John Carpenter's "The Thing"

Adrian · Post by **Adrian** » Wed Dec 22, 2004 6:45 pm

It is my fav paranoid movie. As I was watching it for the twentieth time I thought how easy it could be related to HPL: if the alien would have been named Nyarlathotep it would have been the best lovecraftian movie to date! The alien did cause madness and paranoia, took human forms and was obviously highly intelligent.

The Ziggurat · Post by **The Ziggurat** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 2:39 pm

I've heard that The Thing is actually based on At the Mountains of Madness.

discovering the ship in the ice/ elder things?
anyway I read that somewhere.

Great movie...
I also hear they are making a Part 2

Adrian · Post by **Adrian** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 2:59 pm

"The Thing" is based on an earlier 1951. movie named "The Thing From Another World", which could be based on HPL somehow.

Lagwolf · Post by **Lagwolf** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 6:11 pm

Yeah now that I can honestly believe...

Pickman · Post by **Pickman** » Thu Dec 30, 2004 6:52 pm

Hello,

Christian Nyby and Howard Hawks "The Thing from Another World", "John Carpenter's The Thing" and Tony Brezezinski 1956 short film are all based on the story, "Who Goes there?". The story was written by John W. Campbell Jr, and I've read that Mr. Campbell did indeed read "At the Mountains of Madness" before writing his story...

They are indeed making a sequel for the SCI FI channel. The 4 hr mini series is being produced by Frank Darabont (Shawshank Redemption). It is to be a direct sequel to "John Carpenter's The Thing".

Hope this helps...

Take care,

Craig
http://www.unfilmable.com
H.P. Lovecraft Cinema
http://www.unfilmable.com/ColourfromtheDark.html
H.P. Lovecraft's Colour from the Dark
a film by Ivan Zuccon

"The colour soon takes hold of the whole farm, and dwelling inside Pietro and his family's minds, it brings them into its sick world of pain, blood and death..."

- Colour from the Dark

Post by **Aleister** » Thu Dec 30, 2004 9:05 pm

When a question arises about a movie... ask someone seriously into them

Nice answer Pickman!

dementia13 · Post by **dementia13** » Sun Jan 02, 2005 3:20 am

Carpenter's treatment was very different than Hawks', which was a fairly typical atomic-age sci-fi film. Carpenter's "Thing" didn't really have Lovecraft's kind of cosmic dread that he captured in "In the Mouth of Madness", but the Thing in the original film and story was nothing like a crawling chaos, it was more like a giant carrot. The best explanation I've seen is that Carpenter succeeded in filming the unnamable.

Pickman · Post by **Pickman** » Tue Jan 04, 2005 4:39 pm

<The best explanation I've seen is that Carpenter succeeded in filming the unnamable.>

Not trying to be nosey, but I'm curious as to who said this. It's an interesting thought...

Craig
http://www.unfilmable.com
H.P. Lovecraft Cinema

Adrian · Post by **Adrian** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 5:31 pm

Still I have seen the movie dozens of times and keep arguing online with friends when did the Thing get to anyone, and how. I mean, have you seen the regular ending and the alternative one?

E.A. Lovecraft · Post by **E.A. Lovecraft** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 10:17 pm

What happened ni the alternative ending?

Adrian · Post by **Adrian** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 12:52 am

MacReady was drinking whiskey behind some table with the buildings burning about (after he blew the big Thing up) and it seems its gonna end, but then someone comes up from behind him. The figure sits next to him and everyone knows it's the Thing that survived. Then MacReady looks at the figure and sees himself. A copy of himself. He nods at the Thing and pours it a shot of whiskey. That's how it ended, or the way I remembered.

E.A. Lovecraft · Post by **E.A. Lovecraft** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 2:13 am

It's usually not too difficult to understand why an alternate ending wasn't used, but that one sounds as good as, if not better than, the regular one.

Adrian · Post by **Adrian** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 2:31 am

There was a third ending too, I heard. It has Mac waking up in a South African hospital and the doctor's taking a blood test, which shows Mac was human.

E.A. Lovecraft · Post by **E.A. Lovecraft** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 11:21 pm

I'm all for happy endings, but I'm glad they didn't use that one. It just doesn't seem like it would fit.

The Ziggurat · Post by **The Ziggurat** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 6:46 pm

The thing was a great movie.
i heard their making part 2

it's going to be made for tv

i'm pissed