THE THING (‘51 / ‘82 / ‘11): Who Goes There?

There have been three adaptations of John Campbell’s short story: THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951), THE THING (1982), and THE THING (2011). Just like their monster, these movies shapeshift with their era: Is the alien a metaphor for the atom bomb, or Communism? Masculinity or feminism?

 

Across these decades, each movie showcases wildly different special and visual effects, while tackling the themes of their era. We discuss how the classic 50s sci-fi, directed by Christian Nyby and Howard Hawks, pits scientists against the military, while John Carpenter’s remake, starring Kurt Russell, Keith David, and Donald Moffat, replaces propaganda with a brooding atmosphere. We then explore womanhood and studio interference in the 2011 prequel, starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Egerton.

 

 

Up Next: THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (1979) / THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN (1976)

 

 

“THING ADI Creature Work Behind-The-Scene,” by studioADI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBzpT7VmSaU

 

Follow us at: 

instagram.com/cadaverdogspod

twitter.com/cadaverdogspod

facebook.com/cadaverdogspod

 

Send us your film suggestions at:

cadaverdogspodcast@gmail.com

 

 

Cover art by Omri Kadim. Theme by Adaam James Levin Areddy. Music featured in this episode: The Trees by Peter John Ross, Dusk by Ross Bugden, Get Out by White Bat Audio, Something Wicked by Ross Bugden. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.