JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN: A LOOK AT ADAM’S FAVORITE HORROR FILM OF ALL TIME!
Tis the spooky season and given that I was asked by a handful of folks what my all-time favorite horror film is while at the recent HorrorFest International Film Festival here in St. George, UT, I thought this would be as good a time as any to answer such a loaded question. Firstly, let it be known that I have many Go-To’s when it comes to horror, “The Exorcist,” “The Shining,” “Poltergeist,” “Dawn of the Dead” (1978), “Jaws,” and “Psycho” high among them. I also have plenty of titles that I don’t go through a Halloween season without watching at least once (I’m looking at you, “Creepshow,” “Halloween,” and “Trick ‘R Treat.”) That said, if my back is against the wall and I have to answer such a tough question, here’s my answer;
JOHN CARPENTER’S THE THING!
Yes, it’s a bit of a safe answer but it’s the only one I truly feel comfortable giving even if it is an opinion I share with many horror fans from across the world.
Why “The Thing”? You mean aside from the fact that it features Rob Bottin creations that are far more terrifying than anything I could conjure up in my own demented mind?
John Carpenter is a master of tone and “The Thing” is all about atmosphere. This masterpiece weaves its unforgettable tale around a team of scientists in the arctic who unearth a shape shifting creature buried in the ice. Once unleashed, this otherworldly baddie assimilates whoever it comes into contact with and it isn’t long before those scientists are plunged into a paranoia filled horror show!
Add to that Kurt f***king Russell as rugged R.J. McCready, a man who sums up this entire tension-filled roller coaster ride by way of one prophetic line of dialogue; “We’re going to find out who’s the thing.”
As straight up badass as Russell is in this movie (it’s true, he makes films better just by appearing in them!), the stellar cast also includes Keith David, Richard Mausur, Donald Moffat, Richard Dysart, Davd Clennon, Thomas G. Waites, T.K. Carter, and the great Wilford Brimley. All are in top form and Carpenter gives each member of his outstanding ensemble a moment to shine. Beyond that, he simply has the innate ability to make us feel just as confused, paranoid, and isolated as each of his expertly drawn characters.
What’s more, Carpenter infuses “The Thing” with an ominous sense of dread. This is sci-fi horror to be sure but at the same time, there’s something apocalyptic about the proceedings. It literally feels like the world is coming to an end. It should also be noted that this is the perfect companion piece to the two other notable chapters that make up Carpenter’s self-proclaimed thematic trilogy, the underappreciated horror gems, “Prince of Darkness” and “In the Mouth of Madness.” As if “The Thing” wasn’t already perfect enough, you will feel the cold, you will feel the claustrophobia, and you will most certainly feel the previously mentioned isolation.
It boggles the mind to consider that “The Thing” bombed at the box-office when it was initially released in 1982. The general consensus seems to be that a little film called “E.T.” (another one of my all-time favorites) was so sweet and so tender-hearted that mass audiences had a difficult time bearing witness to its polar opposite. Not this fan, mind you. I’ll take both, thank you very much!
Yep, “The Thing” is a movie that lives up to its enormous hype and I couldn’t be any more thrilled that decades later, it’s now respected as the masterclass of horror most of us have already recognized it as. Be it a series of gruesome assimilations (the spider head in particular is an all-timer), a sweat-inducing blood test sequence, a chest cavity that sports arm-ripping choppers, and a perfectly ambiguous open-book ending that for my money, even rivals the spinning top at the end of “Inception,” “The Thing” not only emerges as one of the great remakes of all time (it leads a horror and sci-fi pack that includes the likes of “The Fly,” “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” and “The Blob”), it’s one of the best movies of all time, period!
As for John Carpenter, he’s easily my favorite horror storyteller but quite frankly, I’d include him on my Mount Rushmore of filmmakers as well but we’ll save that list for another time.
Happy Halloween, everyone!
