This classic 1951 creature became the model for John Carpenter's 1982 horror masterpiece. Thing. Both are based on a 1938 novella. Who goes there? John W. Campbell Jr. and concerns a group of Arctic (or Antarctic) explorers making first contact with a hostile alien being who crashes his UFO into the ice.
In adaptation Who goes there?Carpenter stuck to the original text, portraying a highly shape-shifting alien who assimilates its victims and sows paranoia and mistrust among a small group. But Thing from another world much less about the internal enemy than about the external enemy.
In Howard Hawks's post-war production, the alien is rarely seen (and when he is, it's just a vintage guy in a 1950s suit). It is now also a plant life form that feeds on blood. But director Christian Nyby and Hawkes, who co-wrote the film and, according to legend, effectively directed it or at least the inexperienced Nyby constantly deferred to him, are more interested in using him as a nameless, nearly faceless external force that can bring relief to stubborn human resistance.
This makes the film a classic exercise in creating tension through the invisible; it's not so much scary as it is relentlessly tense. He also exhibits Hawks's typical worldview, chatty and slightly cynical, but with a sincere moral humanism at its core. When conflict arises between the inhabitants of a research base, it is philosophical, not personal.
Air Force Captain Pat Hendry (Kenneth Tobey) chooses to fight the Thing (James Arness) to save lives and neutralize the threat to humanity, even if it means disobeying his distant commanders. Leading scientist Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) wants to interact with the alien, study it, and gain knowledge from it. On paper, the doctor's arguments make sense. But without demonizing the scientist, the film sides with the calm practicality of the captain and his pilots against an evil force that cannot be known.
As tense as the film is, there is something buoyant and optimistic about its vision of a ragtag, conflicted team, including coolly elegant secretary Margaret Sheridan and lanky journalist Douglas Spencer, surviving through consensus, ingenuity and spirited debate. But Thing from another world never fully sheds the Cold War fear of an immortal power from above coming to crush society, as reflected in Spencer's famous cry, “Look to the sky!”
Where to watch: Free broadcast on Pipes And Yearor rent or buy at Amazon, Appleand similar services.
Polygon's annual Halloween Countdown is a 31-day series of short recommendations for the best horror movies, shows, TV series and online streams for the Halloween season. You can find the entire calendar here.
