Who Goes There was the basis for 1951 film The Thing from Another World, by Howard Hawks, remade in 1982 by John Carpenter as The Thing. However, I cannot compare the two versions, but I can reflect on The Thing’s stylized body gore which can be seen similarly to the works of David Cronenberg reflecting a mixture of profound grotesqueness and surreal beauty. The Thing became a benchmark in cinema history for its use of horror, Sci-fi and western themes of conflict and isolation; it is also noted as Carpenter’s favorite.
The film is situated around a group of isolated scientists in the Antarctic who discover an alien organism that can take over and imitate other living bodies, and in this case the thing does so unbeknown to the viewer, molding himself into one of the scientists and infiltrating the group. In not knowing who the thing has actually embodied, the narrative builds its tension and paranoia as the group increasingly suspects each other. Among the pack is R.J. MacReady played by Kurt Russell who forcefully takes charge as a leader using violence as the only way of ensuring survival. Exploring a sense of uncertainty in the narrative Russell becomes the framework of a problematic character.
The Thing is the fourth film shot by cinematographer Dean Cundey (following Carpenter's Halloween, The Fog and Escape from New York) and much of its atmosphere is created with his clever camera angles, as the camera sets up its ‘whodunit’ scenario following each character with disbelief. This is helped with its uneasy, bleak musical score composed by Enio Morricone (who collaborated with the likes of Sergio Leone and Brian de Palma) making the finally showdown of The Thing an unforgettable nightmare.
