The Thing of ’51, ’82 and 2011

The Thing is a unique and well-known story of an ancient alien UFO that is discovered by scientific researchers in a remote area of Antarctica.

After bringing back a half-alien, half-man creature they found frozen near the craft, sh*t hits the fan.

There have been two cinematic versions thus far, the original in 1951 and the most recent in 1982.

And for you Myers fans – turns out the 1951 “The Thing from Another World” (aka The Thing) can be identified on the TV when Laurie is babysitting the kids in the original 1978 Halloween.

My favorite version of The Thing is undoubtedly the 1982 take with Kurt Russell, directed by John Carpenter himself.

The themes of isolation, survival and paranoia are conveyed perfectly in the well-constructed icebox of a setting.

CGI wasn’t quite the norm in ’82, so Rob Bottin and his crew created some of the most organic and macabre special effects of their day. Hand-made and expertly crafted, these visuals were the lynchpin behind the successful creature portrayals and overall credibility of the story.

If you haven’t seen the ’51 or ’82 version of the film, I highly recommend you take a stab.

I am excited to say that the reboot of this film is slated for October 14th of this year.

Here is the official trailer – pay close attention to the soundtrack around 2:00…