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The Thing
An extra-terrestrial alien, capable of replicating any living form it touches, infiltrates an isolated research base in the Antarctic, and sows suspicion and terror among the men trapped there. Which of them is still human, and which a perfect alien facsimile? John Carpenter's The Thing , the second adaptation of John W. Campbell's 1938 novella Who Goes There? , received overwhelmingly negative reviews on its release in 1982, but has since been acknowledged as a classic fusion of the science fiction and horror genres. Now a regular fixture in lists of the greatest movies of all time, it is acclaimed for its inspired and still shocking practical special effects, its deftly sketched characters brought to life by a superb cast, elegant widescreen cinematography, ominous score, and a uniquely tense narrative packed with appropriately ever-changing metaphors about the human condition.
Anne Billson's elegant and trenchant study, first published in 1997, was one of the first publications to give the film its due as a modern classic, hailing it as a landmark movie that brilliantly redefined horror and science fiction conventions, and combined them with sly humour, Lewis Carroll logic and disturbingly prescient metaphors for many of the sociopolitical, scientific and medical upheavals of the past three decades.
In her foreword to this new edition, Anne Billson reflects upon The Thing's changing fortunes in the years since its release, its influence on film-makers including Tarantino and del Toro, and its topicality in an era of melting ice caps and with humanity besieged by a deadly organism.
Anne Billson's elegant and trenchant study, first published in 1997, was one of the first publications to give the film its due as a modern classic, hailing it as a landmark movie that brilliantly redefined horror and science fiction conventions, and combined them with sly humour, Lewis Carroll logic and disturbingly prescient metaphors for many of the sociopolitical, scientific and medical upheavals of the past three decades.
In her foreword to this new edition, Anne Billson reflects upon The Thing's changing fortunes in the years since its release, its influence on film-makers including Tarantino and del Toro, and its topicality in an era of melting ice caps and with humanity besieged by a deadly organism.
- GenresFilmNonfiction
104 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 9, 2021
About the author
Anne Billson
39 books75 followersANNE BILLSON is a film critic, novelist, photographer, style icon, wicked spinster, evil feminist, and international cat-sitter who has lived in London, Tokyo, Paris and Croydon, and now lives in Belgium. She likes frites, beer and chocolate.
Her books include SUCKERS (an upwardly mobile vampire novel), STIFF LIPS (a Notting Hill ghost story), THE EX (a supernatural detective story) and THE COMING THING (Rosemary's Baby meets Bridget Jones) as well as several works of non-fiction, including BILLSON FILM DATABASE, BREAST MAN: A CONVERSATION WITH RUSS MEYER, and monographs on the films THE THING and LET THE RIGHT ONE IN.
Her latest book is CATS ON FILM, the definitive work of feline film scholarship.
She sometimes writes about film for the Guardian, and is currently working on a screenplay and a sequel to her vampire novel, SUCKERS. She has three blogs: multiglom.com (the Billson Blog), catsonfilm.net (a blog about cats in the cinema), and lempiredeslumieres.com (photographs of Belgian beer, bars and sunsets).
Her books include SUCKERS (an upwardly mobile vampire novel), STIFF LIPS (a Notting Hill ghost story), THE EX (a supernatural detective story) and THE COMING THING (Rosemary's Baby meets Bridget Jones) as well as several works of non-fiction, including BILLSON FILM DATABASE, BREAST MAN: A CONVERSATION WITH RUSS MEYER, and monographs on the films THE THING and LET THE RIGHT ONE IN.
Her latest book is CATS ON FILM, the definitive work of feline film scholarship.
She sometimes writes about film for the Guardian, and is currently working on a screenplay and a sequel to her vampire novel, SUCKERS. She has three blogs: multiglom.com (the Billson Blog), catsonfilm.net (a blog about cats in the cinema), and lempiredeslumieres.com (photographs of Belgian beer, bars and sunsets).
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 28, 2023
The Thing by Anne Billson is part of the British Film Institute’s BFI Film Classics book series* of which I have just discovered, both the BFI FC series and the BFI itself. Wait, a book that is a study of why The Thing film by John Carpenter, is a “film classic”? I had to check this out and was not disappointed.
I had already thought that The Thing film was great, brilliant even. The Thing book confirms my thoughts on the film and then goes on levels beyond anything that have ever occurred to me. Billson examines the film with a summary of the story interspersed with interviews from Carpenter, various other creators of the film, critics, and her own observations and insights. For example, I found her interpretations of the female aspects of the monster(s) and even the characters of an all male cast, as well as themes and arcs of the film very interesting. She has some very interesting observations of John Carpenter’s film direction, story telling, and general artistry.
Not to mention, it’s about The Thing!
Also, I now fear falling into a BFI Film Classics book series rabbit hole, as a cursory examination of the series shows other titles that I consider favorite films of mine. Also seen in the titles are films, famous for their impact, but I haven’t seen. Yet? Oh dear….
Well, one “thing” is clear. For certain, a rewatch of The Thing film is going to happen shortly.
*The BFI Film and TV Classics ranges introduce, interpret and celebrate landmarks of world cinema and television. Each volume offers an argument for the work's 'classic' status, together with discussion of its production and reception history, its place within a genre or national cinema, an account of its technical and aesthetic importance, and in many cases, the author's personal response to the film.
I had already thought that The Thing film was great, brilliant even. The Thing book confirms my thoughts on the film and then goes on levels beyond anything that have ever occurred to me. Billson examines the film with a summary of the story interspersed with interviews from Carpenter, various other creators of the film, critics, and her own observations and insights. For example, I found her interpretations of the female aspects of the monster(s) and even the characters of an all male cast, as well as themes and arcs of the film very interesting. She has some very interesting observations of John Carpenter’s film direction, story telling, and general artistry.
Not to mention, it’s about The Thing!
Also, I now fear falling into a BFI Film Classics book series rabbit hole, as a cursory examination of the series shows other titles that I consider favorite films of mine. Also seen in the titles are films, famous for their impact, but I haven’t seen. Yet? Oh dear….
Well, one “thing” is clear. For certain, a rewatch of The Thing film is going to happen shortly.
*The BFI Film and TV Classics ranges introduce, interpret and celebrate landmarks of world cinema and television. Each volume offers an argument for the work's 'classic' status, together with discussion of its production and reception history, its place within a genre or national cinema, an account of its technical and aesthetic importance, and in many cases, the author's personal response to the film.
April 4, 2022
like movie, buy book!
I believe I’m going to become obsessed with this series of books. Someone has taking my all time favorite film and done all the research for me. It. Is. Fantastic!
I believe I’m going to become obsessed with this series of books. Someone has taking my all time favorite film and done all the research for me. It. Is. Fantastic!
November 14, 2024
This is just a really long plot synopsis with Peter Griffin-esque "it's just like that other thing" references and constant repeating of the same unfunny jokes she's obviously proud of. There's little to no analysis here, it's honestly baffling.
March 5, 2026
An interesting analysis of John Carpenter's 1982 film. Very enjoyable and a quick read. Although it dives into some distracting feminist critique in the latter chapters, my only criticism is that the analysis could've been a lot longer!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews