It's the season for horror films, and Screen Junkies fans has demanded a retrospective of The Thing. John Carpenter's movie The Thing was not a hit when it was first released in 1982, and barely made back its budget. It was depressing, horrifying, and gross. But what really did it in was the other movies we were seeing at the time- and its R rating. Critics panned it, one saying that it was "bereft, despairing, and nihilistic," which turned out to be appealing for later audiences who watched it on home video. And those special effects! More than 40 years later, The Thing is considered a horror classic, with amazing special effects and psychological themes to give it that added terror.
Screen Junkies finds plenty to skewer about The Thing, but it does what it set out to do. The movie requires a particular type of viewer to appreciate it. Sometimes you just need to watch a movie that's depressing, horrifying, and gross to forget your problems.