The Ultimate in alien terror.

Starring: Kurt Russell, Keith David, Richard Masur, Wilford Brimley, T. K. Carter, Richard Dysart, David Clennon, Charles Hallahan, Peter Maloney, Donald Moffat

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #44 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of The Thing

"You see, what we're talkin' about here is an organism that imitates other life-forms, and it imitates 'em perfectly." - Doc Blair

Why watch this? ... the blood test scene is worth the prices of admission alone.

Plot Summary: A team of American researchers stationed in isolated Antarctica encounter a hostile alien life form that can perfectly imitate other organisms. The creature's ability to seamlessly impersonate their victims creates an environment of intense paranoia and distrust among the nervous crew. As the researchers struggle to identify and destroy the shape-shifting alien, they face a harrowing battle for survival.

Dad's Preview: Unlike film critics in 1982, I instantly was gaga over John Carpenter's updated version of The Thing from Another World (1951). Seriously, what's not to like? The story is science fiction gold. Kurt Russell shines when he's mean and in command. This film is intensely scary. It's gory, bloody and slimy. Hell, even the ending is wonderfully nebulous. It was certainly ahead of its time, and has since received the recognition (and imitators) it so richly deserves.

The Turman-Foster Co.; Universal Pictures