One of the few stories, if not the only story, told in a way that successfully convinced viewers in under two hours to move from a pro-doggo to a vehemently anti-doggo stance? I've always wondered if owners of similatlr looking dogs went home after seeing this in the theater and side-eyed it for a long time after!
@@gordondavis6168 Interesting point, thought I'm not sure "fellow" is the best description. The Thing, in its more complex forms, seems to co-operate with itself for survival, possibly even being some degree of hive-mind. Perhaps Parker-Thing surmised that head-Thing's chances of escape were not great, and that "betraying" it would secure Parker-Thing being above suspicion, at least until MacReady's plan.
All the amazing practical gross out aside, I think my favorite part of this movie as a horror film is that everyone is REASONABLE. All the characters are doing things that make sense, trying their best to react to something beyond their comprehension. Nobody is being stupid. They're smart, capable people who just die anyways
I am partial to the 50's original. More sci fi then horror. But for me it was place and time when watching the original, usually 70's saturday morning.
@@AI_Image_MasterI think the real OG The Thing was limited by the times, where as this version gets the mood of the written novella "Who goes there" expressed way better. The reviews at release complained that the effects was so good it distracted them from the fantastic moviemaking, it was so scary they failed to notice anything except the monster wondering where the rest of the movie was.... Just shows how Hollywood wasnt ready for John Carpenter or this movie. Sure the effects is flashy and effective but saying its a bad movie because of it is like saying talkies was bad for adding sound which some reviewers actually said at first... Its another new tool to tell stories in a unique, never before seen way.
6:28 The dogs performance is one of the best in cinema. Animals and kids are notoriously difficult to keep focused while on set. Whether its on or off camera, hitting their marks/cues, or just their performance. Doggo NAILED an eerie/focused sense of goals and purpose.
I’d read somewhere he is a wolf hybrid which gave him that intense focus. They had to be careful with who interacted with him and how. I’d like to know more if any of you know,
I’m not superstitious so I found exorcist boring and full of quasi ok fx. Working in vfx in the 80’s kinda ruined me for movies. This movie, however, is so beautifully done, I’m more forgiving of the practical fx. The characters behave more like I expect people to behave.
@@ShanelleRiccio when they need puppets slimy they usually used KY jelly. (When filming alien vs predator the KY jelly was actually seized by customs because they were shipping it in by the barrel.)
This is true, but there's also plenty of guns, and nobody goes for the other ones, especially not after MacReady demonstrates via blood that he is still himself. I think MacReady is regarded as basically even-keeled and intelligent, constant drunken-ness aside. The first thing we see him doing is playing chess, though he doesn't have the best reaction to losing (FYI, the computer's voice is provided by Carpenter's then-wife and tremendous talent in her own right, Adrienne Barbeau).
I'll to explain some of the extra information of why MacReady was put in charge besides the obvious, 'He has the gun." First is the obvious -- he has the gun at the time. The others at the time have knives. (See notes on: "Take over, B'son.") Second, mentioned briefly and posted on the sign of the base, it's a U.S. military / science research outpost. By charter, in time of crisis, it falls under military jurisdiction. Third, while not explained in the film, MacReady is a warrant officer and Vietnam War vet. While not officially an officer, he outranks most of the others. In fact, most of the people on the base were military or have military ties, so they understand 'chain of command.' Fourth, speaking of chain of command, it's never outright said, but clear in the movie, Garry is the Commanding Officer of the base. At the scene where he almost executes Windows, then opts to hand over this weapon, he's officially standing down. He suggested Norris who is Operations Manager, which would make sense in a normal situation to defuse tensions. When Norris refused and MacReady stepped up, it also made sense in a chain of command because he would be a leading (if drunk) ranking officer with actual combat experience. I hope all of this was useful.
This is one of the best horror movies of all time in my book. It does the, “spot the imposter,” better than dozens of attempts to come. It also made a risky move of making a horror movie with no women at all. No romance, no stock nudity, just Wilford Brimley glowering at people. Don’t get me wrong, I love my strong Ripley support characters, I love romance born of high terror, I even like fan service nudity in camp horror films, but I love how this movie decides to abandon all those tropes and still pulls off beautiful horror. Even the jump scares are of high quality and worthy of praise
For me it's the best part of the movie. There's no supermodel that can't act that some knucklehead is trying to bone. I remember reading an interview with the creators when this first came out and they talked about the fact that there was no women in the movie and they referenced the original movie and how fake it felt to have that female character there just to provide some horror movie screams that were a staple of the 1950s. "Why would there be a woman there?" I think is the line they said. In fact there is a deleted scene with MacReady in his shack blowing up a cheap sex doll and that was going to be their one female character in the movie.
Yes, I couldn't agree more. I'm so pleased that it did get its appreciation over time, even if it fell short at the box office. I saw this countless times on HBO throughout the 80's and even surprisingly saw it on movie day in my high school.
Russell has said that part of the idea was that, with no potential romantic partners to posture for, everyone's real personality came to the surface that much more quickly.
I think this might be my favourite reaction I’ve seen someone have to this movie. Your genuine delight, regardless of if you were afraid or confused, was so wonderful to watch.
FUN FACT: The scenes with the team looking at the exposed saucer were shot on the Universal backlot during a record-hot summer. They stood on a white sheet and the rest of the scene was painted in by legendary matte artist Albert Whitlock.
Fair, but slightly more to it. LotF isn't just about who has the weapons; it's about the society that grows around brutality. Lots of fascism parallels. And as we see here, MacReady isn't "in charge" until he demonstrates that he's human. The rest of the time, he's got the fuse of the dynamite inches from the flame to keep from getting jumped. Any weapon becomes useless against sufficient numbers, as the Nazis found-out to their chagrin on the Ostfront.
The ending is checkmate, which I love. If Childs and MacCready are both human, they'll die but they saved the world. If Childs is the Thing, there's no point in it trying to kill MacCready because he'll just freeze to death and it will infect whoever eventually shows up to rescue them. So they just sit and wait.
I particularly remember the summer of '82 being an insane time at the movies. Poltergiest, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, ET, Blade Runner, and The Thing all came out in June of '82. A few weeks later Tron came out leading to me and my brother spending a ton of quarters at the Tron arcade game at the bowling alley with us yelling "I'm derezzed!" at each other (we were both in our 20's at the time). It was an incredible summer for Sci-Fi at the movies, maybe the best ever
"The Thing" is easily one of the best "body horror" movies of the 80s. Another good body horror movie from the 80s is "The Fly" with Gena Davis and Jeff Goldbloom
To be fair, this movie isn’t scary in the sense she probably meant. This isn’t a “spooky movie with creepy lighting” type of movie. This movie is all about the tension and paranoia that comes from the situation the characters are in. It’s freaky in a more cerebral way.
@@markgoguen8698 Eh, I dunno. You're right that there's more to it, but a good portion of this movie plays like your basic "haunted house" film, with extra layers, of course.
@@michaelccozens true. But I get why she could say “I don’t get scared easily” and still be freaked out by this movie. It’s scary in a mindfuck sort of way and if you remove the alien aspect of it, this is something that could realistically happen to a secluded group.
When Childs and McReady are sharing the bottle at the end, remember when they said they should all prepare their own food, eat out of cans? If one of them was infected, they just infected each other. Another theory was that the bottle was gasoline as you never see McReady drink it and only Childs does, and he was doing it to test him. They both probably freeze to death and if one was infected and if they are found, it will start again. This is one of my favorite movies of all time.
That's one of the reasons for Childs thing option. It seems out of character. The distrust for McReady during the film was really palpable and he is well aware of the risks but he takes a sip. Why? I think that because it has nothing to fear, because is already the thing. The molotov theory I think is pretty flawed. First McREady was about to take a sip when he gets interrupted by childs, why would yo drink a molotov knowingly? And why would Childs a perfect replica didn't taste the gasoline? And we can clearly see the label in the bottle it seem to the the same JB bottle that keeps every where he goes...
13:17 “Maybe they were shooting at the dog because they thought it was infected.” Considering you saw the dog transform and all the burned up “things” at their camp that’s probably a safe assumption. 😜
“It’s my favorite length, which is long.” Did she just say that? 😂 Suggestion for next scary season- Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil Comedy horror 👍 Great videos 🤟🥩
she should also do "Cabin in the woods" and no, pls don't let us wait 1 year for those movies... every time is a good time for a good scary movie... even tho i would not consider any of those 2 movies scary, but just amazing in what they do when it comes to the genre of horror/slasher movies
My all-time favorite "special effect" in the category of "practical effects", in any pre-CGI movie is the human head sprouting crab legs and antenna eyes at 17:26. I never get enough of seeing people react to that particular sequence of shots!
This thing came from the dog that you didn't want him to shoot. It's why he was shooting at the dog. This movie just punished you for your empathy, so that it could put you in a paranoia mindset along with all the characters in the movie. I love it!!
OMG It's finally here, Shanelle I've been waiting for your viewing of this! I was the type of kid that idolized people who did effects and makeup, read fangoria the magazine, and loved HP Lovecraft before I knew his brand of cosmic horror. When I watched this when I was only 10 yrs old it both traumatized me and well, traumatized me. You're the best, and can't wait to watch!
Interesting to note is that originally it was intended that The Thing had already destroyed all life on Earth, and that this was the last outpost. The studio made them remove this as it was 'too depressing'. The only remnants of it are the fact that there are no women at the base (so no hope for the future of mankind) and also them being unable to contact anyone for weeks. Every time I watch it I try to remember this was the original intention, gives the film a far more bleak feel, I love it.
What’s interesting is that when The Thing copies you, it copies you PERFECTLY, flaws and all. That’s why Norris-Thing had a heart attack - it had the same heart condition he did.
I always thought the heart attack happened because the actual Norris had a pacemaker in his heart and the creature could only replicate living tissue...thereby no pacemaker to stop the heart attack.
I thought, and that's the wonderful thing about this movie, that was the moment the Thing completed its takeover. You may well be right, but so many details in this film are open to interpretation
I find that the heart attack is lost on some viewers. I always thought that in that first scene where he has chest pain, that he should have taken some nitro pills to cement that in audience minds. Some viewers have said that they thought he was in pain cause the Thing was taking him over.
I love reactions to this movie's opening scene with the helicopter chasing the "dog". Everyone is always like - "Don't hurt the doggie!". 30 minutes later - "Kill that thing!".
Don't quote me on this but I think pretty much all of this score was Carpenter's. There's a Tarantino movie where he used Morricone's leftover score from this.
Well I knew this was gonna be fun - clicked real fast. Neat fact - the Norwegian camp in the beginning? That was some of the last stuff they shot - it was the American base after all the explosions.
Very glad you enjoyed this. Truly one of my favorites. John Carpenter was way ahead of his time with this one. So unfortunate it did so poorly when it was originally released. Almost completely turned around in public perception for a while now, but it hit him hard I think.
What I love about the 'gross out' in The Thing is that it's not just over-the-top slime like a Troma flick or the lasagna effect* of recent R-rated films. The thing is as fascinating to look at as it is horrible. Aside from some shots in the autopsy scenes, there's little lingering on a visual just to let it's gross factor sink in. The thing is always doing something, revealing some new threat, forcing you to watch it, and the obscenity and horror come entirely from it's nature without needing any extra presentation. *When movie like The Suicide Squad show long shots of pulpy human remains that basically just look like lasagna, and much like the pasta dish, even if it's tasty for a serving or two it becomes heavy, bloating and bland as it's served over and over.
The video showing the Norwegian team surrounding the saucer in the ice was an homage to the original 1951 film, “The Thing from another world”. This movie is an amalgamation of both the original film and the story they were based on. I highly recommend checking out the original film. It is a good tight 50s monster movie with some pretty good stunts and tension throughout.
I am so glad I discovered your channel! I watch a lot of reaction channels, but I love that you're so smart about your approach, examining everything from a filmmaker's POV -- screenplay, design, characterization, pacing, all of it. And this is my absolute favorite scary movie ever so watching you discover it is a real delight.
The actual close calls the actors and crew had while filming this movie is incredible. It's amazing no one was seriously hurt or worse, especially Kurt Russell.
I was going to say, just before they tackle the Doc at 13:04, when Kurt charges him with the table and Doc puts an ax through it? That ax was, uh, not supposed to do that quite as well as it did. You can see how close it comes to Russell's head.
And all the running in with extinguishers is because those were real liquid-fuelled flamethrowers that stood a decent chance of burning the studio down.
Still at the top of my list for greatest horror films of all time and the effects still hold up today. Rob Bottin was really sick after all the hours he put into this film, sad that someone so talented and young would go through what he did.
One of the best horror/sci-fi movies ever made. The special effects, feelings of utter dread and isolation is a perfect haunting mixture to make this truly stand out as an elite horror film. A fun little fact: Adrian Barbeau was the voice of the Chess Wizard game and the game actually makes an illegal move to win the game which is why Kurt Russell's character says "Cheating bitch". Another fun fact: The burned down Norwegian base that they explore at the beginning of the movie is actually the U.S. base. They just filmed everything for the U.S. base first and after it was destroyed, repurposed it for the Norwegian base scenes. Another great John Carpenter/ Kurt Russell collab is "Big Trouble In Little China" and Escape From New York".
The underground "spaceship" that MacReady and the others find beneath Blair's cabin is probably not a spaceship in my opinion, despite its shape. The Blair-Thing only had parts from machines like Sno-Cats and helicopters to work with. More likely it's some kind of hovercraft to get across the snow and ice to the nearest research facility so it can find new lifeforms to absorb. In HALLOWEEN the kids that are being babysat are watching the original 1951 film, THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, on TV. That movie was produced (and possibly ghost directed) by Carpenter's filmmaking idol, Howard Hawks. Hawks made a series of Westerns - RIO BRAVO, EL DORADO, and RIO LOBO - all starring John Wayne; the basic story in these three films, "good guy and bad guy team up to fight worse guys," was used numerous times in Carpenter's career, most prominently in ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 and GHOSTS OF MARS. The theme of people under siege from hostile forces also shows up in HALLOWEEN, THE FOG, PRINCE OF DARKNESS, and this movie. At some point years after the fact, John Carpenter began referring to this movie as the first installment of his "Apocalypse Trilogy," three thematically related but narratively unrelated films dealing with characters reacting to the end of the world. The other films were PRINCE OF DARKNESS in 1987 and IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS in 1994. I don't think this was an intentional trilogy but just something he noticed about his body of work in retrospect.
I always thought it was just junked together to look enough like a spaceship for the next curious search and rescue to see, something it can freeze and sleep in, and wait
That's a reasonable idea about the small ship, but I'm not sure we should be making assumptions about what an alien with an entirely-separate biology could do with the tech it found. A Boy Scout in the US ended-up making a nuclear device out of smoke detectors some years back, just as a project.
This is one of my all-time favorite movies. I've seen it countless times, and can recite it verbatim. It's refreshing to see someone laughing at all the gory scenes! I was going to post some fun facts, but you've already been to the IMDB page. So I'll leave with something I noticed a while back: There's quite a bit of subtle foreshadowing; one that often goes overlooked is the positioning of the guys during the standoff between Windows and Garry. Norris and Palmer - the only two present who are infected - are standing off to the side with Fuchs. They were subtly trying to isolate Fuchs while the rest of the group was distracted. And though he's out of focus in the background, look at where Palmer is staring: _directly at Fuchs._
I still can't believe that this flopped at the time; It's the perfect blend of paranoia fuel and body horror. I love that the implication was that anyone taken over by the thing may not even realise they're not human. It's like a sleeper agent. I find a lot of reaction channels don't get the ending, and act really childishly to the bleakness of it, saying "I don't get it, it sucks, waaaahh!" You really appreciated it, though, I'm glad! :)
The Thing from Another World (1951) is the original film from this story, and a similar tale, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), were both superb psychological horror films from the black & white days.
One of my all time favourites next to Alien, Aliens, and the original Star Wars Trilogy. Probably one of the better reactions I've seen to The Thing on UA-cam. Subbed.
Love how much you just enjoy this. I watch some people react to stuff getting grossed out, scared, shocked etc, but like you I just find these sort of movies fun.
This wasn't a hit when it came out. "E.T. the Extra-terrestrial," "Poltergeist," "Tootsie," "An Officer and a Gentleman" all cleaned up at the box-office and this one kind of got lost in the shuffle. But everyone saw it on cable and here we are.
Also, '82 was a really crowded year for the sci-fi, horror and fantasy genres; Star Trek 2, TRON, Beastmaster, E. T., Poltergeist, The Dark Crystal, Conan the Barbarian and of course this movie. Seems like the market was a little too saturated, so even if the film had been better received it probably would have still flopped.
Great vid Shanelle!! Thanks! There is a whole rabbit hole of what happens after with the a Comic Book that tells all about it. Also, the newer prequel is a good watch too, but is unfinished and has its own problems. When you asked about the shot with the space ship: they used a force perspective with matte painting and used VERY white sheets for the actors to stand on a parking lot if I remember correctly-- in normal weather to give the illusion they were in snow. The innovation and ingenuity is at genius level in this movie. The behind the scenes is a definite must watch for movie makers, imo.
I don't think is controversial at all. It my favourite too, Halloween isn't even in my top 3, The thing, They Lived and Escape from new york goes first for me
Yo, I was 4, when my Mom took me to go see this movie in the theater. I remember not being able to eat spaghetti for weeks after that. It really was quite well done for it's day. I also love that a woman, who, during that time, was doing work on the miniatures, and there was a scene cut, she had also worked on, of the thing. It is funny how much of this movie, still holds up, till this day. It really was under rated.
YES MY FAVORITE JOHN CARPENTER MOVIE!!! I saw this on Encore Action Channel July 4th 2002, and it scared the hell out of me! The blood test scene was on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments, as it's so intense, you don't know who's human or who's The Thing. The movie was met with negative Reviews by Critics, calling it dull boring and a wretched excess. But has gone on to become a cult classic and considered to be the best Sci-fi Horror film ever made.
The bodies in the beginning were not "smoking". they were frozen and they threw hot water on them to thaw them. So the "smoke" was condensation in the camp's low temp
It's a great film. One of my favorite Horror movies. An excellent job by all involved. The composer, Ennio Morricone, is famous for his work on a plethora of 1960's and 70's Italian movies including the "Man with no name" trilogy starring Clint Eastwood. (Ennio sadly just died last year aged 91.)
The Thing is a truly great movie. However I wouldn't consider it one of the 'scariest' movies I've seen. I'd describe it as being one of the most 'tense' movies I've seen though. And the special effects are out of this world brilliant.
"It feels like we're on Hoth, you guys" It was probably unrealistic for me to expect the infamous "Is this New York City?" line with a movie set in Antarctica!
Special makeup fx grew by leaps and bounds in the 60’s, 70’s, and into the 80’s. You can think of makeup fx artist Dick Smith (Exorcist), who had a protege, Rick Baker (An American Werewolf In London, 7 Time Oscar Winner), who had a protege, Rob Bottin (The Thing). On the British side, there was Stuart Freeborn (2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars). That’s the short list, as there were many others, but in that window of time, major modern artists were showcased as producers began to see mechanical, makeup, latex, and puppet effects as part of the spectacle and as a way of expanding the types of stories that could be told.
I enjoyed your reaction to The Thing, a movie I did see in the theatre back in 1982 and which I've loved ever since. I'm glad you enjoyed it too. Although you wouldn't know unless told, Rob Bottin's last name is pronounced "Bo-teen". He very unfairly lost the Academy Award for Best Special Effects to E.T. because he did the FX for the horrible killer alien movie instead of the cute lovable alien movie. Those awards are heavily biased. Bottin was robbed and utterly disrespected.
Probably my favorite horror movie of all time. The humor interspersed with the psychological tension is a big part of why I like this movie. "Big Trouble In Little China" and "Escape From New York" are Kurt Russell & John Carpenter collaborations that I will also always watch every single time they are on, you should absolutely watch them regardless of whether or not you do reactions for them (I would totally love to see those reactions though!). Love your insights and reactions, keep rocking it!
Super reactions and great summary!!! Another John Carpenter film I highly recommend you add to your list is 'Starman' - 1984. This is John Carpenter's only film where he received an Academy Awarde nomination. Hope you react to this!
16:08 Palmer's watch is gone. Palmer was wearing a watch earlier, when he talked about "chariots of the gods", but it's missing now. The scene after this is the Palmer Thing reveal. This is not canon, but the dog assimilated Norris first. Then sometime after they talk about the dog Thing in the rec room, Palmer gets assimilated. 20:22 Good catch here, so many reactors fail to catch this. Remember though, Blair was not the only Thing. Palmer was the Thing too, as well as Norris. They both probably worked on it before Blair was locked up in the shack, and assimilated Blair after the scene where Mac went to check on him. Blair was still wearing his glasses then, but not later, when he attacked Gary. 21:17 "We really haven't had eyes on Blair" Love the timing on this. In the last scene, Childs still has an earring in his ear, so, in my opinion, Childs is not a Thing.
Saw this movie a long time ago. Took me also a couple times watching reactions of this(while mostly remembering Cocoon) to realize the Dr. is Wilford Brimley. Recognized his voice.Didn't recognize him without his iconic mustache.
I literally just bought this movie to rewatch with my cousin who hasn’t seen it. Tarantino was heavily influenced by the thing and based his film the hateful 8 on it!
"A single particle is enough to infect us. Let's all slice our thumbs open with the same scalpel, don't worry, I'll wipe it off on my jeans to sterilize it"
Greatest horror film ever made and one of the greatest in general. Not just because of the great cast, ambience, plot etc but because of the concept. Can you imagine anything more frightening? You're on a desolate continent, you're battling an extremely intelligent creature, that is almost indestructible besides against fire/acid, can imitate all life forms and you won't know the difference without a specific test, you have no idea if it's malicious or simply trying to survive, you're dead if it touches you and if it gets to transportation, water or civilization the whole planet is doomed, not only humans. Only thing worse I can think of is utter atomic annihilation.
Im late to this, but ive just found the channel! The thing i love the most about The Thing is the script, it's one of the most efficient ever. The amount of dialogue that is missing is incredible....if it were to be remade today, it would have more dialogue. A good example is when Copper tells Mac to get his flying gear on. Mac makes no verbal reply, he just looks at the sky like,"really? In this?" The only thing that bugs me is when Garry asks," What can we do?"' Twice in a row. But on reflection he's probably asking each character he's with. An interesting little bit of foreshadowing that passes almost everybody by is the pinball machine in the rec room. It's called Heat Wave. On the rear display is a thermometer, the idea of play is to score points to raise the temperature of the thermometer, when you reach the top, it blows up.
Just happened upon your channel, and based on your opener, I had to subscribe. Especially because of the suggestions I hope you might consider. Can't wait to see your reaction
The reaction I didn't realize I wanted, yes! This move is so good and I'm glad to see it with you. I saw The Thing around this time of year the first time, and I might have overdosed on John Carpenter movies that season. So I'm selfishly hoping you're watching another John Carpenter movie for your double feature. Thanks!
Truly one of the greatest films there are. It’s also a great study in male relationships. If anyone at this station were a woman, they’d know all about their fellow scientists. But this group of dudes lives together without learning about each other, so they can’t tell when someone is replaced.
Jed (who played the "patient zero" dog) was also in "White Fang" as the title character. He was hybrid of a Vancouver Island wolf and Alaskan Malamute.
"What did they cover this puppet in?" Speaking from experience as a goopy monster actor, they coat you in KY Jelly. Yep. Now that's in your brain, and it makes the monster that much creepier.
The Prequel (2011) is one of the greatest cinematic disappointments. They scrapped the practical effects for CGI halfway into production and it ruined the movie. The practical effects and storytelling are what make this movie memorable.
Everybody seeing this for the first time: "Don't shoot the dog!"
Everybody who has seen the movie: "Shoot the dog!"
Reactors: "Aw poor dog!"
Janet: "Not a dog."
Everyone "Don't shoot doggo!"
Doggo "RAWRRRRR."
One of the few stories, if not the only story, told in a way that successfully convinced viewers in under two hours to move from a pro-doggo to a vehemently anti-doggo stance? I've always wondered if owners of similatlr looking dogs went home after seeing this in the theater and side-eyed it for a long time after!
KILL IT WITH FIRE
Ya I say the same thing every time too. Read the title of the movie people! lol
"You gotta be fucking kidding..." the most well-earned f-bomb in all of cinematic history.
And…Parker-Thing is betraying his fellow Thing in order to survive. Parker-Thing calls the humans’ attention to the escaping Thing.
just surprised it rarely gets the laugh it deserves
@@gordondavis6168 Interesting point, thought I'm not sure "fellow" is the best description. The Thing, in its more complex forms, seems to co-operate with itself for survival, possibly even being some degree of hive-mind. Perhaps Parker-Thing surmised that head-Thing's chances of escape were not great, and that "betraying" it would secure Parker-Thing being above suspicion, at least until MacReady's plan.
@@gordondavis6168 I believe you meant Palmer not Parker.
And perfectly delivered
All the amazing practical gross out aside, I think my favorite part of this movie as a horror film is that everyone is REASONABLE. All the characters are doing things that make sense, trying their best to react to something beyond their comprehension. Nobody is being stupid. They're smart, capable people who just die anyways
Nothing "too far" about this. One of the best horror flicks ever, hands down.
I am partial to the 50's original. More sci fi then horror. But for me it was place and time when watching the original, usually 70's saturday morning.
Hands down Indeed !
THE best horror flick, Elerad, THE best. Hands down.
@@AI_Image_MasterI think the real OG The Thing was limited by the times, where as this version gets the mood of the written novella "Who goes there" expressed way better. The reviews at release complained that the effects was so good it distracted them from the fantastic moviemaking, it was so scary they failed to notice anything except the monster wondering where the rest of the movie was.... Just shows how Hollywood wasnt ready for John Carpenter or this movie. Sure the effects is flashy and effective but saying its a bad movie because of it is like saying talkies was bad for adding sound which some reviewers actually said at first... Its another new tool to tell stories in a unique, never before seen way.
6:28 The dogs performance is one of the best in cinema. Animals and kids are notoriously difficult to keep focused while on set. Whether its on or off camera, hitting their marks/cues, or just their performance. Doggo NAILED an eerie/focused sense of goals and purpose.
His name is Jed.
@@tremorsfan And he a good boy (mostly)
I’d read somewhere he is a wolf hybrid which gave him that intense focus. They had to be careful with who interacted with him and how. I’d like to know more if any of you know,
Outside of his handler, Jed only warmed up to two people. Ethan Hawke being one of them during White Fang.
SQUIRREL!
Shanelle is essentially beetlejuice when he says: “ I’ve seen The Exocist 47 times, and it keeps getting funnier every time I see it!”
best line in the whole movie!! 😂
The Exorcist? Funny movie? More of a silly movie than funny, I think.
@@t0dd000 Nothing silly about it really. Just excellent film making.
I’m not superstitious so I found exorcist boring and full of quasi ok fx. Working in vfx in the 80’s kinda ruined me for movies. This movie, however, is so beautifully done, I’m more forgiving of the practical fx. The characters behave more like I expect people to behave.
@@ShanelleRiccio when they need puppets slimy they usually used KY jelly. (When filming alien vs predator the KY jelly was actually seized by customs because they were shipping it in by the barrel.)
Shanelle: Why does Mack get to decide?
Answer: Because he had the gun.
This is true, but there's also plenty of guns, and nobody goes for the other ones, especially not after MacReady demonstrates via blood that he is still himself. I think MacReady is regarded as basically even-keeled and intelligent, constant drunken-ness aside. The first thing we see him doing is playing chess, though he doesn't have the best reaction to losing (FYI, the computer's voice is provided by Carpenter's then-wife and tremendous talent in her own right, Adrienne Barbeau).
Good? Bad? He's the guy with the gun.
@@michaelccozens Today I learned that John Carpenter is married to Adrienne Barbeau.
@@ronweber1402 "Was", not "is", but yes!
Glad I could be of help!
I'll to explain some of the extra information of why MacReady was put in charge besides the obvious, 'He has the gun."
First is the obvious -- he has the gun at the time. The others at the time have knives. (See notes on: "Take over, B'son.")
Second, mentioned briefly and posted on the sign of the base, it's a U.S. military / science research outpost. By charter, in time of crisis, it falls under military jurisdiction.
Third, while not explained in the film, MacReady is a warrant officer and Vietnam War vet. While not officially an officer, he outranks most of the others. In fact, most of the people on the base were military or have military ties, so they understand 'chain of command.'
Fourth, speaking of chain of command, it's never outright said, but clear in the movie, Garry is the Commanding Officer of the base. At the scene where he almost executes Windows, then opts to hand over this weapon, he's officially standing down. He suggested Norris who is Operations Manager, which would make sense in a normal situation to defuse tensions. When Norris refused and MacReady stepped up, it also made sense in a chain of command because he would be a leading (if drunk) ranking officer with actual combat experience.
I hope all of this was useful.
This is one of the best horror movies of all time in my book. It does the, “spot the imposter,” better than dozens of attempts to come. It also made a risky move of making a horror movie with no women at all. No romance, no stock nudity, just Wilford Brimley glowering at people. Don’t get me wrong, I love my strong Ripley support characters, I love romance born of high terror, I even like fan service nudity in camp horror films, but I love how this movie decides to abandon all those tropes and still pulls off beautiful horror. Even the jump scares are of high quality and worthy of praise
John Carpenter said that having the cast being all male makes it feel more hopeless and apocalyptic.
For me it's the best part of the movie. There's no supermodel that can't act that some knucklehead is trying to bone.
I remember reading an interview with the creators when this first came out and they talked about the fact that there was no women in the movie and they referenced the original movie and how fake it felt to have that female character there just to provide some horror movie screams that were a staple of the 1950s. "Why would there be a woman there?" I think is the line they said. In fact there is a deleted scene with MacReady in his shack blowing up a cheap sex doll and that was going to be their one female character in the movie.
Yes, I couldn't agree more. I'm so pleased that it did get its appreciation over time, even if it fell short at the box office. I saw this countless times on HBO throughout the 80's and even surprisingly saw it on movie day in my high school.
@@catrissia Man, did critics ever hate this movie when it first came out. You'd think Carpenter had shot all their pets.
Russell has said that part of the idea was that, with no potential romantic partners to posture for, everyone's real personality came to the surface that much more quickly.
I think this might be my favourite reaction I’ve seen someone have to this movie. Your genuine delight, regardless of if you were afraid or confused, was so wonderful to watch.
Confused, grossed out, psyched some of those jumps got me!! :):) haha
FUN FACT: The scenes with the team looking at the exposed saucer were shot on the Universal backlot during a record-hot summer. They stood on a white sheet and the rest of the scene was painted in by legendary matte artist Albert Whitlock.
“This is like Lord of the Flies.”
5 mins later…
“Why does the only one w/ a gun get to decide what they do?”
"Good? Bad? I'm the guy with the gun." - Ash
Fair, but slightly more to it. LotF isn't just about who has the weapons; it's about the society that grows around brutality. Lots of fascism parallels. And as we see here, MacReady isn't "in charge" until he demonstrates that he's human. The rest of the time, he's got the fuse of the dynamite inches from the flame to keep from getting jumped. Any weapon becomes useless against sufficient numbers, as the Nazis found-out to their chagrin on the Ostfront.
The ending is checkmate, which I love. If Childs and MacCready are both human, they'll die but they saved the world. If Childs is the Thing, there's no point in it trying to kill MacCready because he'll just freeze to death and it will infect whoever eventually shows up to rescue them. So they just sit and wait.
I particularly remember the summer of '82 being an insane time at the movies. Poltergiest, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, ET, Blade Runner, and The Thing all came out in June of '82. A few weeks later Tron came out leading to me and my brother spending a ton of quarters at the Tron arcade game at the bowling alley with us yelling "I'm derezzed!" at each other (we were both in our 20's at the time). It was an incredible summer for Sci-Fi at the movies, maybe the best ever
"The Thing" is easily one of the best "body horror" movies of the 80s. Another good body horror movie from the 80s is "The Fly" with Gena Davis and Jeff Goldbloom
Does Ren & Stimpy count as body horror?
It's become tradition to show this film to first timers at real research stations on their first night.
Shanelle: "I like gross things and I don't get scared"
Also Shanelle: "I'm not OK"
😆
@@mikelarsen5836 I'd say pretty authentic. You may go into this movie thinking you're ready, but no one is ever ready.
@@mikelarsen5836 Not sure you're grokking the emotional roller-coaster this film is designed to take the audience on.
To be fair, this movie isn’t scary in the sense she probably meant. This isn’t a “spooky movie with creepy lighting” type of movie. This movie is all about the tension and paranoia that comes from the situation the characters are in. It’s freaky in a more cerebral way.
@@markgoguen8698 Eh, I dunno. You're right that there's more to it, but a good portion of this movie plays like your basic "haunted house" film, with extra layers, of course.
@@michaelccozens true. But I get why she could say “I don’t get scared easily” and still be freaked out by this movie. It’s scary in a mindfuck sort of way and if you remove the alien aspect of it, this is something that could realistically happen to a secluded group.
When Childs and McReady are sharing the bottle at the end, remember when they said they should all prepare their own food, eat out of cans? If one of them was infected, they just infected each other. Another theory was that the bottle was gasoline as you never see McReady drink it and only Childs does, and he was doing it to test him. They both probably freeze to death and if one was infected and if they are found, it will start again. This is one of my favorite movies of all time.
That's one of the reasons for Childs thing option. It seems out of character. The distrust for McReady during the film was really palpable and he is well aware of the risks but he takes a sip. Why? I think that because it has nothing to fear, because is already the thing.
The molotov theory I think is pretty flawed. First McREady was about to take a sip when he gets interrupted by childs, why would yo drink a molotov knowingly? And why would Childs a perfect replica didn't taste the gasoline? And we can clearly see the label in the bottle it seem to the the same JB bottle that keeps every where he goes...
Other reactors: "Ewww!! Gross! How nasty!"
Shanelle: "Hahahah! Oh, that is so great!"
13:17 “Maybe they were shooting at the dog because they thought it was infected.”
Considering you saw the dog transform and all the burned up “things” at their camp that’s probably a safe assumption. 😜
“It’s my favorite length, which is long.”
Did she just say that? 😂
Suggestion for next scary season- Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil
Comedy horror 👍
Great videos 🤟🥩
she should also do "Cabin in the woods"
and no, pls don't let us wait 1 year for those movies... every time is a good time for a good scary movie... even tho i would not consider any of those 2 movies scary, but just amazing in what they do when it comes to the genre of horror/slasher movies
I appreciate a woman who knows what she likes ;-)
Tucker and Dale is absolutely essential!!!!
I think it's a masterpiece, truly terrifying concept that anyone could be a hideous monster that wants to eat you and the effects hold up really well
My all-time favorite "special effect" in the category of "practical effects", in any pre-CGI movie is the human head sprouting crab legs and antenna eyes at 17:26. I never get enough of seeing people react to that particular sequence of shots!
I love how much of this movie you spent just grinning in glee at all the creative grossness. :)
Loveeeeeee gross out 😂😂
@@ShanelleRiccio Seriously when your face was sore from grinning I was thinking 'this is how people are supposed to react to these scenes'.
This thing came from the dog that you didn't want him to shoot. It's why he was shooting at the dog.
This movie just punished you for your empathy, so that it could put you in a paranoia mindset along with all the characters in the movie. I love it!!
OMG It's finally here, Shanelle I've been waiting for your viewing of this! I was the type of kid that idolized people who did effects and makeup, read fangoria the magazine, and loved HP Lovecraft before I knew his brand of cosmic horror. When I watched this when I was only 10 yrs old it both traumatized me and well, traumatized me. You're the best, and can't wait to watch!
Interesting to note is that originally it was intended that The Thing had already destroyed all life on Earth, and that this was the last outpost. The studio made them remove this as it was 'too depressing'. The only remnants of it are the fact that there are no women at the base (so no hope for the future of mankind) and also them being unable to contact anyone for weeks. Every time I watch it I try to remember this was the original intention, gives the film a far more bleak feel, I love it.
What’s interesting is that when The Thing copies you, it copies you PERFECTLY, flaws and all. That’s why Norris-Thing had a heart attack - it had the same heart condition he did.
I always thought the heart attack happened because the actual Norris had a pacemaker in his heart and the creature could only replicate living tissue...thereby no pacemaker to stop the heart attack.
I thought, and that's the wonderful thing about this movie, that was the moment the Thing completed its takeover. You may well be right, but so many details in this film are open to interpretation
@@jwreagan True, but there wouldn't be a need for the pacemaker if the Thing didn't copy the defective cardiac tissue.
I find that the heart attack is lost on some viewers. I always thought that in that first scene where he has chest pain, that he should have taken some nitro pills to cement that in audience minds. Some viewers have said that they thought he was in pain cause the Thing was taking him over.
@@jwreagan That's what they said, with fewer words.
I love reactions to this movie's opening scene with the helicopter chasing the "dog". Everyone is always like - "Don't hurt the doggie!". 30 minutes later - "Kill that thing!".
Thank you for watching this. I love Morricone's score, just entranced by the atmospheric drone and minimalism.
It was perfect IMO. Nothing but a heart beat. DUMMDUMM, DUMMDUMM, DUMMDUMM
Morricone and Badalmente are the best at their craft.
Don't quote me on this but I think pretty much all of this score was Carpenter's. There's a Tarantino movie where he used Morricone's leftover score from this.
Well I knew this was gonna be fun - clicked real fast. Neat fact - the Norwegian camp in the beginning? That was some of the last stuff they shot - it was the American base after all the explosions.
Very glad you enjoyed this. Truly one of my favorites. John Carpenter was way ahead of his time with this one. So unfortunate it did so poorly when it was originally released. Almost completely turned around in public perception for a while now, but it hit him hard I think.
That's my opinion. Geniuses are sometimes not recognized quickly.
What I love about the 'gross out' in The Thing is that it's not just over-the-top slime like a Troma flick or the lasagna effect* of recent R-rated films.
The thing is as fascinating to look at as it is horrible. Aside from some shots in the autopsy scenes, there's little lingering on a visual just to let it's gross factor sink in. The thing is always doing something, revealing some new threat, forcing you to watch it, and the obscenity and horror come entirely from it's nature without needing any extra presentation.
*When movie like The Suicide Squad show long shots of pulpy human remains that basically just look like lasagna, and much like the pasta dish, even if it's tasty for a serving or two it becomes heavy, bloating and bland as it's served over and over.
The video showing the Norwegian team surrounding the saucer in the ice was an homage to the original 1951 film, “The Thing from another world”. This movie is an amalgamation of both the original film and the story they were based on. I highly recommend checking out the original film. It is a good tight 50s monster movie with some pretty good stunts and tension throughout.
OMG! So excited for you to see this! You have great reactions! Keep up the great work!
I am so glad I discovered your channel! I watch a lot of reaction channels, but I love that you're so smart about your approach, examining everything from a filmmaker's POV -- screenplay, design, characterization, pacing, all of it. And this is my absolute favorite scary movie ever so watching you discover it is a real delight.
The actual close calls the actors and crew had while filming this movie is incredible. It's amazing no one was seriously hurt or worse, especially Kurt Russell.
IIRC, in one scene, Kurt Russell was actually handling live dynamite which went off moments after he threw it
@@cluster_f1575 Yup, literally blew him back, it was so close. That could have been an... interesting day.
I was going to say, just before they tackle the Doc at 13:04, when Kurt charges him with the table and Doc puts an ax through it? That ax was, uh, not supposed to do that quite as well as it did. You can see how close it comes to Russell's head.
And all the running in with extinguishers is because those were real liquid-fuelled flamethrowers that stood a decent chance of burning the studio down.
Still at the top of my list for greatest horror films of all time and the effects still hold up today. Rob Bottin was really sick after all the hours he put into this film, sad that someone so talented and young would go through what he did.
One of the best horror/sci-fi movies ever made. The special effects, feelings of utter dread and isolation is a perfect haunting mixture to make this truly stand out as an elite horror film.
A fun little fact: Adrian Barbeau was the voice of the Chess Wizard game and the game actually makes an illegal move to win the game which is why Kurt Russell's character says "Cheating bitch".
Another fun fact: The burned down Norwegian base that they explore at the beginning of the movie is actually the U.S. base. They just filmed everything for the U.S. base first and after it was destroyed, repurposed it for the Norwegian base scenes.
Another great John Carpenter/ Kurt Russell collab is "Big Trouble In Little China" and Escape From New York".
The underground "spaceship" that MacReady and the others find beneath Blair's cabin is probably not a spaceship in my opinion, despite its shape. The Blair-Thing only had parts from machines like Sno-Cats and helicopters to work with. More likely it's some kind of hovercraft to get across the snow and ice to the nearest research facility so it can find new lifeforms to absorb.
In HALLOWEEN the kids that are being babysat are watching the original 1951 film, THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, on TV. That movie was produced (and possibly ghost directed) by Carpenter's filmmaking idol, Howard Hawks. Hawks made a series of Westerns - RIO BRAVO, EL DORADO, and RIO LOBO - all starring John Wayne; the basic story in these three films, "good guy and bad guy team up to fight worse guys," was used numerous times in Carpenter's career, most prominently in ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 and GHOSTS OF MARS. The theme of people under siege from hostile forces also shows up in HALLOWEEN, THE FOG, PRINCE OF DARKNESS, and this movie.
At some point years after the fact, John Carpenter began referring to this movie as the first installment of his "Apocalypse Trilogy," three thematically related but narratively unrelated films dealing with characters reacting to the end of the world. The other films were PRINCE OF DARKNESS in 1987 and IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS in 1994. I don't think this was an intentional trilogy but just something he noticed about his body of work in retrospect.
That was an aspect that was explained better in the novella. All the alien wanted was something that would get it to the mainland.
Nauls: "Where was he tryin'a go?"
MacReady: "Anyplace but here."
I always thought it was just junked together to look enough like a spaceship for the next curious search and rescue to see, something it can freeze and sleep in, and wait
@@bninem1397 Possible, but I don't think so. The last thing the Thing wants is suspicion that there's an alien presence involved.
That's a reasonable idea about the small ship, but I'm not sure we should be making assumptions about what an alien with an entirely-separate biology could do with the tech it found. A Boy Scout in the US ended-up making a nuclear device out of smoke detectors some years back, just as a project.
Alien-thingy, spider-head, breaking away from body.
Shanelle: Oh my god. I'm smiling too much. My face hurts. 👍
Spider Head! Spider Head!
Kill it with fire! Kill it dead!
Look out! Here comes the Spider Head!
My cheeks did hurt!! 😂😂
My mom saw this when it came out, she was 15 and NOPE’d the hell out of it and didn’t watch much of any horror after that lol
I would definitely watch a, “Mom reacts to horror films,” UA-cam channel
@@McBeelzebub agree!!
“Noped the hell out of it” 😂😂😂
@@McBeelzebub same lol
@@ShanelleRiccio 😂😂
"I'd name a character Doc in my movie just cuz" -- this is so true, Doc just works any time you want lol
right its like short hand for "the one we listen to" 😂
@@ShanelleRiccio Stephen King: yes.
A respectful review. The fact that you looked up the facts shows a deeper appreciation of what you just saw. Thank you.
This is one of my all-time favorite movies. I've seen it countless times, and can recite it verbatim. It's refreshing to see someone laughing at all the gory scenes! I was going to post some fun facts, but you've already been to the IMDB page. So I'll leave with something I noticed a while back: There's quite a bit of subtle foreshadowing; one that often goes overlooked is the positioning of the guys during the standoff between Windows and Garry. Norris and Palmer - the only two present who are infected - are standing off to the side with Fuchs. They were subtly trying to isolate Fuchs while the rest of the group was distracted. And though he's out of focus in the background, look at where Palmer is staring: _directly at Fuchs._
One of my favorite movies too. It's perfect, and by far Carpenter's best film. I hate that he never reached this level of perfection again.
4:04 - "First God damn week of winter."
So, is this a Christmas movie?
I say yes, right up there with Die Hard.
No. It's in Antarctica so it would be June.
The Thing was just trying to share his gift of love and kept getting burned for it. Why didn't anyone try and give it a hug?
@@barbaramcgee8933 - Ahhh, thanks for pointing out my bias.
Wish I could defuse the *Die Hard* claim that easily.
@@barbaramcgee8933 - I mean, of course!
I was just asking a question, not making a claim.
I still can't believe that this flopped at the time; It's the perfect blend of paranoia fuel and body horror. I love that the implication was that anyone taken over by the thing may not even realise they're not human. It's like a sleeper agent.
I find a lot of reaction channels don't get the ending, and act really childishly to the bleakness of it, saying "I don't get it, it sucks, waaaahh!" You really appreciated it, though, I'm glad! :)
Best dog acting ever. I love that pooch. RIP.
The Thing from Another World (1951) is the original film from this story, and a similar tale, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), were both superb psychological horror films from the black & white days.
Your reviews are the best.
I appreciate that!
absolutely great pratical effects in this film!!
One of my all time favourites next to Alien, Aliens, and the original Star Wars Trilogy. Probably one of the better reactions I've seen to The Thing on UA-cam. Subbed.
Love how much you just enjoy this. I watch some people react to stuff getting grossed out, scared, shocked etc, but like you I just find these sort of movies fun.
If I remember correctly, the dog was actually half wolf, and this attributed to its odd but perfectly photogenic behavior on set.
er, contributed
This wasn't a hit when it came out. "E.T. the Extra-terrestrial," "Poltergeist," "Tootsie," "An Officer and a Gentleman" all cleaned up at the box-office and this one kind of got lost in the shuffle. But everyone saw it on cable and here we are.
It was even panned by critics at the time, if you can imagine that.
Slight reappraisal thereafter.
I saw in the theater and loved it much more than ET.
It was also dismissed by a lot of people at the time as "just a gory horror remake".
Also, '82 was a really crowded year for the sci-fi, horror and fantasy genres; Star Trek 2, TRON, Beastmaster, E. T., Poltergeist, The Dark Crystal, Conan the Barbarian and of course this movie.
Seems like the market was a little too saturated, so even if the film had been better received it probably would have still flopped.
@@redpillfreedom6692 Aside from ET and Poltergeist, I'm not seeing anything on the list that would really compete with the Thing.
Shanelle in movie heaven when Doc gets his arms bitten off haha classic thanks Shanelle!
Great vid Shanelle!! Thanks! There is a whole rabbit hole of what happens after with the a Comic Book that tells all about it. Also, the newer prequel is a good watch too, but is unfinished and has its own problems. When you asked about the shot with the space ship: they used a force perspective with matte painting and used VERY white sheets for the actors to stand on a parking lot if I remember correctly-- in normal weather to give the illusion they were in snow. The innovation and ingenuity is at genius level in this movie. The behind the scenes is a definite must watch for movie makers, imo.
Love this movie! This may be controversial but it’s actually my favorite carpenter film even over Halloween
I thought this was way more tense and scary!! But Halloween is more plausible so I’m not sure which i prefer!? Too hard
Don't worry, everyone's grabbing their torches and pitchforks coz of Rich Evans so they probably didn't notice :P
I don't think is controversial at all. It my favourite too, Halloween isn't even in my top 3, The thing, They Lived and Escape from new york goes first for me
The first DVD I ever bought. Great commentary by the cast and lots of behind the scenes stories!
Awesome Work Lady, Thanks ❤️❤️ Greetings from Helsinki, Finland 🇫🇮🇺🇸🇫🇮🇺🇸🇫🇮🇺🇸
You uplaoded this just in time!
Yo, I was 4, when my Mom took me to go see this movie in the theater. I remember not being able to eat spaghetti for weeks after that. It really was quite well done for it's day. I also love that a woman, who, during that time, was doing work on the miniatures, and there was a scene cut, she had also worked on, of the thing. It is funny how much of this movie, still holds up, till this day. It really was under rated.
Holy shit! Did she know what you two were going to see??
4? Really
YES MY FAVORITE JOHN CARPENTER MOVIE!!! I saw this on Encore Action Channel July 4th 2002, and it scared the hell out of me! The blood test scene was on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments, as it's so intense, you don't know who's human or who's The Thing. The movie was met with negative Reviews by Critics, calling it dull boring and a wretched excess. But has gone on to become a cult classic and considered to be the best Sci-fi Horror film ever made.
The bodies in the beginning were not "smoking". they were frozen and they threw hot water on them to thaw them. So the "smoke" was condensation in the camp's low temp
I love the fact that you were giggling during the gross out parts lol
"Hoth? They should call it Coldth!"
"Settle down..."
It's a great film. One of my favorite Horror movies. An excellent job by all involved. The composer, Ennio Morricone, is famous for his work on a plethora of 1960's and 70's Italian movies including the "Man with no name" trilogy starring Clint Eastwood. (Ennio sadly just died last year aged 91.)
I did see it in a theatre when it first came out and immediately loved it. It is my favorite horror movie of all time. Glad you liked it too.
Wild that it was so poorly received at the time. Good to hear that at least some people appreciated it
great analysis. one of the best i've seen.
The Thing is a truly great movie. However I wouldn't consider it one of the 'scariest' movies I've seen. I'd describe it as being one of the most 'tense' movies I've seen though. And the special effects are out of this world brilliant.
'Sci-Fi Thriller' is how I would describe it. Alien was 'Sci-Fi Horror'.
"It feels like we're on Hoth, you guys"
It was probably unrealistic for me to expect the infamous "Is this New York City?" line with a movie set in Antarctica!
I know I need to exercise my restraint with that one 😂😂
"It was probably unrealistic for me to expect..." How long have u been a subscriber? XD
Special makeup fx grew by leaps and bounds in the 60’s, 70’s, and into the 80’s. You can think of makeup fx artist Dick Smith (Exorcist), who had a protege, Rick Baker (An American Werewolf In London, 7 Time Oscar Winner), who had a protege, Rob Bottin (The Thing).
On the British side, there was Stuart Freeborn (2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars).
That’s the short list, as there were many others, but in that window of time, major modern artists were showcased as producers began to see mechanical, makeup, latex, and puppet effects as part of the spectacle and as a way of expanding the types of stories that could be told.
The FX director,Rob Bottin (pronounced Bow-TEEN) ended up in the hospital during filming due to working 20-hour days non-stop on the creatures.
13:25 No, he *KNEW* the dog was infected. Though "infected" isn't really the right word, The dog was more like an imposter.
I enjoyed your reaction to The Thing, a movie I did see in the theatre back in 1982 and which I've loved ever since. I'm glad you enjoyed it too. Although you wouldn't know unless told, Rob Bottin's last name is pronounced "Bo-teen". He very unfairly lost the Academy Award for Best Special Effects to E.T. because he did the FX for the horrible killer alien movie instead of the cute lovable alien movie. Those awards are heavily biased. Bottin was robbed and utterly disrespected.
Probably my favorite horror movie of all time. The humor interspersed with the psychological tension is a big part of why I like this movie. "Big Trouble In Little China" and "Escape From New York" are Kurt Russell & John Carpenter collaborations that I will also always watch every single time they are on, you should absolutely watch them regardless of whether or not you do reactions for them (I would totally love to see those reactions though!). Love your insights and reactions, keep rocking it!
Super reactions and great summary!!! Another John Carpenter film I highly recommend you add to your list is 'Starman' - 1984. This is John Carpenter's only film where he received an Academy Awarde nomination. Hope you react to this!
You chould watch Kurt Russell in Escape From New York
The "cut yourself and check the blood to see if you're a shapeshifting imposter" plot device was re-used in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Every single reaction to this starts with....no please don't shoot the dog...and everytime a maniacal grin spreads across my face...
16:08 Palmer's watch is gone. Palmer was wearing a watch earlier, when he talked about "chariots of the gods", but it's missing now. The scene after this is the Palmer Thing reveal. This is not canon, but the dog assimilated Norris first. Then sometime after they talk about the dog Thing in the rec room, Palmer gets assimilated. 20:22 Good catch here, so many reactors fail to catch this. Remember though, Blair was not the only Thing. Palmer was the Thing too, as well as Norris. They both probably worked on it before Blair was locked up in the shack, and assimilated Blair after the scene where Mac went to check on him. Blair was still wearing his glasses then, but not later, when he attacked Gary. 21:17 "We really haven't had eyes on Blair" Love the timing on this. In the last scene, Childs still has an earring in his ear, so, in my opinion, Childs is not a Thing.
Excellent
Saw this movie a long time ago. Took me also a couple times watching reactions of this(while mostly remembering Cocoon) to realize the Dr. is Wilford Brimley. Recognized his voice.Didn't recognize him without his iconic mustache.
I literally just bought this movie to rewatch with my cousin who hasn’t seen it. Tarantino was heavily influenced by the thing and based his film the hateful 8 on it!
The pinnacle of practical effects right here!
Shanelle: "Don't shoot the dog!"
Shanelle 5 minutes later: "I'm sorry for what I said and I take it all back."
"A single particle is enough to infect us. Let's all slice our thumbs open with the same scalpel, don't worry, I'll wipe it off on my jeans to sterilize it"
Just as good as an Autoclave in my opinion...
Never underestimate the sterilisation powers of tight jeans.
Greatest horror film ever made and one of the greatest in general. Not just because of the great cast, ambience, plot etc but because of the concept. Can you imagine anything more frightening? You're on a desolate continent, you're battling an extremely intelligent creature, that is almost indestructible besides against fire/acid, can imitate all life forms and you won't know the difference without a specific test, you have no idea if it's malicious or simply trying to survive, you're dead if it touches you and if it gets to transportation, water or civilization the whole planet is doomed, not only humans. Only thing worse I can think of is utter atomic annihilation.
Im late to this, but ive just found the channel!
The thing i love the most about The Thing is the script, it's one of the most efficient ever. The amount of dialogue that is missing is incredible....if it were to be remade today, it would have more dialogue. A good example is when Copper tells Mac to get his flying gear on. Mac makes no verbal reply, he just looks at the sky like,"really? In this?"
The only thing that bugs me is when Garry asks," What can we do?"' Twice in a row. But on reflection he's probably asking each character he's with.
An interesting little bit of foreshadowing that passes almost everybody by is the pinball machine in the rec room.
It's called Heat Wave. On the rear display is a thermometer, the idea of play is to score points to raise the temperature of the thermometer, when you reach the top, it blows up.
Just happened upon your channel, and based on your opener, I had to subscribe. Especially because of the suggestions I hope you might consider. Can't wait to see your reaction
The reaction I didn't realize I wanted, yes! This move is so good and I'm glad to see it with you. I saw The Thing around this time of year the first time, and I might have overdosed on John Carpenter movies that season. So I'm selfishly hoping you're watching another John Carpenter movie for your double feature. Thanks!
Truly one of the greatest films there are. It’s also a great study in male relationships. If anyone at this station were a woman, they’d know all about their fellow scientists. But this group of dudes lives together without learning about each other, so they can’t tell when someone is replaced.
Genders are not monolithic.
@@woodbbl Tangential and irrelevant.
Jed (who played the "patient zero" dog) was also in "White Fang" as the title character. He was hybrid of a Vancouver Island wolf and Alaskan Malamute.
Yes, those empty rooms, barrels, all creates a fantastic sense of isolation and dread....
"What did they cover this puppet in?"
Speaking from experience as a goopy monster actor, they coat you in KY Jelly. Yep. Now that's in your brain, and it makes the monster that much creepier.
I feel sorry the poor guy that had to go to the store to buy a dozen jars of KY Jelly at the local Woolworths.
"That's some party you're having."
@@user-dz6fy6qv2l I think they buy the big drums of farm lubricant. Don't want to buy out all the local stores.
The Prequel (2011) is one of the greatest cinematic disappointments. They scrapped the practical effects for CGI halfway into production and it ruined the movie. The practical effects and storytelling are what make this movie memorable.
Too true. The cgi was initially supposed to smooth out some practical issues and ended up covering everything that was good. 😲
Come for the reactions and stay for the delighted cackling. That's the Shanelle Riccio difference.
18:30 Yay. Good seeing you affected by that jump scare. :)
31:24 - That's what she said! XD
Great reaction, Shanelle.
Literally every reactor: “don’t shoot the doggo”
The rest of the internet: “Shhhhhhhhh”
18:31 Yes! Finally got you. 😆
You're so tough, I was worrying you'd lol all the way through. 😁
Yes Shanelle, the dog is trying to warn them that humans were the real monsters all along.