Directed by John Carpenter, The Thing is everything you could want in a classic horror movie: isolated location, an unknown entity, gore galore (amazing special effects before their time!), and a nice escalation leading to a very suspenseful ending. Of course it also trots out some classic horror movie tropes, but with Kurt Russell in the lead, you know it will all be okay.
Set during the winter in Antarctica at a U.S. research station, the small group of men working there are trying to figure out why a Norwegian helicopter crashed and burned near their base. After looking further and discovering at the nearby Norwegian base that everyone is missing or dead, they also discover an alien being they believe to be the culprit. So of course, in classic horror-movie hubris, they take it back to their base. And surprise…it doesn’t like them either! As the alien secretly invades their bodies one by one, they turn on one another, finally devising a plan to escape The Thing before it destroys them all!
- Top Scare: Too many to pick (all involve alien)
- Heartbeats: 4 out of 5
- Gore Factor: 5 out of 5
- Suspense Factor: 4 out of 5
- Recommended for: 17 and up, due to extreme gore