Workers at a remote Antarctic research station discover a parasitic alien that can invade, assimilate and imitate earthly lifeforms, leading to extreme paranoia as the twelve men try to work out who’s harbouring ‘the thing’.
John Carpenter’s groundbreaking adaptation of John W. Campbell’s novella Who Goes There? (previously filmed as The Thing From Another World) set the benchmark for special makeup effects for years to come, showcasing Rob Bottin’s extravagant parade of grisly, mutating creatures. Underappreciated on its initial release (critics felt the gore effects were overused), The Thing has been re-evaluated in recent years for its undeniably scary premise, bleak setting and foreboding atmosphere of dread, and is now considered one of the 1980s’ best horror films.