Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2064 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-10-06
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, French, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Czech
• Dubbed in: Italian, Polish, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 104 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
John Carpenter's apocalyptic The Thing was released in cinemas just two weeks after E.T. in 1982. The two movies could hardly have presented more contrasting ideas about extra-terrestrial life, and it was Carpenter's uncompromisingly bleak vision that lost out at the box-office. But his audacious remake of the Howard Hawks 1951 B-movie The Thing from Another World has since been acknowledged as a classic in its own right, not only for its pioneering makeup and special effects techniques, but also for its bold treatment of an alien "infection" that eerily foreshadow s AIDS-inspired blood contamination scares. Whizzkid Rob Bottin was responsible for the surreal and stomach-churning make-up effects that are so crucial a part of the film's success--without his utterly convincing creations Carpenter would never have been able to make a monster movie without a "man in a suit"--and filming on a glacier in British Columbia ensured the complete authenticity of the Antarctic setting. Kurt Russell leads a strong all-male cast who powerfully convey their isolation and distrust of one another--in more ways than one this is a film about alienation. The uneasy atmosphere is enhanced by an icily monochrome score from Ennio Morricone, as a series of unforgettable horror set-pieces lead to a wonderfully downbeat finale.

On the DVD:: The bonus features are exemplary, notably the excellent 80-minute documentary, "Terror Takes Shape", which covers all aspects of the production; and the relaxed, friendly, informative commentary by director John Carpenter and star Kurt Russell--a model for how all commentaries should be. There's also an outtakes reel with some tantalising stills of unused footage. Text and stills-based montages illustrate the location design, conceptual artwork and various other aspects of the production. The sound mix is Dolby 5.1, although the non-anamorphic widescreen picture is not all it could be. --Mark Walker

Video Description
DVD Special Features

80 minute original documentation location footage
Running documentary with Kurt Russell and Director John Carpenter
Outtakes from the film
Cast production notes
Storyboards and conceptual art
Location Design
Production archives
Production background archives
Original theatrical trailer
Production notes
Post production
Menu Music
Cast and filmmaker's notes
Language: English/French/Italian
Subtitles: English/French/Dutch/Portuguese/Swedish/NOrwegian/Finnish/Danish/Czech
Running Time: 104 mins approx
Ratio: 2.35:1

Synopsis
Based on both the short story by John W. Campbell, Jr. and the 1951 film produced by Howard Hawks, THE THING is John Carpenter's stunning masterpiece of horror. A group of weary scientists enduring the winter in an isolated camp deep in Antarctica chance upon an alien spacecraft buried in the ice. Near the strange craft is the body of an alien being, frozen solid. Thinking they have made the find of a lifetime, the scientists bring the alien body back to camp and thaw it out. The alien awakens, not in the best of moods, and proceeds to take over the identities of the scientists, one by one, body and all. Helicopter pilot MacCready (Kurt Russell) must lead the surviving men in discovering who among them is human and who is not and how they can destroy "the thing" before it takes them all and moves on to the heavily populated mainland and the rest of humanity. Rob Bottin supplies the awe-inspiring special effects of the creature in its many, ever-changing forms. The effects were groundbreaking at the time and hold up flawlessly over the passing years. But Carpenter does not rely solely on special effects, utilizing his spectacular cast, which includes Wilford Brimley and Richard Dysart, to create three dimensional characters enduring an unthinkable situation. The score from Ennio Morricone is understated, yet increases the tense mood tenfold. Shooting was difficult and done in below freezing conditions, but despite the discomfort the cast and crew produced a truly terrifying film that will stand the test of time. THE THING is surely one of Carpenter's definitive films and a true horror classic.

Customer Reviews

I could be it... and you...
When i watched this movie, I said God don't let it come here. this is a brilliant film about horror and the human fight for survival against an unknown monster.

Buried beneath the ice for thousands of years, a team of Norwegan scientists find the space craft and something else...

An American team get a rude awakening when a gun crzay Norwegan scientist goes berserk on a snow dog running for its life. The Americans kill the Norwegan, welcome the dog and Kurt Russel and a friend back track to the madman's station.

they find the ship. they find the carnage. they find the monster but don't know they did. Soon, the twisted form of the creature reveals itself. the attack is silent but deadly. the discovery is terrifying. the paranoia is beyond belief. you won't know who the thing has immitated till it comes out of your friends body- just kidding- the actor's body.

It betters other extraterestial based flicks for other world monsters finding humans irritating to live with. In Alien, you knew who was the monster. In Predator, you could see the ghost hunter. In The Thing, you don't know who is who, what is what and you don't know if they made it alive. only when Carpenter returns to do a sequel.

Enjoy this but watch the 1951 original (The Thing from another world) and compare.

this THINGS a classic
this film might have been made in 1982 and it is still amongst the best horror films that i have seen ,the suspense is superb has you try and figure out who will be the next victim and i don't think a better sci-fi horror film will ever be made .i have seen this film so many times yet i was still messmerised while watching my new dvd copy of the film , go and get it you won't be dissapointed.

Wait for the Blu-ray!
This landmark film is let down on DVD by an unsympathetic transfer from a less than wonderful print which jiggles about during the titles and betrays a lot of grain, scratches, and other flaws. As noted, the non-anamorphic picture doesn't help - you have to "zoom in" to get the picture to fill your screen - although the sound is pretty good and the extras are excellent.

The Blu-Ray release is on 1st December 2008, and we should end up with a much better-looking picture. It deserves no less.