From the Juneau Empire. June 8, 1981.

It was never easy. When we set up shop at Universal in 1981 to make THE THING we were specifically admonished NOT to use the word horror when discussing the film. Too narrow a catchword, they said, despite a title that literally screams the unspoken. Sci Fi Thriller became the phrase of choice...

If you’re about to go to bed, watch this first

Did you know Brad Dourif was the runner up to Tom Waites for the role of Windows in THE THING ?

From the refrigerated climate of stage 20 at Universal Studios THE THING camera crew takes time to commemorate the occasion. That's Dean "I'm taking no prisoners" Cundey seated, center. 80 percent of the film was shot on sound stages here, much of it during a record Los Angeles heat wave...

John Carpenter on the Juneau Ice Field filming the opening husky vs helicopter chase for THE THING, aided by a crew of fifteen and a miraculous dog. Flying blind with no video playback, the film was sent down the coast to be processed. John didn't see a frame until he returned to L.A. weeks later...

Thank you very much. Wasn't aware my replies were disabled. My settings control indicate they are fine...

That having been said if John Carpenter says he now KNOWS who's who at the end believe him. Trust him. Just make sure next time he's asked the question he takes a blood test first...

A black man in a parka with an earring

A bearded man chuckling

Good morning.

Childs and MacReady are both human.

Childs has an earring in at the end. Try to imagine the Thing putting in an earring to sell the imitation. Ridiculous. (I’m ignoring this being a tell from the 2011 prequel.)

MacReady chuckles at the end. None of the Thing imitations laugh.

The ending was deliberately designed to be ambiguous. THE THING was made for a world with no aftermarket, the big screen being the only standard then. Flattering as it is, we never anticipated the film who be run, re-run incessantly and parsed for minute clues to identity. It simply wasn't the plan.

John Carpenter passed on directing THE GOLDEN CHILD in favor of BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, a move that infuriated his about to be ex agent. "I worked hard to get him out of the genre ghetto (his phrase), and now he's turned down the hottest property in Hollywood in order to do another genre film."

YouTube video by tvdays Director John Carpenter talks with Jim Vieneire 1982 Part 1: The Thing

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQr6...

The Thing Q&A w/ John Carpenter & Bong Joon Ho YouTube video by Delfin

www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...

A bootleg shot of John Carpenter, myself, and Rob Bottin on the set of THE THING. Official studio photographs of the effects work do not exist. John - fearful something would leak to the press ahead of release - mandated there be no stills taken while working with the monster during production...

Surtees was extolled at the time for his versatility - the "ultimate professional" labeled by the American Cinematographer for his work on THE GRADUATE, THE LAST PICTURE SHOW and DR. DOLITTLE, all shot in 1967. Spent a ton of time playing hooky at Universal watching him shoot THE HINDENBURG...

" He's Gonna Piss It All Away!" Fondly remembering his turn in LET IT RIDE...

“Put the glasses on! Put 'em on!”

cinephiliabeyond.org/live-john-ca...

‘The Thing’ Gets Special 4K Screening with John Carpenter and Bong Joon Ho in Person The Academy Museum is launching a screening series retrospective of filmmaker Bong Joon Ho’s filmography in conjunction with its Director’s Inspiration: Bong Joon Ho exhibition, and it’s launching wit...

bloody-disgusting.com/movie/385551...

The Thing in 4K In person: John Carpenter and Bong Joon Ho.

Beyond Fest
@BeyondFest
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THIS IS NOT A DRILL!
Bong Joon Ho and John Carpenter in conversation before a screening of THE THING 4K at
@TheAcademy
Museum. Museum member presale is now. Public ticket sales open on 2/21 at 9 AM PT. RUN!
academymuseum.org/en/programs/...

I urged the Academy last year to ask John Carpenter to present the special effects Academy Award to these guys. The worlds #1 Godzilla fan, the man half the filmmakers in attendance owed some debt of gratitude. The perfect choice. Still can't believe it didn't happen...

Don't tell us what we already know.

DO SOMETHING

The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street was a formative influence on Bill Lancaster as we developed the screenplay for THE THING. The modus operandi of the creature in our film (in the form of Blair, the biologist) and the dramatic dynamic that results is exactly that of the alien beings in Monsters..

Hu had already written the screenplay in Chinese, which of course no one could read. If memory serves producer Jonathan Taplin paid to have it translated and financed a location scout in Northern California but that's as far as things went...

A sensation when it made it's American debut at Filmex. King Hu used the occasion to pitch a new film he wanted to make here - nothing less than an epic re -telling of the building of the Transcontinental Railroad from the viewpoint of the Chinese workers who made it happen. There were no takers..

The original screenplay by Floyd Mutrix was a hot item and the subject of a bidding war. Secured by WB for the then high end price of $175.000...

Yearly lament over there, first time over here :

Maybe I'm biased, but it's beyond ridiculous THE THING has yet to be selected for The National Film Registry...

The Future Of Cinema: George Miller, Sofia Coppola, Sean Baker And More On What’s Next For The Movies Empire speaks exclusively to blockbuster filmmakers and indie directors about the rise of AI, streaming, and the state of play in Hollywood today.

The operative quote from director Jeremy Saunier on THE THING. From the new issue of EMPIRE :

“What the hell are we even doing if this film from 40- plus years ago blows just about everything else away?”

www.empireonline.com/movies/featu...

YouTube video by FANGORIA THE THING: Yule Log

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVPs...

Icons of horror: John Carpenter in conversation with Claudio Simonetti – HERO HERO 32 cover story

hero-magazine.com/article/2676...

think the screenplay by Jonathan Latimer improves on the Fearing, particularly in its quotient of humor. I remember Samuel Fuller, in one of his many visits to USC Cinema, complaining bitterly that Fearing had stolen much of THE BIG CLOCK from his novel THE DARK PAGE...