History Film / TheThing1982

* FromASingleCell: One of the more dangerous qualities of the Thing, provided it has biomass to feed on. Or at least that's what one of the characters speculated. The events of the film make it fairly certain that the Thing doesn't infect you, it ''consumes and replaces'' you. It cannot replace an organism without completely consuming it first. However, it is capable of acting on a cellular level.

While a commercial and critical bomb when it was first released (partially due to comparisons to [[Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial a much more family-friendly movie involving an alien]] released around the same time), ''The Thing'' has gone down as a remarkable example of [[VindicatedByHistory what time can do for a film]]. These days, it has not only been very successful on UsefulNotes/{{V|CR}}HS and UsefulNotes/{{DVD}}, but it is a staple among discussions of the best sci-fi/horror films of all time. Such a reputation is due in part to its exemplary use of ParanoiaFuel, its unique subversion of NothingIsScarier while still retaining every ounce of ParanoiaFuel, and its [[BodyHorror graphic effects]].

** A dog that was being chased by Norwegians in a helicopter turns out to be an alien that can assimilate anything, which it graphically does to some unfortunate sled dogs.
** Then it turns out that there was still cellular activities in the burnt remains, as demonstrated when the Thing assimilates [[spoiler: Bennings]]

* FromBadToWorse: The entire film in a nutshell. But it kicks into high gear going into the climax once [[spoiler: Blair-Thing sabotages the generator. There are now only three human survivors left (as Childs went AWOL just before the generator went offline and odds are good he's been assimilated). Without power or heat, the survivors will all freeze to death in a matter of hours. They have to destroy the camp, ensuring that even if they kill the Thing (or at least prevent it from hibernating again), none of them are getting out of this alive.]]

* CoolGuns:
** The crazed Norwegian uses an [=HK93=] to try and shoot the dog-thing, accidentally hitting one of the Americans in the leg.
** [=MacReady=] uses an Ithaca 37 shotgun. Windows manages to grab one before he is subdued by the others.
** Garry's [[RevolversAreJustBetter Colt Trooper]], which he was carrying around before the Thing even got on the base. It's noted that he's been eager to use it and it even seems to represent a symbol of authority, as he willingly hands it over to [=MacReady=] when he feels his leadership is compromised.

* ImprobableAge: The makeup effects, a landmark at the time and still very impressive, were done by Rob Bottin, who was only twenty-two at the time. Although Bottin did work for a year without giving himself a day off, often sleeping and eating on set and Creator/JohnCarpenter sent him to a hospital for exhaustion.

* AerithAndBob: Windows... isn't a very commonly given name. Supplemental material suggests that it's a nickname derived from his habitual sunglasses wearing.

* * AerithAndBob: Windows... isn't a very commonly given name. Supplemental material suggests that it's a nickname derived from his habitual sunglasses wearing.

* AmbiguouslyHuman: An InUniverse and PlayedForHorror example as the whole conflict revolves around who is a human and who is an assimilated Thing. Best exemplified at the very end of the movie where [[spoiler:Childs]] shows up after disappearing throughout the final battle leaving only him and [[spoiler:MacReady]] are the only survivors and we the audience are left to wonder if the former too was assimilated.

Its popularity has caused the story to be continued in other media. In the 1990s, Creator/DarkHorseComics published a series of four comics continuing the film's story, called ''ComicBook/TheThingFromAnotherWorld''. [[VideoGame/TheThing2002 A video game sequel]] (also simply called ''The Thing'') was made in 2002 - please go there for game related tropes. And lastly, a [[Film/TheThing2011 prequel]], (''[[RuleOfThree also]]'' simply called ''The Thing'') focusing on the Norwegian camp prior to the events of this film was released in 2011, starring Creator/MaryElizabethWinstead. In January 2020, it was reported that a remake of Carpenter's original film was in development at Creator/BlumhouseProductions and Creator/UniversalStudios, this time adapting ''Literature/FrozenHell'', the original novel-length iteration of the story that the novella "Who Goes There?" was shortened from.

* AerithAndBob: Windows... isn't a very commonly given name. Supplemental material suggests that it's a nickname derived from his habitual sunglasses wearing.

** [[ArtisticLicenseGeography Geography]]: Given its supposed setting, it is unusual that there would be so much light or lack of it during daytime and nigh-time respectively -- benefiting by at most 50% light during south hemisphere summer. [[Film/TheThing2011 The prequel]], that was made later, got this right though, benefiting by being shot in a studio with post-production visual effects of digital matte-paintings and recoloring made to enhance the feeling of this isolated region of the globe.

* AerithAndBob: Windows... isn't a very commonly given name.

** [[ArtisticLicenseGeography Geography]]: Given its supposed setting, it is unusual that there would be so much light or lack of it during daytime and nigh-time respectively -- benefiting by at most 50% light during south hemisphere summer. [[TheThing2011 The prequel]], that was made later, got this right though, benefiting by being shot in a studio with post-production visual effects of digital matte-paintings and recoloring made to enhance the feeling of this isolated region of the globe.

* ArtisticLicenseAnimalCare: Clark casually shuts the dog-Thing in the enclosure with the sled dogs, without taking time to introduce it to the others or putting the animals on individual leads to keep them apart and prevent them from fighting. Had it been an actual dog, they'd quite possibly have ganged up on the intruding stranger and injured it. Also, had it been an actual dog, the reason the Norwegian crew was trying to kill it very well may have been because they knew it had contracted rabies or some other form of disease to which Clark would be exposing the other dogs.

* AmbiguouslyHuman: An InUniverse and PlayedForHorror example as the whole conflict revolves around who is a human and who is an assimilated Thing. Best exemplified at the very where [[spoiler:Childs]] shows up after disappearing throughout the final battle leaving only him and [[spoiler:MacReady]] are the only survivors and we the audience are left to wonder if the former too was assimilated.

* AmibiguouslyHuman: An InUniverse and PlayedForHorror example as the whole conflict revolves around who is a human and who is an assimilated Thing. Best exemplified at the very where [[spoiler:Childs]] shows up after disappearing throughout the final battle leaving only him and [[spoiler:MacReady]] are the only survivors and we the audience are left to wonder if the former too was assimilated.

* BolivianArmyEnding: The film ends with [[spoiler:[=MacReady=] and Childs isolated in Antarctica. With the base destroyed, they have no way to call for a rescue team and are unable to determine whether each other is infected. Exhausted and realizing the futility of their distrust, they share a bottle of scotch as they slowly freeze to death.]] The [[VideoGame/TheThing2002 videogame]] that follows up on the story reveals that [[spoiler:Childs succumbed to hypothermia. [=MacReady=] is still alive, but whether it's because he was rescued in time or replaced by a Thing is still ambiguous]].

* RiddleForTheAges: The ending. [[spoiler:Is Childs a Thing or not? Is [=MacReady=]?]] There's plenty of evidence towards any number of conclusions and fans are still debating it to this day. For what it's worth, the [[Videogame/TheThing video game sequel]] and the [[Comicbook/TheThingFromAnotherWorld comic book sequels]] provide contradictory answers. In the game, [[spoiler:Childs isn't because he froze to death shortly after the film ended, but it's still ambiguous if [=MacReady=] is.]] In the comic, [[spoiler:neither is a Thing at the end of the film, but Childs gets infected over the course of the comic.]]

The film focuses on twelve men who are stuck in an Antarctic camp for the winter of 1982. After finding that the neighbouring Norwegian camp has been mysteriously destroyed, they realize that a deadly alien life form is on the loose. Most terrifying of all is the fact that this alien can [[VoluntaryShapeshifting change shape]], infecting a person on a cellular level and then relentlessly absorbing and duplicating their cells, imitating them from the inside out until there is nothing human left. Therefore, at least one among them may be the Thing.

While a commercial and critical bomb when it was first released (partially due to comparisons to [[Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial a much more family-friendly movie involving an alien]] released around the same time), ''The Thing'' has gone down as a remarkable example of [[VindicatedByHistory what time can do for a film]]. These days, it has not only been very successful on VHS and DVD, but it is a staple among discussions of the best sci-fi/horror films of all time. Such a reputation is due in part to its exemplary use of ParanoiaFuel, its unique subversion of NothingIsScarier while still retaining every ounce of ParanoiaFuel, and its [[BodyHorror graphic effects]].