Rish Outfield's reviews
In an earlier review, I stated that John Carpenter is a flawed director who makes good, unsatisfying horror movies. Well, Carpenter's 1982 remake of Howard Hawk's The Thing From Another Planet may be that old rule-making exception. In a clever and effective move, this film successfully mates Ten Little Indians and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, with some action thrown in. The plot is familiar--a bunch of guys are stuck in an isolated Antarctic base and find themselves faced with a shape-changing alien being bent not only on wiping them out, but taking their place--and it's a scary, timeless one. Kurt Russell is the hero, but the real star of the show is the Thing, a twisted, amorphous, dog/human/snake/spider being unlike anything you ever seen (the kind of thing the Olsen Twins must turn into when no one else is around). Its brilliant makeup effects don't seem very dated by today's standards. There's great gore, tense confrontations, and a nihilistic, unresolved ending that works much better than I ever would've guessed. This is often referred to as an allegory about the AIDS epidemic, but I think that's too restrictive. I think it represents whatever most scares you--mistrust, losing your identity, claustrophobia, extinction, or just the unknown.
Best Scare: A drop of blood literally jumps out of its container, making me do the same.
I'd Recommend It To: Horror/Sci-Fi fans who don't need breasts in every movie.

The tyranist's thoughts
Wow. It is a shame that science fiction/horror isn't always this good. One of my favorite horror directors working on one of my favorite science fiction/horror themes. John Carpenter has made another great movie. Here he works with Kurt Russell in the third of what is currently five movies, and nobody brings Kurt out like John. The movie was creepy. It made me paranoid. It made me jump more than once (and especially high at least once). The alien was sick and twisted. The situation was disturbing. We couldn't ask for more from this picture. Although, I kept thinking Blair was trying to sell me oatmeal. Also, don't miss a classic beheading.