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Picture this: a group of researchers in Antarctica discover an alien spaceship buried deep within the ice. Despite the fact that it's the dead of winter, the researchers decide to thaw the insides of the craft and chance upon a creature estimated to have crash-landed 20 million years ago. This creature, or thing, covertly assumes the appearance of a crew member upon revival, overwriting their personality while retaining their memories. The creature repeats the process over and over, slowly dwindling the number of humans on the base by violently overtaking their identities. By the time the research team realizes the truth, it is too late, as this alien parasite now looks just like one of them, pretending to be human...

This is the core premise of "Who Goes There?," a 1938 sci-fi horror novella by John W. Campbell, who initially published it under the pseudonym Don A. Stuart. Campbell's story expanded...

Lucy Hale has a new horror project coming up, but it sounds suspiciously similar to a sci-fi classic with 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. Lucy Hales acting career began in 2003 when she was a contestant in American Juniors, but she rose to fame seven years later when she was cast as Aria Montgomery in Pretty Little Liars. Hale made her big screen debut in 2008 when she played Effie Kaligaris, Lenas younger sister, in the comedy-drama The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. Since then, Hale has been part of various projects on TV and film in different genres.

Lucy Hale first visited the horror genre in 2009 in Michael Storeys Fear Island, which was released direct-to-video. Her first theatrically released horror movie was Scream 4, in 2011, in which she has a cameo appearance in the movie-within-a-movie-within-a-movie in the opening scene. Hale later starred in 2018s Truth or Dare, followed by Fantasy Island in...

Due to promotional and distribution expenses, a film must approximately make at least twice its budget to break even. Studios These films losses are estimated using budget and box office numbers from Box Office Mojo.

Above all else, studios are in the business of making money, so while they will make an occasional prestige picture, they love horror movies because the budgets are low and the returns are huge. Of course there are exceptions to every rule and some horrors have flopped spectacularly, especially when the modest budget perimeter is ignored.

The horror genre is a bit unique in that the films don't require big stars, named directors, or massive promotion to attract an audience. If it's scary, gory, or has an interesting twist, people will go see it. Throwing a bunch of money on top of that proven formula only cuts into the profit margin, and in some cases...

A dozen years have gone by since the release of director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.’s prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 classic The Thing (watch the prequel Here). Looking back at the project now, van Heijningen has some regrets over the way the special effects were handled on the film, and that he was never able to make the sequel they had plans for.

Directed by van Heijningen from a screenplay written by Eric Heisserer and based on the short story Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell (using the pen name Don A. Stuart), The Thing 2011 has the following synopsis: After Norwegian researchers discover an alien ship buried in the ice, paleontologist Kate Lloyd joins the team at the isolated Arctic outpost to investigate. She finds an organism that appears to have perished in the crash eons ago but, in fact, is about to awake. Freed from its icy prison,...

Warning: The Thing spoilers jump out of nowhere in this piece!

“The last place you want to be in a storm in Antarctica is locked up with a bunch of Norwegian guys,” Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a Columbia graduate and vertebrate paleontologist, is warned as she is flown into the tundra surrounding “Thule,” the central research station in The Thing (2011). The sequestered Norse researchers have never seen John Carpenter’s claustrophobic 1982 alien invasion classic, The Thing. After all, director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. and writer Eric Heisserer’s 2011 prequel is set at the Antarctic facility from which the very Thing from outer space splits at the beginning of the ‘82 film. So the newest movie, which is finding a quasi-renaissance on Netflix these days, is a translation of the prior events by Heijningen and Heisserer.

In the snowbound original film, when exploring a deserted outpost in the aftermath of an as-yet-unknown extraterrestrial disaster,...

To find out what happened to Lars in The Thing (2011), fans will have to watch both John Carpenter's 1982 classic and the prequel of the same name. Lars (Jørgen Langhelle)) is part of a crew of researchers at a Norwegian research station called "Thule" studying a spacecraft buried in the Antarctic. While the ship is at Thule for observation, an alien entity breaks out of its ice-covered hull, disappearing into the station and murdering Lars' sled dog. The alien then begins picking off the crew one by one, copying each cell from its victims to create a perfect duplicate and lull their peers into a false sense of security before striking again.

After Henrik, a mutated Griggs, and Olav are killed, American paleontologist Kate Lloyd (horror queen Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is determined that no one else can leave the station for fear that once The Thing is introduced to a larger population,...

The 2011 movie The Thing features an ending that is anything but straightforward. A prequel to the classic 1982 John Carpenter film of the same name, it attempts to capture the cult classic magic of the original, with minimal success. The 2011 movie's story follows the occupants of a Norwegian research station as they are besieged by an ancient alien menace discovered buried beneath the Antarctic ice.

The prequel has enough intriguing details to keep horror fans invested, even if the movie's original practical effects were replaced by bad CGI in its final theatrical release cut. Where 2011's The Thing truly succeeds is in its ending, which perfectly leads into the opening sequence of the 1982 original, firmly connecting the two movies in a way that allows the prequel's story to shine without being fully overshadowed by its superior predecessor.

What Happens In The Thing's Ending?

In the final act of 2011's The Thing,...

Where did 2011's The Thing prequel leave Mary Elizabeth Winstead's survivor Kate? The Thing 2011 is one of the most unique reboots of a horror classic, as it both served as a prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 movie and something of a remake. The prequel explored what happened at the destroyed Norwegian research base seen in The Thing - which made the eventual fates of the 2011's movie cast of characters obvious to many. The Thing 2011 met with mixed reviews and was particularly lambasted for Universal's decision to paste over The Thing's practical effects with bad CGI in post-production.

The Thing prequel has its merits, including a solid cast, some intriguing new additions to the titular alien's biology and its impressive faithfulness to Carpenter's film. The final scene of the 2011 version even leads directly into the opening shots of 1982's The Thing. As predicted, the vast...

Not only is 2011's The Thing not a remake of the John Carpenter movie of the same name, but it actually perfectly ties into the 1982 sci-fi film. Directed by Dutch filmmaker Matthijs van Heijningen Jr (The Forgotten Battle), and starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, 2011's The Thing focuses on a group of scientists at a Norwegian Antarctic research station who discover an alien spacecraft buried in the ice. Much like in John Carpenter's movie, and the original 1951 film adaptation of John W. Campbell's novella Who Goes There?, The Thing from Another World, the alien springs to life and begins killing people one by one.

Despite the plot similarities to both 1982's The Thing, and 1951's The Thing from Another World, 2011's The Thing is not a traditional remake of either film. Instead, it works hard to fit into the same canon as John Carpenter's film,...

There's a horror movie remake that's absolutely blowing up on Netflix, leaving some film fans befuddled. Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.'s 2011 remake-slash-secret-prequel of John Carpenter's 1982 horror masterpiece "The Thing" is a divisive film that left most fans of the original feeling left out in the cold, but for some reason it's one of the hottest things on Netflix right now. Honestly, some folks who love Carpenter's version might find faults with any remake, but this remake allegedly had a troubled production with lots of studio meddling, and it ended up being a victim of its own marketing hype. So why is it suddenly trending on Netflix? Are new fans without all of that baggage discovering it for the first time, or are old ones finally giving it a reappraisal with the clarity of time? Or are people just confused and think it's the Carpenter version because they share the same name,...

If you've ever wondered if you could survive the events of John Carpenter's The Thing, then you'll be able to see for yourself at upcoming family and friend game nights, because Mondo and USAopoly are teaming up to release the new board game, The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31, and we've been provided with the game's official details and images.

The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31 board game is expected to come out this fall. To learn more, we have the official press release with full details below, as well as a set of preview images to hold you over. In the meantime, "why don't we just wait here for a little while, see what happens."

Press Release: Mondo and USAopoly are excited to announce the release and share a sneak peek at the design for The Thing™ Infection at Outpost 31, the first board game collaboration with USAopoly's designer games division,...

Another week, another Monday. So it’s time for the rundown of DVDs and Blu-ray’s hitting stores online and offline this week. It’s another packed week, with plenty of movies waiting to take you money, so let us breakdown the new releases and highlight what you should – and shouldn’t – be buying from today, March 26th 2012.

Pick Of The Week

Don’t Go In The House (DVD)

Donny is a disturbed kid… A mother’s boy if you will. That is until mother expires and Donny’s world crumbles in on itself. Now, lonely, adrift and enslaved to dark voices in his head, Donny seeks female companionship but drinks and dancing are the last thing on his mind. Mother’s telling him he’s a bad boy and the voices won’t let him rest. Maybe if he just gets a girl home and into his steel lined burning chamber,...

The Thing

Stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen, Eric Christian Olsen, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje | Written By Eric Heisserer | Directed By Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.

Though it has the same name, this 2011 film titled The Thing is a prequel to the 1982 film, showing the events leading up to the beginning of the John Carpenter original, but for the most part it manages to do all right as it’s own film. I’ve never seen the original film, nor do I know much about it, but I managed to enjoy it.

The Thing follows a group of American and Norwegian scientists as they discover an alien buried deep in the ice of Antarctica. Before they get the chance to study it, the ‘Thing’ escapes, and starts imitating people, hiding inside their bodies till it attacks, and starting off a series of murders and fights between the aliens and the humans.

Director: Matthijs van Heijningen. Review: Adam Wing. In the winter of 1982, a twelve-man research team at a remote Antarctic research station discovered an alien buried in the snow for over 100,000 years. Once unfrozen, the form-changing alien wreaked havoc, making its mark in one of the strongest horror movies of the last thirty years. Arguably John Carpenter’s finest hour, The Thing is a certified classic of the genre. Which means (rather disturbingly) it was only a matter of time before Hollywood came a calling. The filmmakers are keen to remind us that this isn’t a remake, that their movie depicts the events leading up to Carpenter’s original. While this is most certainly the case, it’s hard to believe that The Thing didn’t start life as a ‘re-imagining’ of some kind; such are the similarities between the two films. Whether or not you take the filmmakers for...

The Thing 2011 was recently released to Blu-ray/DVD and I had a chance to revisit the film. Although I don’t have the same hate for it that some of the other fans and critics did, I see the film as a missed opportunity that more closely resembles a fan film. The most disappointing area is the over use of CG, when practical effects were created for the film. Continue reading for more thoughts on the movie and Blu-ray extras.

Almost 30 years after John Carpenter’s The Thing arrived in theaters, Universal has released a prequel. Although the story has elements of a prequel and is marketed as one, like the creature itself, this new movie is just an imitation of the original. Any prequel elements in the film seem to have been included to avoid instant fan backlash, and the final product more closely resembles a remake.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead...

Chicago – John Carpenter’s “The Thing” is a brilliant study in paranoia. It is more than a mere horror film. The remake/prequel, recently released on Blu-ray and DVD, is a decent horror film but the comparison to the classic original and some serious mistakes in the final act make “decent” not good enough by association.

Rating: 3.0/5.0

Meant to detail what happened before Kurt Russell and company encountered the dog carrying a creature from another planet, “The Thing” has numerous odes to the wildly influential Carpenter film and fits seamlessly with it (I highly recommend popping in the Carpenter version after this one just to marvel at how they tie together and instantly see a few of the notable flaws of the 2011 version). After a reasonably strong start, the fatal flaw with “The Thing” is that it turns from a thriller about paranoia and isolation into a pretty generic alien horror movie.

By Lianne Spiderbaby

Last February I wrote a controversial article entitled I Spit On Your Movie that was published on Fangoria’s website. I have strong opinions about the 2010 I Spit On Your Grave remake, and I wasn’t afraid to share them publicly, figuring I was entitled to my opinion, but a few readers did not enjoy my idea of free speech (especially when cutting up their precious and pathetic remake). I prepared myself for praise and the death threats, both of which I still receive in plenty as a result. I concluded my article (now housed on my own site) by stating that I hoped to see some nondiscriminatory portrayals of women in the future – an equal playing field for women in horror on the big screen. I had no idea that my dream would come true just one year later, in 2011.

Give yourself a pat on the back,...

In his editorial on The Thing premake, Michael Felsher mused that something had to have gone wrong during post-production on the flick. The film just switches gears into a CGI-laden mess. Where were the practical effects? Well, sadly ... we're about to show them to you.

Sometimes it's hard to see videos that are so mind-blowingly cool. It'll break your heart these effects didn't make it into the final product. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and then you'll be filled with anger as you watch the video below from Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc., the company behind the visual effects.

From the Press Release

An expedition of a lifetime becomes a subterranean nightmare in The Thing, the thrilling prelude to John Carpenter's 1982 film of the same name. Debuting on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack with UltraViolet™, DVD, Digital Download and On Demand on January 31, 2012, The Thing stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World...

With The Thing now in UK cinemas, what better time to bring you this cast and crew interview featurette for the film which is helmed by director Matthijs van Heijningen and stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Eric Christian Olsen, Joel Edgerton, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Ulrich Thomsen as members of the Norwegian team who were the first to face the alien enemy in the Antarctic. And if you haven’t read Maahin’s review of the film yet, you can check that out here.

Antarctica: an extraordinary continent of awesome beauty. It is also home to an isolated outpost where a discovery full of scientific possibility becomes a mission of survival when an alien is unearthed by a crew of international scientists. The shape-shifting creature, accidentally unleashed at this marooned colony, has the ability to turn itself into a perfect replica of any living being. It can look just like you or me,...

An expedition of a lifetime becomes a subterranean nightmare in The Thing, the thrilling prelude to John Carpenter's 1982 film of the same name. Debuting on Blu-ray Combo Pack with UltraViolet, DVD, Digital Download and On Demand on January 31, 2011, The Thing stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World) as paleontologist Kate Lloyd who, along with the crew's pilot Carter (Joel Edgerton, Warrior), discovers a mysterious organism buried in the ice.

When a simple experiment frees the creature from its frozen prison, it unleashes a flood of chaos and paranoia upon the camp, pitting the team against one another. With the ability to mimic the physicality of anything or anyone that it touches, the shape-shifting creature makes everyone a suspect in this suspenseful psychological thriller. From Dawn Of The Dead producers Marc Abraham and Eric Newman, The Thing also stars Ulrich Thomsen (Season of the Witch), Eric Christian Olsen...

At an Antarctica research site, the discovery of an alien craft leads to a confrontation between graduate student Kate Lloyd and scientist Dr. Sander Halvorson.

As with most modern remakes, the knives have well and truly been out since Universal announced its plans to reboot John Carpenter's stone-cold classic paranoia-feast The Thing. It should be remembered though that the 1981 favourite is itself a remake, as are two of its similarly-celebrated and comparably themed sci-fi horror companions, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers and <a ...

From the producers of Dawn of the Dead, comes a chilling prequel to John Carpenter.s 1982 cult classic as The Thing arrives on Blu-ray and DVD January 31st from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. An expedition of a lifetime becomes a subterranean nightmare in The Thing - starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World,) as paleontologist Kate Lloyd who, along with the crew.s pilot Carter (Joel Edgerton, Warrior), discovers a mysterious organism buried in the ice. When a simple experiment frees the creature from its frozen prison, it unleashes a flood of chaos and paranoia upon the camp, pitting the team against one another. With the ability to mimic the physicality of anything or anyone that it...

Blu-ray/DVD Release Date: Jan. 31, 2012

Price: Blu-ray/DVD Combo $34.98

Studio: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ulrich Thomsen check out The Thing.

The science fiction-horror movie The Thing, directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., is a prelude to John Carpenter’s 1982 film of the same name.

In other words, the 2011 Thing is a prequel serving as a sequel to a remake of a movie that was originally made in 1951 and directed by Christian Nyby and Howard Hawks. Hmmm.

The movie is set at a remote Antarctic research station where paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and pilot Carter (Joel Edgerton, Warrior) discover a mysterious organism buried in the ice. It’s not too long before a simple experiment frees the strange creature, seemingly an extraterrestrial lifeform, from its frozen prison. The shapeshifting alien quickly unleashes a flood of chaos and paranoia upon the camp,...

The Thing prequel that was recently released in theaters is set to be released on Blu-ray and DVD on January 31th 2012. We've also got all the the details on what will be included with the release, and it's loaded with a ton of Special Features, including deleted/extended scenes, featurettes, and audio commentary.

I actually enjoyed this movie and thought it did a great job leading in to John Carpenter's classic 1982 film. As much as I enjoyed it, it's one of those films that I don't feel I need to see for a second time.

Here are all the details. Look them over at tell us what you think. Did you like the movie enough to buy it?

An expedition of a lifetime becomes a subterranean nightmare in The Thing, the thrilling prelude to John Carpenter 's 1982 film of the same name. Debuting on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack with UltraViolet™, DVD,...

Universal has announced that The Thing (2011) will be released on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Download, and VOD on January 31st. We included a copy of the official press release, which includes the list of technical specs and bonus features.

Universal City, Calif., Nov. 30, 2011 — An expedition of a lifetime becomes a subterranean nightmare in The Thing, the thrilling prelude to John Carpenter’s 1982 film of the same name. Debuting on Blu-ray(Tm) Combo Pack with UltraViolet(Tm), DVD, Digital Download and On Demand on January 31, 2011, The Thing stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World,) as paleontologist Kate Lloyd who, along with the crew’s pilot Carter (Joel Edgerton, Warrior), discovers a mysterious organism buried in the ice.

When a simple experiment frees the creature from its frozen prison, it unleashes a flood of chaos and paranoia upon the camp, pitting the team against one another. With the ability...

The premake of the John Carpenter classic The Thing is on its way to DVD and Blu-ray, and if you didn't see it in theatres, now's your chance to decide which camp you'll fall into - forgiving and happy, indifferent, or flaming pissed.

From the Press Release

An expedition of a lifetime becomes a subterranean nightmare in The Thing, the thrilling prelude to John Carpenter's 1982 film of the same name. Debuting on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack with UltraViolet™, DVD, Digital Download and On Demand on January 31, 2011, The Thing stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) as paleontologist Kate Lloyd who, along with the crew's pilot Carter (Joel Edgerton, Warrior), discovers a mysterious organism buried in the ice.

When a simple experiment frees the creature from its frozen prison, it unleashes a flood of chaos and paranoia upon the camp, pitting the team against one another. With...

An expedition of a lifetime becomes a subterranean nightmare in The Thing, the thrilling prelude to John Carpenter's 1982 film of the same name. Debuting on Blu-ray Combo Pack with UltraViolet, DVD, Digital Download and On Demand on January 31, 2011, The Thing stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World,) as paleontologist Kate Lloyd who, along with the crew's pilot Carter (Joel Edgerton, Warrior), discovers a mysterious organism buried in the ice. "When a simple experiment frees the creature from its frozen prison, it unleashes a flood of chaos and paranoia upon the camp, pitting the team against one another. With the ability to mimic the physicality of anything or anyone that it touches, the shape-shifting creature makes everyone a suspect in this suspenseful psychological thriller." Full specs inside.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

“Reboot”, “reimagining” and “reinvisioning” are fashionable terms bandied around by studios to try and explain the presence of usually unnecessary quasi-remakes of classic films. Almost always shot through without due respect for the original work, keen only to exploit a new generation’s lack of awareness about cinema history and their appetite for the latest in quality visual effects, they are among the crassest calculations in Hollywood’s sizeable repertoire. A more disturbing trend may be emerging, then, with The Thing, a film so unimaginative that it not only mimics the title of its 1982 John Carpenter predecessor, but shamelessly remakes that film while disguising itself tenuously at best as a prequel.

The opening of Carpenter’s The Thing featured a Norwegian gunman trying to kill a fleeing dog, before the American crew of the Antarctic base discovered some disturbing and unusual remains, as well as the...

The Thing, a prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 film of the same name, will be hitting stores this January 31, 2012. Being released on both blu-ray and DVD the discs include tons of special features including deleted/extended scenes, featuretts, and audio commentary. Thanks to a heads up from Shock Till You Drop. An expedition of a lifetime becomes a subterranean nightmare in The Thing, the thrilling prelude to John Carpenter 's 1982 film of the same name. Debuting on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack with UltraViolet™, DVD, Digital Download and On Demand on January 31, 2011 , The Thing stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World,) as paleontologist Kate Lloyd who, along with the crew's pilot Carter ( Joel Edgerton , Warrior), discovers a mysterious organism buried in the ice. When a simple experiment frees the creature from its frozen prison, it unleashes a flood of chaos and paranoia upon the camp, pitting...

The Thing, a prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 film of the same name, will be hitting stores this January 31, 2012. Being released on both blu-ray and DVD the discs include tons of special features including deleted/extended scenes, featuretts, and audio commentary. Thanks to a heads up from Shock Till You Drop. An expedition of a lifetime becomes a subterranean nightmare in The Thing, the thrilling prelude to John Carpenter 's 1982 film of the same name. Debuting on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack with UltraViolet™, DVD, Digital Download and On Demand on January 31, 2011 , The Thing stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World,) as paleontologist Kate Lloyd who, along with the crew's pilot Carter ( Joel Edgerton , Warrior), discovers a mysterious organism buried in the ice. When a simple experiment frees the creature from its frozen prison, it unleashes a flood of chaos and paranoia upon the camp, pitting...

This year's prequel, The Thing , is making its way to DVD and Blu-ray at the start of 2012. Universal Home Entertainment passed along the following details... An expedition of a lifetime becomes a subterranean nightmare in The Thing, the thrilling prelude to John Carpenter 's 1982 film of the same name. Debuting on Blu-ray. Combo Pack with UltraViolet., DVD, Digital Download and On Demand on January 31, 2011 , The Thing stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World,) as paleontologist Kate Lloyd who, along with the crew's pilot Carter ( Joel Edgerton , Warrior), discovers a mysterious organism buried in the ice. When a simple experiment frees the creature from its frozen prison, it unleashes a flood of chaos and paranoia upon the camp, pitting the team against one...

John Carpenter may well be the master of horror filmmaking, but that’s not to say that someone else can’t tackle his esteemed previous work. In fact, Dutch filmmaker Matthijs van Heijningen Jr’s 2011 version of The Thing could be argued as a brave career choice, considering the 1982 film’s cult following. Not to be confused as a remake of the first, but a prequel – both based on John W. Campbell Jr.’s 1938 novella Who Goes There?, whichever way you look at it, van Heijningen Jr’s new film is certain to spark similar debate over its genetics ideas.

Just to confuse matters, this prequel is set in 1982, and sees American paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) recruited by scientists Dr. Sander Halvorson (Ulrich Thomsen) and assistant Adam Finch (Eric Christian Olsen) to join a Norwegian scientific team that has stumbled across a crashed extraterrestrial spaceship buried beneath the ice of Antarctica.

The Thing

Stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen, Eric Christian Olsen, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje | Written By Eric Heisserer | Directed By Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.

Though it has the same name, this 2011 film titled The Thing is a prequel to the 1982 film, showing the events leading up to the beginning of the John Carpenter original, but for the most part it manages to do all right as it’s own film. I’ve never seen the original film, nor do I know much about it, but I managed to enjoy it.

The Thing follows a group of American and Norwegian scientists as they discover an alien buried deep in the ice of Antarctica. Before they get the chance to study it, the ‘Thing’ escapes, and starts imitating people, hiding inside their bodies till it attacks, and starting off a series of murders and fights between the aliens and the humans.

Some have argued that The Thing, the prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 classic, should never have been made. Here’s Ryan’s defence of a decent sci-fi chiller…

“The Thing has no subtext, no humour, no genre invention,” reads one review. “The Thing is so single-mindedly determined to keep you awake that it almost puts you to sleep,” moans another. “A foolish, depressing, overproduced movie that mixes horror with science fiction to make something that is fun as neither one thing or the other,” yet another critic seeths.

These quotes aren’t, as you may have imagined, plucked from the reviews of Matthijs van Heijningen Jr’s The Thing, out on Friday, but John Carpenter’s 1982 movie.

Now rightly regarded as a classic, it’s easy to forget just how venomous the critical response was towards Carpenter’s film – worse still, The Thing wasn’t a big hit with audiences,...

With a third version of The Thing out in cinemas on Friday, Terence examines why a story originally written in 1938 is so enduringly popular…

Note: this article discusses the 1951 and 1982 Thing movies in depth, but we have been careful not to mention specific details about the new film.

There is now a third movie in what could now be referred to as The Thing franchise. Like the titular shape-shifting creature, the story and basic premise of The Thing has mutated and adapted to the themes, issues and even fears of the various times in which the films were made.

There has consistently been a new movie version of The Thing every 30 years or so since 1951. The original novella, Who Goes There?, written by legendary sci-fi writer John W Campbell Jr under the pseudonym Don A Stuart, was first published in the 1930s. If you take into account the underlying archetypal themes of the story,...

by Jesse Miller, MoreHorror.com

John Carpenter’s The Thing is a masterpiece to me – not only did it meld two of my favourite film genres – science fiction and horror – together, it featured some jaw dropping creature design, a terrific moody score and as a cherry on top, it had Carpenter at the helm building the claustrophobic sense of dread. So I had my suspicions about a prequel – what they could do and more importantly how could they do it? I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised by the end product.

Early on, it’s made clear the very film makers behind this effort are probably just as huge a fan as you or I – there are several nods to the original film, Morricone and Carpenter’s musical motifs and much more. As a fan, it’s reassuring to know this isn’t a loveless affair – these guys know what...

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Its 1982. Big hair is in, and E.T is whipping up a storm at the box office. Meanwhile in Antarctica, a very different E.T is causing a stir of its own. When three Norwegian explorers stumble upon an ice tomb, they find a spacecraft inside, and a frozen alien specimen nearby. Graduate student Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is soon recruited by scientist, and uber jerk, Dr Sander Halvorson (Ulrich Thomson) to assist the team in digging up and experimenting on the alien life form. But not long after Kate’s arrival in Antarctica, the group awaken the deadly alien Popsicle, and all hell breaks loose.

Confusingly given the exact same name as its predecessor, The Thing is a prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 movie The Thing which itself is a remake of the Howard Hawks produced 1951 horror The Thing From Another World. In fact,...

It's only been a few weeks since the release of director Matthijs van Heijningen, Jr.'s version of The Thing, and to tell you the truth, I'd all but forgotten about it until this week's Motion Picture Purgatory arrived from Trembles. Check it out, and see if you agree with his take on the flick.

Synopsis

Antarctica: an extraordinary continent of awesome beauty. It is also home to an isolated outpost where a discovery full of scientific possibility becomes a mission of survival when an alien is unearthed by a crew of international scientists. The shape-shifting creature, accidentally unleashed at this marooned colony, has the ability to turn itself into a perfect replica of any living being. It can look just like you or me, but inside, it remains inhuman.

In the thriller The Thing, paranoia spreads like an epidemic among a group of researchers as they’re infected, one by one,...

Almost 30 years after John Carpenter’s The Thing arrived in theaters, Universal has released a prequel. Although the story has elements of a prequel and is marketed as one, like the creature itself, this new movie is just an imitation of the original. Any prequel elements in the film seem to have been included to avoid instant fan backlash, and the final product more closely resembles a remake.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead takes center stage in this film, playing Kate Lloyd, a paleontologist who joins a Norwegian scientific team that has discovered an alien ship and creature under the ice in Antarctica. They bring the frozen creature back to their base, but of course, it doesn’t stay frozen for long and begins to prey upon the team.

Since Universal had nearly 3 decades to greenlight a new version of The Thing, I’m surprised they didn’t spend more time crafting a quality film.

I saw The Thing this past weekend. The prequel/reboot mutation that just arrived in theaters, not the John Carpenter sci-fi horror masterpiece. I did not enjoy it for many reasons. Really, I did not enjoy it for every reason. But what held my ire most was one very simple moment. A moment in the first ten minutes of the film that stands so blatantly as a tone-setting sign post, a Campbellian action so telegraphed that for the scene to play out any other way than the precognition in my mind would be, I thought, impossible. Well, I was wrong. And for the rest of the movie's 103 minute running time, I couldn't figure out why. I still can't. Because there's no satisfactory explanation for why the film's writer chose to abolish our hero's—Kate Lloyd's, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead—refusal of the call. Allow me to set up...

The Thing scared up enough box office juice this past weekend to have producers thinking about a way to come up with another prequel to John Carpenter’s The Thing or perhaps leap ahead to bring The Thing into the future.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead kills it as Kate Lloyd, a paleontologist sent to the Arctic to work with a group of Norwegian scientists who have made a once in a millennia discovery.

Don’t miss our The Thing review and check out more The Thing quotes!

Kate Lloyd: Not all of us are human! | permalink

Adam Goodman: In the three years that I have known him, this is the most excited I have ever seen him. | permalink

Kate Lloyd: Either someone miraculously healed themselves... or someone is not who they say they are. | permalink

Adam Goodman: It’s not possible. It’s not dead. | permalink

Kate Lloyd...

The Thing scared up enough box office juice this past weekend to have producers thinking about a way to come up with another prequel to John Carpenter’s The Thing or perhaps leap ahead to bring The Thing into the future.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead kills it as Kate Lloyd, a paleontologist sent to the Arctic to work with a group of Norwegian scientists who have made a once in a millennia discovery.

Don’t miss our The Thing review and check out more The Thing quotes!

Kate Lloyd: Not all of us are human! | permalink

Adam Goodman: In the three years that I have known him, this is the most excited I have ever seen him. | permalink

Kate Lloyd: Either someone miraculously healed themselves... or someone is not who they say they are. | permalink

Adam Goodman: It’s not possible. It’s not dead. | permalink

Kate Lloyd...

*here be spoilers.

Director: Matthijs van Hejiningen Jr.

Writers: Eric Heisserer (screenplay) and John W. Campbell Jr. (short story).

Unless audiences are not paying attention to movie news, The Thing (2011) is a prequel that leads up to the events that started in John Carpenter's classic of the same name. Short of mentioning the year of release, to which movie, the original or the prequel, can easily become a running joke just to distinguish which film is the better of the two. Both movies are better off watched back to back.

Even though there will be similarities between the two products, that is only because what else can these scientists placed in Antarctica do? They lack the resources to save the world. But is there anything new that either director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. or writer Eric Heisserer can add to the product? They offer a few new ideas like...

Directed by: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.

Written by: Eric Heisserer, Ronald D. Moore, John W. Campbell

Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Eric Christian Olsen

Bad things often follow a funny joke.

A group of Norwegian scientists stumble upon the frozen remains of an alien spacecraft buried deep in the ice of the Antarctic. A team is rushed together, including paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Dr. Sander Halversen (Ulrich Thomsen), Adam Goodman (Eric Christian Olsen). The rest consist of other Norwegians, along with a couple of Americans, and all together they manage to find one of the frozen occupants of the alien ship and cut it out of the ice. Not realizing what they have - the title of the film makes it pretty obvious to us - they haul it back to base, ogle it for awhile, and then get down to getting drunk...

There's a funny thing about 2011's The Thing. A few things, actually. It's funny that the film is almost a carbon copy of its original, which itself was a remake of another film. Yeah, this is essentially a remake of a remake. Though it's marketed as a prequel, and we'll finally get to see what exactly happened to the Norwegians whose station lay abandoned in John Carpenter's class film from 1982, The Thing is still pretty much exactly the same movie from 1982. It's funny how when a movie like this is almost an exact replica of its original how much it makes that film almost unwatchable, but it does. If this film had any other name, it might have been an all right standalone horror film, but The Thing burdens itself with the weight of its predecessor, and it collapses under all that pressure.

During a routine expedition in Antarctica,...

Opening weekend of the Matthijs van Heijningen Jr-directed prequel “The Thing” is upon us. Fans of the 1982 John Carpenter film have eagerly been awaiting, or dreading, the impending Universal prequel for some time. But before some of you flock out to the theaters to see it, maybe you should read on to find out more about the whole process of bringing this prequel to life on the big screen, along with the creature’s variously disturbing forms. At an Antarctica research site, the discovery of an alien craft leads to a confrontation between graduate student Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and scientist Dr. Sander Halvorson (Ulrich Thomsen). While Dr. Halvorson...

Chicago – With Halloween approaching, what will truly scare us at the cinema this month? One strong entry is this weekend’s “The Thing,” the third remake of a wild and mysterious monster movie. It combines a European-style approach to paranoia with some truly unique monster effects.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

Newcomer Matthijs van Jeijningen directs this version as a prequel to the events in John Carpenter’s “The Thing,” and uses the cold tundra of Antarctica as a character, interacting with the human element that is isolated with a monster they cannot control. The stress of this situation is palpable throughout the film, and that is what sets it apart – the willingness to use simple psychology to generate the fright. The special effects monster itself is one-of-a-kind, created with a look that is fascinatingly grotesque.

An Antarctica exploration team makes an amazing discovery, an energy force that turns out to be a hidden alien spacecraft.

'The Thing' movie trailer features crazy,thrilling scenes & more. Universal Pictures released their new thriller flick "The Thing" into theaters today,and the movie trailer (below) looks pretty damn good as a mysterious creature takes the form of different people. Then kills off its prey. The movie stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Jonathan Lloyd Walker, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Eric Olsen, Ulrich Thomsen, Paul Braunstein, Trond Espen Selm, and Jorgen Langhelle. In the flick, Paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has traveled to the desolate region for the expedition of her lifetime. She joins a Norwegian scientific team that has stumbled across an extraterrestrial ship buried in the ice, and discovers an organism that seems to have died in the crash ages ago. Unfortunately, for them,it's about to wake up.

The Thing, the prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 beloved sci-fi horror by the same name, opens in theaters this weekend.

Acting as a direct prelude to Carpenters film, The Thing (2011) follows American paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) as she travels to Antarctica where a Norwegian research team has unearthed an alien space craft and a creature frozen in ice for millions of years. When an experiment revives and unleashes the shape-shifting alien, Kate and the Norwegian crew find themselves in a gruesome fight for their lives.

The stakes are raised even further when they realize that any one of them could be the enemy in disguise. Battling fear, paranoia and a seemingly unstoppable enemy, Kate and the team’s helicopter pilot Carter (Joel Edgerton) join forces to exterminate the alien before it has the opportunity to infect the population at large.

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Critics are conditioned to pan horror films—doing so allows them to think they are on the moral high ground and shows readers that they prefer to cover "important" award-begging films with loftier intentions during Oscar season—so pay no attention to what any of them say about this weekend's outstanding The Thing. Even though it shares the same name with the 1982 film by John Carpenter, this new The Thing is actually a prequel—and reverent homage—to Carpenter's classic that blends seamlessly into the opening sequence of the 1982 movie in which a lone husky is running over a barren Antarctic landscape and being shot at from a helicopter. In the new The Thing, Mary Elizabeth Winstead stars as paleontologist Dr. Kate Lloyd who is summoned...

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