“The Thing” is a modern classic in the horror genre and, next to “Halloween,” John Carpenter’s most famous film. The plot of the production is an adaptation of John W. Campbell’s short story “Who Are You?” and tells the story of a group of scientists in Antarctica who must face an extraterrestrial visitor who is trying to murder them. The catch is that the alien can take on the exact appearance of its victims, so you don’t actually know it’s him. At least until it’s too late.
After the premiere, they called the director a “pornographer of violence”. Now they consider the film a masterpiece
The film with Kurt Russell in one of the main roles was released in 1982, which later turned out to be an unfavorable moment. This is because two weeks earlier, the charming and cheerful “ET” appeared on the screens. Tickets sold out and viewers fell in love with the vision of a friendly alien who wants to return home. Meanwhile, Carpenter’s film was too realistic in its horror and was trashed by most critics. They thought it was “hideously exaggerated” and should be “trashed.” On the one hand, they praised the effects developed by Rob Bottin, on the other hand, they thought they were visually too repulsive. John Carpenter, in his latest interview with the British newspaper “T”, recalls:
It was a movie about the end of the world. Its bleak tone was the reason The Thing wasn’t a success back then, but I think that’s why this movie has stood the test of time. In fact, he was a huge failure at the time. I got fired because of him and for a while I couldn’t find any job. But slowly the opinion about him changed. It’s not that everyone is convinced, there are still a lot of people who think it’s crap (…)
The audience didn’t like the ending. People wanted to know who or what the titular Thing was. And this was left unsaid. They hated it, but I don’t care because that’s exactly how I wanted the movie to end.
It’s no wonder that Keith David, who played one of the scientists trapped in the research station, recalls working on the set as follows: – The artificial dogs worried me. One morning we walked into the studio and there were two dogs sitting there – they seemed real. I remember that the puppets looked so realistic that we received a letter from the American Society for the Protection of Animals in which they made sure that no one was harming these dogs – he says.
“Something” received the highest age rating, which meant that tickets could only be sold to viewers over 17 years of age. This also affected the financial results. With a budget of $15 million, Carpenter’s film grossed $19.6 million in theaters, which was an unsatisfactory result for the studio. Meanwhile, “ET” brought profits of PLN 619 million. The fact that “Blade Runner” also premiered in the US on the same day as “The Thing” didn’t help. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film earned 6.1 million in its opening weekend alone and a total of 33.8 million. Side note: “Blade Runner” was also considered a failure at the time. It is also worth knowing that in the same year, productions such as “Conan the Barbarian” (profits of PLN 130 million), “Poltergeist” (PLN 121.7 million), “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” (PLN 97 million) and ” Mad Max 2″ (34.5 million box office profits). It is believed that the audience and reviewers may have felt simply fed up with sci-fi and fantasy productions.
After the buzz about “Halloween” and “Escape from New York”, Universal signed a contract with the director, but, discouraged by the results of the film with Russell, they preferred to pay a contractual penalty rather than continue cooperation. The flop of “The Thing” meant that Carpenter lost his contract to direct “Firestarter,” based on Stephen King’s prose. In a 1985 interview with Starlog, the filmmaker said: – They called me a pornography of violence. I had no idea why they took it that way. “Something” was simply too strong for its time. I knew it was strong, but I didn’t think it would be too bold. I didn’t take into account the audience’s tastes, he admitted.
The approach to production began to change only over time, and the moment when the title was released on video cassettes turned out to be a breakthrough. Viewers were also becoming more and more convinced of the horror thanks to subsequent television reruns. There were more and more fans until the film gained cult status. The production is now considered to be a turning point for the entire genre, with literary critic John Kenneth Muir calling the film one of “Carpenter’s best and most underrated directorial achievements.” Subsequent film scholars analyzed the work and revised the approach. In 2008, Empire magazine included “The Thing” on its list of the 500 greatest films of all time. Right on spot 289.
How does Carpenter himself approach the matter after all these years? In his “The Late Show”, Stephen Colbert asked the filmmaker what he would like to say to all those film critics who mixed up “The Thing”. – I’d just like to spend five minutes with each of them in the room. A locked room. Just the two of us, five minutes each. That’s all I’m asking for, and then I’ll be happy – replied the director with a demonic smile on his face.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
