Comments | narfnitsirk: The Thing. Squee.

narfnitsirk

The Thing. Squee.

Oct 26, 2010 12:40

What makes The Thing one of the most awesomest movies ever? I will side step the obvious (and correct) answer of "EVERYTHING!"

The setting: Stephen King has made a career of trapping his characters and watching what happens. Whether he traps them in a car with a rabid St. Bernard outside, traps them in a snowed in hotel, or in his most recent, just ( Read more... )

Comments 18

Ooops...works cited narfnitsirk October 26 2010, 16:42:31 UTC

John Kenneth Muir's website
http://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision.blogspot.com/2009/06/cult-movie-review-john-carpenters-thing.html

The Thing: No Thing to Cheer About. Linda Gross. Los Angeles Times. (June 25, 1982): p15. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec. Vol. 161. Detroit: Gale, 2003. From Literature Resource Center.

Awesome yes, no need to contextualize anonymous October 26 2010, 17:41:09 UTC

You won't slide my The Thing into the academic discussions of AIDS or the Red Scare. For me this is just a perfect horror movie. The fact that you can make bigger society comparisons shows it's timelessness(ness). Here, I'll go quasi-academic about it: John Carpenter's 1982 film The Thing pre-dates the current terrorist threat, but the paranoia and fear about a faceless threat that can be embodied in the person next to you resonates in a post 9/11 world.

It's much more fun to just say this movie kicks ass and leave it at that.

Dave J

Re: Awesome yes, no need to contextualize narfnitsirk October 27 2010, 00:43:42 UTC

But...being in an academic program studying pop fiction, I think dissecting and contextualizing these stories is the most fun part...

knowmebymylaugh October 26 2010, 19:45:34 UTC

I'm pretty sure I only saw random snippets of "The Thing" on TV back in the 90's, but that was enough to sell me on it. I should rent it so I can actually watch it from start to finish.

narfnitsirk October 27 2010, 00:44:02 UTC

When you live with me you won't have to rent it.

random parallell glowinghope October 27 2010, 00:21:34 UTC

Last week I was behind a car who had a license plate frame that read: "I'd rather be watching The Thing."

Re: random parallell narfnitsirk October 27 2010, 00:42:56 UTC

They are lucky I wasn't in a car behind them. I'd run them off the road, pry the plate frame off their car, and proudly display it on my own.

yoicksandaway October 27 2010, 02:51:25 UTC

This is likely my favorite horror flick. I love how Carpenter out-Cronenbergs Cronenberg with the film's icky body transformations.

And that hair and beard. MacReady is totally Jesus With Dynamite.

ext_287029 October 29 2010, 16:22:39 UTC

OMG I think I love you.

"And that hair and beard. MacReady is totally Jesus With Dynamite."