The Thing (Film)

The Thing is a thriller/horror film released in 1982 and directed by John Carpenter. It set in Antarctica, where a monster from another planet that has been frozen in the ice terrorizes a group of trapped scientists. It performed poorly in the box office, but has became a cult classic after its home video release.

Fast Facts

1. Released: June 25, 1982
2. Studio: MCA / Universal Pictures
3. Rating: R
4. Starring: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter, Keith David
5. Directed by: John Carpenter
6. Budget: $10 million (estimated)
7. Earned: $13.8 million
8. Tagline: "The ultimate in alien terror"
9. Based on the 1951 film The Thing from Another World and the 1938 novella, Who Goes There?
10. Ranked #97 on Rotten Tomatoes' Journey Through Sci-Fi (100 Best-Reviewed Sci-Fi Movies) list
11. Ranked #48 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments list
12. Was released weeks after Steven Spielberg's E.T., which may have attributed its poor performance

Plot

A team of American scientists stationed in Antarctica unwittingly take a murderous alien monster into their isolated research base. It has the ability to imitate the shape and appearance of any living beings that it comes into contact with. The scientists soon have no idea who has been infected by the monster, and are forced into a graphically horrific and psychologically tense struggle to protect themselves from their potentially infected fellows.

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