The Thing

In 1982 Universal Pictures, a studio famous for its monster movies, unleased a new terror on the silver screens of the world that would change everything...not that anyone knew that at the time. Today John Carpenter's THE THING consistently ranks in the top of favourite or influential film lists, but when it was first released it was not only considered a bomb, reviewers used words like 'obscene', 'gross' and 'instant junk'. For the first time we look at the history of the entire THING franchise, not just the 1982 film or its prequel, nor the original 1951 version 'The Thing from Another World'. In this book we look at the radio versions, the comics, novels, computer games, music and how, from a 1931 novella by John W. Campbell Jr. The Thing began infecting our lives and eventually took over the world by initiating one of the longest media franchises in history and influencing many others like ALIEN, Dr Who and the X-files. Interviewing many of those involved, we'll look at the marketing strategies, the reviews, the blunders, censorship... and yes, we may even figure out exactly why The Thing failed at the box office in 1982.

In 1982 Universal Pictures, a studio famous for its monster movies, unleased a new terror on the silver screens of the world that would change everything...not that anyone knew that at the time.Today John Carpenter's THE THING consistently ranks in the top of favourite or influential film lists, but when it was first released it was not only considered a bomb, reviewers used words like 'obscene', 'gross' and'instant junk'. For the first time we look at the history of the entire THING franchise, not just the 1982 film or its prequel, nor the original 1951 version 'The Thing from Another World'. In this book we look at the radio versions, the comics, novels, computer games, music and how, from a 1931 novella by John W. Campbell Jr. The Thing began infecting our lives and eventually took over the world by initiating one of the longest media franchises in history and influencing many others like ALIEN, Dr Who and the X-files. Interviewing many of those involved, we'll look at the marketing strategies, the reviews, the blunders, censorship... and yes, we may even figure out exactly why The Thing failed at the box office in 1982.

Consigned to the deep freeze of critical and commercial reception upon its release in 1982, The Thing has bounced back spectacularly to become one of the most highly regarded productions from the 1980s 'Body Horror' cycle of films, experiencing a wholesale and detailed reappraisal that has secured its place in the pantheon of modern cinematic horror. Thirty years on, and with a recent prequel reigniting interest, Jez Conolly looks back to the film's antecedents and to the changing nature of its reception and the work that it has influenced. The themes discussed include the significance of The Thing 's subversive antipodal environment, the role that the film has played in the corruption of the onscreen monstrous form, the qualities that make it an exemplar of the director's work and the relevance of its legendary visual effects despite the advent of CGI. Topped and tailed by a full plot breakdown and an appreciation of its notoriously downbeat ending, this exploration of the events at US Outpost 31 in the winter of 1982 captures The Thing 's sub-zero terror in all its gory glory.

Consigned to the deep freeze of critical and commercial reception upon its release in 1982, The Thing has bounced back spectacularly to become one of the most highly regarded productions from the 1980s 'Body Horror' cycle of films, experiencing a wholesale and detailed reappraisal that has secured its place in the pantheon of modern cinematic horror. Thirty years on, and with a recent prequel reigniting interest, Jez Conolly looks back to the film's antecedents and to the changing nature of its reception and the work that it has influenced. The themes discussed include the significance of The Thing 's subversive antipodal environment, the role that the film has played in the corruption of the onscreen monstrous form, the qualities that make it an exemplar of the director's work and the relevance of its legendary visual effects despite the advent of CGI. Topped and tailed by a full plot breakdown and an appreciation of its notoriously downbeat ending, this exploration of the events at US Outpost 31 in the winter of 1982 captures The Thing 's sub-zero terror in all its gory glory.