In the midst of an Antarctica snowfield, a group of scientists at a small American research base are shocked when a helicopter begins to circle their camp, chasing and shooting at a dog. When the helicopter is destroyed and the passenger's are killed by accident, the dog is let into the base and the American's begin to wonder what has actually happened.

Helicopter pilot J.R MacReady (Kurt Russell) offers to travel to the Norwegian base where the helicopter has come from and find out what has happened. On arrival, he finds that the place has been totally destroyed. He also discovers a mangled body that looks as though it was once that of a person, which he brings back with him to study. It is only then that the clues begin to add up; the dog morphs horribly into a strange creature that attacks the researchers. They manage to fight it off, but the base's doctor has come to a conclusion: an alien with the power to transform and take the appearance of anybody else is amongst them. Who is infected already, and who can be trusted?

Part of the original wave of body horror ‘nasties’ from the early eighties this remake not only equals the original but also manages to better it. The Thing (1951) worked as an atmospheric cold war shocker which although still having its moments also feels slightly dated and out of touch. John Carpenter’s updated version (which is 25 years old in its own right) still has the power to shock.

The film skirts with the issue of race as MacReady faces off against Keith David’s Childs, the climax of the movie captures this perfectly but it would overstate the importance of the finale to say this is somehow crucial to the plot. It’s there in the background but then again so are a number of issues. Paranoia and hysteria set in and close friends fall out whilst dormant rivalries come to the fore. Childs and MacReady are the alpha males of the commune and are really just fighting for leadership.

Watching this again on the big screen (and in a crystal clear format) the setting and set designs within which Carpenter weaves the story look stunning. The pacing of the film is actually a lot cleverer than one might remember. The first act has almost no gore except for the remains of the Norwegian camp members (and even these are only partially seen). The opening segment culminates in an autopsy scene which hints at what is to come… it’s with some glee that one can observe the reaction this gets knowing what jaw-dropping moments are yet to unfold.

The special-effects range from the sublime to the deliberately ridiculous… one of the characters perfectly captures this, when upon seeing a severed head sprout legs and scurry off in an attempt to escape a waiting flame-thrower, utters the immortal words “you’ve got to be fucking kidding!”

Carpenter never lets the blood and gore overpower the characters. Russell plays the everyman as well as he always does, with this arguably his most iconic role. The director and star have worked together again many times in the subsequent years but neither has made anything approaching the sheer brilliance of this all time horror classic.