Review – The Thing from Another World

I know it’s wrong to hate classics; after all, if so many other people really love it, then I’m probably just not giving it enough of a chance. But I can’t help it. I really do hate this movie. I dislike it at least in part because in my opinion it’s not really a classic of the horror and sci fi genres. Instead, I think it’s a Howard Hawks western relocated to Cold War Alaska. Sure the bad guys are a pack of pinko scientists and a bipedal plant from outer space (played by Gunsmoke’s James Arness). But really, is the space alien’s role any different from the fate suffered by countless Native Americans at the hands of dozens of other Hawks heroes? The upshot is certainly the same: the military knows what’s best for us, so we’d all better just do what they tell us to do. Like NSDAP cinema before it, such McCarthyist hogwash would be relegated to the realm of absurd historical relics if so many people hadn’t suffered so much as a result of the underlying ideology. If you need a film version of John W. Campbell’s story, watch John Carpenter’s. It’s one of the best horror movies ever made rather than one of the worst. Wish I’d skipped it