DVD review: John Carpenter's 'The Thing' (1982)

Back when Michael Jackson's Thriller was topping the charts and Ozzy Osborne was biting the heads off of bats, John Carpenter teamed up with Universal Pictures and created one of the most accomplished remakes in horror history. With no explanation, The Thing begins with a well-armed Norwegian group chasing a husky (by chopper and on foot) across a snow scape toward an American polar research campsite--firing rifles at the defenseless dog. The chopper crashes and the surviving Norwegian is gunned down in a successful attempt to save the beautiful canine. After taking in the dog, the group soon finds out the husky is carrying an alien parasitic life form that has the ability to take over the bodies of it's inhabitants, down to every last detail.

The claustrophobia and paranoia build to nerve-wracking levels as the alien picks off the surviving team, one by one. Kurt Russell, sporting one of the best beards in motion picture history, plays the rough and tough chopper pilot named MacReady. He leads the rest of the rag-tag team as time and the arctic elements also stack against them. This is one of Russell's strongest and most unforgettable performances as the film quickly transforms into a classic "whodunit". Honorable mention goes to Wilford Brimley (the Quaker Oats guy) who portrays Blair, a research doctor who early on realizes the worldwide catastrophic effect that would take place if the alien escapes into the general population.

This film has the perfect blend of thrills and chills and comes highly recommended to fulfill your horror craving. Warning: after viewing, you will think twice about taking in a stray.

Rating: 9 out of 10 Ghouls