The Thing [Blu-ray] [4K UHD]

Product Information

My favorite part was Bottin’s reminiscence of an unintentional explosion involving Charles Hallahan's detached cranium. Keith David plays the role of Childs another strong character and rival / ally of MacReady, the two work well together. Dialogue is delivered front and center, with bass-loaded effects, explosive action, and subtle effects surrounding rear and height speakers. These guys made four films together and obviously get along splendidly, talking about the rigors of filming in Alaska, British Columbia, and the Universal backlot in the middle of a heatwave in arctic gear.

The Thing also features Norbert Weisser as one of the Norwegians, and an uncredited dog, Jed, as the Dog-Thing. Russell described the all-male story as interesting since the men had no one to posture for without women. Nolan, novelist David Wiltse, and Hooper and Henkel, whose draft was set at least partially underwater, and which Cohen described as a Moby-Dick-like story in which "The Captain" did battle with a large, non-shapeshifting creature. Production began in the mid-1970s as a faithful adaptation of the novella, following 1951's The Thing from Another World. Carpenter and cinematographer Dean Cundey first worked together on Halloween, and The Thing was their first big-budget project for a major film studio.

Horror-meister John Carpenter (Halloween, Escape from New York) teams Kurt Russell's outstanding performance with incredible visuals to build this chilling version of the classic The Thing. The Thing's special effects were largely designed by Bottin, who had previously worked with Carpenter on The Fog (1980).

The intent with the character was to have him become infected early in the film but offscreen, so that his status would be unknown to the audience, concealing his intentions. He says it’s part of his Apocalypse Trilogy that also includes “Prince of Darkness” and “In the Mouth of Madness. For the rest of the set, Cundey created a contrast by lighting the interiors with warmer lights hung overhead in conical shades so that they could still control the lighting and have darkened areas on set. In designing the Thing's different forms, Bottin explained that the creature had been all over the galaxy.Figures and objects are well-defined; contrast is excellent, with distinct definition and solid, organic black tones. Clennon said that it did not matter, because everyone acted, looked and smelled exactly the same before (or after) being taken over. Several scenes in the script were omitted from the film, sometimes because there was too much dialogue that slowed the pace and undermined the suspense.