In Antarctica, the members of American research station 31 watch a Norwegian helicopter chase a malamute across the ice to their base. The Norwegians cannot make themselves understood, and the confrontation leaves a trail of deaths and unanswered questions. Cut off by the cold and with communications damaged, the scientists set out to learn what happened at the neighboring camp and discover something they did not expect. A life form able to copy any living thing has slipped in among them, and the group must find a way to survive without knowing whom to trust. Pilot R. J. MacReady, played by Kurt Russell, tries to keep order as the tension mounts.

How it was made

The project began in the mid-1970s as a faithful adaptation of John W. Campbell's 1938 novella Who Goes There?, following the earlier The Thing from Another World from 1951. Before reaching its final form, it went through several directors and writers, each with different ideas about how to approach the story. John Carpenter directed from a screenplay by Bill Lancaster, with David Foster and Lawrence Turman producing for Universal Pictures. Dean Cundey handled the cinematography and Ennio Morricone composed the score. Shooting lasted about twelve weeks from August 1981 and took place on refrigerated sets in Los Angeles, as well as on location in Juneau, Alaska, and Stewart, British Columbia. Of a budget of roughly 15 million dollars, about 1.5 million went to Rob Bottin's creature effects, built from chemicals, food products, rubber and mechanical parts.

Reception and legacy

The film opened in June 1982 to largely negative reviews. Critics praised its special effects achievements but objected to their visual repulsiveness, and others found the characters thinly drawn. It grossed about 19.6 million dollars in cinemas, a result often attributed to competition from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, a summer crowded with science fiction and fantasy hits, and an audience living through a recession that did not share its bleak tone. Its home video and television afterlife turned it into a cult favorite, and it has since been reappraised as one of the best science fiction and horror films. Filmmakers, television and video games have cited its influence, and it spawned a novelization, comics, board games and a 2011 prequel of the same title.

Stills

Trailer

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Trivia

A concentrated budget

Of roughly 15 million dollars, about 1.5 million went only to Rob Bottin's creature effects, with a large team building an alien able to take any form.

Filming in the cold

Scenes were shot on refrigerated sets in Los Angeles and on location in Juneau, Alaska, and Stewart, British Columbia.

More films by John Carpenter

Halloween1978

Escape from New York1981

They Live1988

Christine1983

Big Trouble in Little China1986

The Fog1980

Original Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.