While John Carpenter’s The thing has become a classic, there was another sci-fi film that adapted the same story. The 1982s The thing has often been considered one of Carpenter’s greatest films, if not his best. It’s a perfect mix of thrills and horror as a shape-shifting alien wreaks havoc on an Antarctic base.
But before it became a movie, the story originally began as a short story by John W. Campbell. This 1938 short story, written under the title “Who’s Going There?”, has been considered one of the most disturbing sci-fi horror stories ever written. Like Carpenter’s film, it is filled with deception and suspense as McReady tries to uncover the thing that is hidden among them.
What may surprise fans is that John Carpenter’s adaptation of the story wasn’t actually the first. 75 years ago, RKO Studios’ The thing from another world hit the big screen with his own take on “Who Goes There?”
Like the short story, the film takes place on an Antarctic base when a group of scientists uncover a UFO with an alien frozen in the ice. When it thaws, the crew must take care of it before it can escape to the outside world. It’s an adaptation that’s remarkably close in concept. However, one major change made this film its own beast.
The thing from another world gives the creature a single form
The main difference between John W. Campbell’s story and the first big screen adaptation is that the alien is not a true shapeshifter. Instead, it’s a large alien with plant-like body chemistry. It’s certainly as fierce as the creature from the original story, but there’s no mystery to its true nature. It’s just a monster that charges around the base and attacks everything in its sight.
For the 1950s, this was certainly appropriate for current trends. Monster movies were in high demand after two decades of success with Universal Monsters. Plus, the 50s would soon see the rise of creature features dominates the box office, so in a way, The thing from another world was a trendsetter.
But while the film is entertaining and an enjoyable watch in its own right, it may still feel disappointing to fans of the original story, given how much it strays from what made the original alien so terrifying.
John Carpenter adores the thing from another world and respects it in his film
What’s remarkable about John Carpenter’s remake of The thing from another world is that it actually comes from a place of love. Carpenter has made it well known that the 1951 film is one of his favorite films, paying homage to it by showing clips in The 1978s Halloween.
Thus, when he tried to take his take on the story in 1982, he wanted to keep the spirit of the original film alive and at the same time be closer to Campbell’s short story. The result is a fascinating mix of the tension between residents of the Antarctic base found in the original film and the shape-shifting alien ripped straight from the original story.
Ultimately John Carpenter’s The thing is undeniably an improvement. It’s a much closer take on the story while doing a better job of bringing the shape-shifting creature beyond the stars to life. In the end, The thing from another world served as a blueprint for one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time. It might not show what fans love about the 1982 film, but it’s still a great watch to find out where Carpenter’s classic comes from.
- Publication date
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June 25, 1982
- Runtime
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109 minutes
- Director
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John Carpenter
- Authors
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Bill Lancaster, John W. Campbell Jr.
- Manufacturers
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David Foster, Lawrence Turman
