Hard to compete with Carpenter's more gruesomely apocalyptic and atmospheric vision of the same material but a lot of the remote, isolated, frosted imagery is still very good and it's a lot of fun to see Hawks' more relaxed, economical approach to professional group dynamics under pressure slammed headfirst into 50s Cold War sci-fi creature-horror short story paranoia. How lowkey and level-headed it frequently manages to be gives it an interesting tension with its more pulpy elements like the giant saucer in the snow, the mysteriously dismembered/re-animated (carrot?) arm, every tangible appearance of the monster itself including the now pretty iconic and insane kerosene stunt—all handled with some very simple but effective blocking and lighting tricks. The reasons why are…

Christian Nyby's "The Thing from Another World" is a nicely executed slice of mid-century horror. It is well shot, assuredly directed, and thick with dialogue. Its major issue is that, despite its memorable moments, the film is dry, bordering on stale, and that there is little action to go with all the chatter. Still, it is a neatly made piece of horror worthy of its fondly held status.

In a remote arctic research facility, a team a scientists and other professionals discover a humanoid creature frozen in the ice. When the creature thaws out, it becomes a destructive, terrorizing force. This well known premise lends itself to a solid story. Blending scientific jargon, militaristic bravado, and a healthy dose of…

We all feel sorry for the scientist and kinda agree with him, right? Ok, moving on.

I knew I would love this, and I did, but it was not at all what I was expecting. You've got to see this at least twice, the jokes are so perfect and the interactions so fast that I can't imagine anyone catching all of them in one watch. Films like this aren't abundant now, and it's truly impressive to see actors shoot their lines back and forth like it's a race, AND add emotion to their delivery. THE THING is about a bunch of people hanging out, the monster featured much less than usual. The humor is balanced perfectly with terror, each one…

This is the “Impossible Burger” version of the original novella. Plant-based humanoids? Feh!

The story is familiar but this is an entirely different experience than John Carpenter’s 1982 remake. This version strays further from the original source material “Who Goes There?”, which describes a shape-shifting creature, not a vampiric plant-based hulk. There’s a distinct “scientists vs. soldiers” theme, and you can even see the inspiration for Alien (1979), as the scientists and their superiors fight to preserve this new species despite its attack on an isolated and underpowered crew. Overall this version is far lighter and more optimistic.

There’s plenty to like and many similarities between the two films. The acting is quite good, doing a fine job with the dialogue…

I love this movie so, so, so much.

I love the warmth and generosity of its central, improvised team. I love the way problem solving is done together, rather than deferring to the ideas of one person, based purely on their rank or status.

I love the constant interruptions and side conversations that sometimes obscure the audio, but also feel just like real life. I love the way no one waits for one another to stop talking before they speak, and people on the margins of scenes are often commenting on the action to one another, coworkers and friends who have developed a rhythm and connection over their time together.

I love the affection between and among the men, and…

When a gigantic and unknown flying object crashes near a scientific-military outpost based in polar ice, observers are faced with the frozen body of an alien creature, endowed with an organism similar to that of a vegetable that feeds on blood and is able to regenerate. Like most science fiction films of the Fifties, The Thing from Another World stems as much from the growing fascination for the conquest of space as from the political tensions that fuel the paranoia of a communist invasion. And if the film works very well even just in terms of pure entertainment, it is not difficult to guess a subtext that refers directly to the cold war climate present at that time. At the…