Retro Review: John Carpenter's The Thing (1982)

Yes, many have reviewed, re-reviewed, and written at length about John Carpenter's classic hybrid of sci-fi and horror. Hell, we've done so here on this site. But having had the pleasure of catching The Thing on the big screen this past weekend, I felt it wise to chime in once again.

This was the first time I'd watched the movie on the big screen, and it was the old Cinema 1 at our Paramount Theatre too. An old-school theatre to catch an old-school movie! And it was pretty much a packed house.

I've seen The Thing countless time, and knew the scares were coming. But it didn't take long to get caught up in the crowd. Soon we were all jumping in sync with the jolts as they happened. We laughed at the few moments of comic relief, and the film received applause at its conclusion. It was seeing it again for the first time.

As for The Thing itself; Rob Bottin's practical effects haven't aged a day. In fact, they're still more convincing than the CGI we see today. Carpenter and company knew what they were doing, and proved traditional filmmaking is still the best.

Big thanks to Kamloops Film Society and Drunk in a Graveyard for bringing John Carpenter's The Thing to town. It has been, and always will be, a Good.

Wanna keep track of their screenings? Hit 'em up right here!

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