kennel with. Childs (Keith David) eliminates the dog-creature with a flamethrower, and in the wake of this shocking event, the entire crew attempts to investigate what is going on. The ensuing investigation not only puts true fear into the entire crew, it manages to eliminate any sense of trust amongst the team.

For a film with such a deliberate pacing, the terror and paranoia moments presented are some of the most palatable committed to film. The Americans do present somewhat of a united front (no pun intended) when the Norwegians first intrude upon the grounds, but as the mystery of the creature among them grows, and facts about its deceptive abilities are revealed, the group quickly begins to splinter, forming multiple factions with little to no trust of one another. On top of all of this, from the opening to the closing moments, those ‘lucky’ enough to survive are never given a clear answer about the threat that they are facing, only wilder and wilder bits of understanding about it that make it seem more and more of an undefeatable menace.

Having an unclear, undefined force to pit the cast against works better than a standard monster, as the ability to mix the fear of the unknown and the fear of the grotesque packs a much more powerful punch. The multiple forms that the creature takes, be it part humanoid, mid-transformation beast, or even the traces of an evasive monster, all serve to up the paranoia of both the cast and the viewer. The sounds that come out of the mouth of the Bennings/creature combination alone are enough to fuel nightmares for a lifetime. It’s hard to classify The Thing within the pantheon of classic movie monsters, but it is this ambiguity and fluidity that explicitly make it such a memorable movie monster.

The set design and isolated nature of the frozen location are monumental in terms of setting up the desperate nature that the team faces before any exposition is dropped or any musical cues inform us of the terror we should feel. It goes without saying that the creature effects and sound design in the film were outstanding, with Rob Bottin’s creature budget standing at a tenth of the film’s complete budget. The score, which John Carpenter was more than capable of handling, was assigned to Italian composing legend Ennio Morricone, and his finished product further served to build the epic nature of the outrageous situation, fueling the deep moods that the viewer rotates through. With every role in this film being key, as the number of interactions starts limited and shrinks throughout the runtime, the strength of the cast speaks for itself.

The collaborative force that is Kurt Russell and John Carpenter is a tried and true formula, and by the time Carpenter cast Russell in The Thing, Russell had the everyman hero role down to a tee. Keith David has a commanding presence, serving as both muscle and one of the cooler heads among a group falling to pieces. Donald Moffat also has a commanding presence, but with all the apprehension lacking in David’s character performance. A. Wilford Brimley lets knowledge drive his character, which makes his assimilation that much creepier, as he is able to hide it up until the point of his fantastic transformation. T.K. Carter brings a bit of levity into the situation while also serving as a bit of an audience surrogate in regards to the realness of his fear. Richard Masur fills in the role of gentle giant, with his particular care for animals serving as a direct in for the creature. David Clennon, Richard Dysart, Charles Hallahan, Joel Polis and Thomas Waites also deserve recognition, as the entire ensemble does equal pulling of the weight to carry this masterpiece to fruition.

I don’t usually throw the term ‘must-see movie’ around much, but if there were a shortlist I was forced to make, The Thing would certainly be on it. At nearly 40 years old, this movie has not only managed to escape the label of being ‘dated’, but it continues to prove that it belongs in the realm of films labelled ‘timeless’.

#ChiefDoomsday #DOOMonFILM #JohnCarpenter #TheThing #KurtRussell #KeithDavid #AWilfordBrimley #TKCarter #DavidClennon #RichardDysart #CharlesHallahan #PeterMaloney #RichardMasur #DonaldMoffat #JoelPolis #ThomasWaites

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twaite1 · 5 years

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WHEN VENGEANCE STRIKES, LOVE IS THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME OF ALL

After a Massachusetts court frees accused murderer Rob Townsend, the victim’s closest friend seeks bitter revenge. But Dylan Johnson may be no match for Townsend, a killer with a powerful reason of his own to double-down on homicide—his ex-girlfriend Heather Carter is now involved with Dylan.

As brutal jealousy and violent revenge rage, a mysterious corporate recruiter from Tanzania contacts Dylan and Heather with an offer to leave behind the murder and mayhem for lucrative positions in Africa. Coffie Kuma tells them they’ll be working on “technology with a humanitarian heartbeat.” Kuma’s pitch is persuasive, his stately manner impressive. And since both Dylan and Heather are out of work, it’s an offer they can’t refuse.

Dylan’s attempt to leave, though, could be cut short when detectives unearth incriminating evidence that ties him not only to the targeting of Townsend, but to the shooting and paralyzing of a beloved Boston policeman. Then, Townsend tries to thwart Heather’s escape by blackmailing her with humiliating evidence of her own bad behavior.

Deeply troubling questions haunt both Dylan and Heather: Can they find real freedom under the African sun? Or will it be feeding time on the savannah?

With Shadowed, Thomas Waite, the author of widely published and critically acclaimed thrillers, sweeps readers from Boston’s luxurious condos to the wildest, most remote reaches of Africa. That’s where his sharply-drawn characters discover that nature, “red in tooth and claw,” can scarcely compete with the violence of humans. And, in a unique twist, Waite offers a vivid and ingenious reinvention of Richard Cornell’s classic short story, The Most Dangerous Game.

#thomaswaite fiction novels thrillers shadowed terminalvalue

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