Personally, I think these are two of the most classic movies ever made. That a quarter-century later we are still debating so much about each of these films should say something about their timelessness. For what it's worth, I've never thought that Deckard was a Replicant in Blade Runner. I'm really looking forward to the definitive release of this movie on DVD (including Ridley Scott's "final cut") later this fall. And so far as the ending of The Thing - to this day the scariest movie that I ever saw - goes, well... it speaks for what the whole movie is about. To me, The Thing was less about the alien than it was about the paranoia among the crew of the research station. By the way, if you want to know more about The Thing, I know of no finer resource on the 'net than the excellent Outpost #31.
Thanks to Ain't It Cool News for reminding us of today's anniversaries!
I recall seeing The Thing back when it came out in the theaters for the first time. The local newspaper did a story on the special effects in the movie, so naturally I had to see it. My Uncle asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and I told him that I wanted to see two movies: Poltergeist and The Thing. So, he took me first to Poltergiest, the effects in that movie alone made him nauseous. Then he took me to The Thing. (Being of such a young age, I had trouble getting into R rated films alone, which is why I needed my Uncle to take me. While poltergeist was PG, The Thing was "R".). The very first disgusting special effect (which I think was the dogs in the pen scene), and my Uncle was out of that theater! He told me that he would go to his apartment, which was only a couple blocks away, and pick me up at the end of the movie. Which is what he did. Naturally, I stayed to see the whole thing. I now own it on DVD. :-)
ReplyDeleteI first saw The Thing on the night of my tenth birthday in 1984. Chad was sleeping over that night and somehow The Thing wound up among the movies we rented from Cobb TV & Stereo Barn (for years the only place in Reidsville that you could rent movies at). That movie was sicko to the max!! Somehow my little sister managed to keep watching it up 'til the point where Norris's head comes off and sprouts spider-legs.
ReplyDeleteEver since getting it on DVD I've watched The Thing during every big snowstorm that we've had :-)