Theater Experience | John Carpenter's The Thing

                While I still must watch several of his films, John Carpenter is one of my favorite directors.  Halloween has always been one of my favorite films—and seeing it in theaters was epic—and They Live instantly became one too.  Shame the latter wasn’t as successful during its theatrical run.   The film I had the pleasure of seeing in theaters recently has that in common with Carpenter’s satire, as critics of the time hated it and it flopped (when “Hollywood Accounting” is factored against gross).  Despite this, The Thing has found its audience in the almost forty years since its release, and it’s the textbook example of how to remake a film.

                While the audience wasn’t much larger than when I saw Kill Bill Volume 1, participation was vastly greater.  With Bill, the audience was sitting on their hands for a majority of the film, and it felt like I was the only one having fun; in retrospect, sitting in the back corner might have played a role in this.  They were faster on the draw with Trivia this time, and unlike January those who raised their hands knew the film, myself included (this time I won the big prize: two tickets and a free popcorn). As the film played, I heard cheers, oohs, and laughs at the few comedic moments.  From a personal standpoint, this improved my experience.  While the interaction started slow, by the time the blood test scene played out, the audience was 100% invested.  Carpenter had them in the palm of his hand.  I’m smiling just thinking about it. 

                The film looked amazing on the big screen.  Viewing the film in this manner allowed me to further appreciate Carpenter’s mise-en-scene.  From Dean Cundy’s masterful cinematography to Rob Bottin’s groundbreaking practical effects, everything was beautiful.  Although there were several moments where Bottin’s models looked fake, the suspension of disbelief wasn’t broken do to scene context (watch the film and you’ll see what I mean).  Morricone’s subtle-bass score also sounded amazing through the theater speakers.   With this watch, I managed to spot when two characters are assimilated—or at least where I’d argue they are—and the “Childs is a Thing” theory appears more plausible than before. 

                If you ever get the chance to see this Carpenter masterpiece in theaters, you won’t be disappointed.  It’ll be a fun night of crazy Nords, paranoid comrades, and bleak coldness.  Despite what critics of the time said, this film wouldn’t have worked without that tone.