HALLOWEENTOWN, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Every day this month, resident horror movie enthusiast and 828newsNOW staff reporter Pruett Norris is recommending a Halloween film for your macabre amusement.
Whether they be monster movies or fearsome family films, demonic possessions or slasher sensations, this exercise hopes to encourage spooky seasonal “scream”ings at home or in cinemas.
As the old saying goes, “trick or treat, trick or treat, give me something good to…watch.”
Day 17: THE THING (1982, 109 min., directed by John Carpenter)
Sometimes the old master is revered for a reason.
John Carpenter is the mind behind horror classics “Halloween” (1978) and “The Thing” (1982), two films that changed the genre forever. “Halloween” will be explored further in a future 828boosNOW, but “The Thing” is worth its own examination too.
“The Thing” is ostensibly a remake of 1951’s “A Thing From Another World,” but is vastly different in terms of its tone and gory execution.
The film follows a group of scientists in a remote Antarctica research station who are terrorized by a shapeshifting, parasitic alien. The Thing can take over any living organism it touches, absorbing them and transforming into an exact copy, albeit with a penchant for insect-like antenna and large, protruding sets of teeth.
Because of the nature of its copycat skills, the scientists are soon driven to paranoia as they attempt to suss out who among them is a Thing and who remains as they appear.
Kurt Russell leads a stellar cast. The film is as tense and claustrophobic as it is exploding with fireballs and gruesome practical effects. There is one early scene in particular with perhaps the greatest dog actor ever put to film, and it would be a challenge not to scream when it reveals its hand.
“The Thing” is just the thing you need for a chilly October night in. Just maybe keep the dog in another room.
“The Thing” is available to stream on Prime Video or with a Peacock subscription.
Looking for more October movie recommendations? Read the rest of the 828boosNOW archive:
DAY 1: BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
DAY 3: A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS
DAY 5: SCOOBY-DOO! AND THE WITCH’S GHOST
DAY 7: THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT
DAY 8: THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
DAY 14: KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE