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John Carpenter's "The Thing" was initially met with less than an entusiastic response.
But in the years since it's release, it has seen a shifting of the tides as far as its
reception, where now it is widely considered to be one of the most significant achievements
in the sci-fi horror genre that has gone on to inspire many other phenomenal works in
their own right, from films like It Follows all the way to The Hateful Eight.
But before we get into what makes The Thing such an effective work of horror fiction,
let's start by discussing the nature of fear itself.
Now, I am by no means an expert on neuroscience, and there are much more in-depth sources than
this video if you're looking to learn more on the subject, but basically, our senses
work together to navigate the world around us, with each part of the brain serving a
different function.
Fear is primarily processed through the Amygdala, its practical function being that if we perceive
a threat, the amygdala integrates that data and triggers what is most commonly referred
to as the "fight or flight" response.
A spike in adrenaline, activation of the sweat glands, increased heart rate, and so on, in
preparation to respond to the perceived threat.
The ability to recognize potential dangers and respond accordingly is a key component
to our survival, and whether these fears are learned through sociocultural norms or genetics,
we're not entirely sure yet, but it is clear that fears can be inherited one way or the
other, it's how someone may develop a fear of sharks despite never actually encountering
one.
Most people have a combination of both rational and irrational fears, an example of a rational
fear is being afraid of bodily mutilation, and an example of an irrational fear, otherwise
known as phobias, would be a fear of spiders.
Classified as an irrational fear because even though most spiders are venomous, very few
actually have the potential to cause us harm.
It's worth noting that another key component often found within horror, is the feeling
of revulsion.
Primarily processed through the Insula, its practical function is to ensure that we avoid
potential contaminants that may signify disease, by covering our mouths or pinching our noses,
and maintaining a safe distance to ensure our protection.
Movies have gotten particularly good at manipulating our emotions.
They hijack our neural pathways that trigger the release of certain chemicals to make us
laugh, or cry, because on a primal level, our brains can't tell the difference between
cinema and reality.
So by extension, a good horror film knows how to incite feelings of fear, or disgust,
to effectively trick our brains into thinking that we're in danger.
But, what triggers a fear or revulsion response changes from person to person.
So I think that what makes John Carpenter's The Thing such a fantastic horror film is
how it exploits many fears, both rational and irrational, to create a sense of dread,
and a constant building tension that escalates as the dangers these characters face become
increasingly worse.
Capitalizing on some of the most fundamental fears built into us from millions of years
of evolution, as well as some of the more common phobias to ensure that just about anyone
watching the film will find something to be scared of.
CLIMATE Humans have learned to develop a healthy fear
of a harsh climate to help ensure our survival, and the setting of "The Thing" is one of the
most inhospitable places in the world.
A sprawling frozen desert that is on average the coldest and driest and windiest place
on Earth, with average temperatures reaching -63C, -81F during its coldest months.
ISOLATION Antarctica is populated almost entirely by
scientific researchers, during the winter season, only around 1,000 people can be found
on the entire continent.
Compared to the nearly 25 million people who live in Australia, a continent roughly half
the size of Antarctica.
In the film, we see the remnants of a nearby research outpost, that we learn is only a
quote un-quote short haul away at "an hour there, an hour back."
The nearest potential human contact is an hour away, by helicopter mind you, and of
course we quickly learn that they won't exactly be of much help.
CLAUSTROPHOBIA Due to the fact that the conditions outside
are too extreme for prolonged exposure, the crew are mostly confined within the research
compound, with its tight corridors and low ceilings.
The defining characteristic of claustrophobia isn't necessarily the size of the space, though
that often plays a role, it's more of a fear of being trapped.
And given the nature of their surroundings previously discussed, as well their failed
attempts at radioing for help, they might as well be trapped on a deserted island or
a derelict space ship, with no way out.
PARANOIA Even before the characters are fully aware
of the gravity of the situation, the paranoia is already starting to set in.
First because of the attack from the Norweigan scientists, but after bringing back the deformed
corpse that they find at their destoryed outpost, the paranoia really starts to take hold.
It's an emotion that is categorized as an instinct, created by feelings of anxiety that
stems from the anticipation of fear.
Basically, fear is the confrontation of a perceived threat, anxiety is the unshakeable
feeling that one will soon find themselves confronted by a perceived threat, and paranoia
is the instinct that these perceived threats are all around us, with those we might otherwise
call friends acting as co-conspirators who seek to cause us harm.
The point of which being, that even without the shape-shifting alien bent on assimilating
all organic life within reach, the cards are already stacked against them.
Everything and everyone is a potential threat.
And with their mental state's in such chaotic disarray from the climate, the isolation,
claustrophobia and paranoia; the tension and fear permeates every inch of the frame.
Trying to act rationally under such duress is a near impossible task, and acts as the
perfect foundation for what's about to happen.
This all serves as merely the foundation for what's about to happen, but even before the
creature arrives the film is already exploiting a few major fears, and if it's doing its job
properly and we're invested in what happens to these characters, then we feel it too.
The notion of being trapped within a confined space, with no one around for miles, in the
midst of one of the most unforgiving landscapes on the planet.
But for the crew of Outpost #31, it only gets worse from here.
THE THING The first time we see The Thing proper is
after it's put into the kennel and begins its transformation.
And what makes this such an excellent scene of horror is that it's working on so many
different levels.
Whether you love or adamantly fear dogs, this is an inarguably horrible sight.
Violently morphing into new forms by mutilating itself, covered in blood(Hemophobia), and
slime(Myxophobia), with characteristics that resemble dogs(Cynophobia) spiders(arachnophobia),
snakes(Ophidiophobia), and insects(Entomophobia) all at the same time.
And all of which are some of the most common phobias or triggers of disgust, certainly
when mashed together in such a gruesome and unnatural way.
As I mentioned earlier, we as humans have built-in triggers to avoid danger, fear typically
helping us to avoid threat of bodily harm, with disgust often preventing us from eating
or breathing in something that will make us sick.
And in just one scene, almost every single survival instinct is being exploited simultaneously.
Normally the most effective horror is best left to the imagination, but this may well
be the only film where I'd argue that isn't the case.
Though there is such thing as exposure therapy when it comes to fear, wherein fears can be
overcome by conditioning the brain through repetition of interaction with whatever stimuli
would trigger the fear response, lessening the intensity of that fear through increased
exposure.
But by the nature of The Thing itself, it never assumes the same form twice, so you
never really get used to what you're seeing, intensifying those same emotions of fear and
revulsion each time its depicted.
And when revulsion and fear are combined, that's when we feel a true sense of horror.
Because they create conflicting responses in the brain, fear triggers the fight or flight
response, but where do you run to when the perceived threat is inside your only shelter?
And how do you fight it when killing it risks spreading a potential contaminat?
These are almost entirely autonomic responses in the brain, a process that happens without
our having to think about it so we can react as quickly as we need to to survive the encounter,
but when confronted with true horror, we may wind up stuck, frozen to the spot, mouth agape,
completely paralyzed by fear.
(Windows getting eaten) "The Thing" is a masterpiece of the horror
genre because it takes advantage of nearly every primal fear that we humans have.
A cosmic and unknowable, uncaring force exerting its will upon us, able to take the form and
even personality of any organic lifeform by infecting us and slowly transforming us from
the inside or assimilating us through other means, often assuming the form Frankenstein-esque
monstrosity that has our human traits mixed with some of the most reviled creatures on
Earth . All the while the main characters are trapped within the tight confines of a
research compound in the middle of an arctic desert, sleep deprived and paranoid, surrounded
on all sides by those who may already have been imitated, never knowing who you can fully
trust, including yourself.
It presents a constant onslaught of danger of both internal and external sources, where
any one component would make for an interesting film in its own right.
Like how It Follows borrows the shape-shifting concept, or how The Hateful Eight uses the
same sort of setting, with the claustrophobia and paranoia that comes with it.
And like all great stories, it has an adaptability that has allowed it to maintain relevance
even 30 years after its release.
It can be seen as an exploration of xenophobia, or a metaphor for the AIDS crisis, or Cold
War spies, or in a broader sense the breakdown of trust within any community.
Like The Thing itself, the film can take on the shape of anything your imagination can
conjure up, and adapt to its surroundings to survive an ever-changing socio-cultural
landscape.
Its concept allows for infinite interpretations and opportunties for retelling because its
plot is deceptively simple.
And it will likely continue to scare new audiences well into the future, because of its creature
designs that incite fear in almost anyone, normally they say that the most effective
horror is best left to the imagination but this may well be the one film where that isn't
the case.
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