10 Best Comfort Horror Movies

Whether it's the horrific visuals of a shape-shifting extraterrestrial, the intense sense of claustrophobia, or the fact that pretty much everyone (and the dog) is dead by the film's conclusion, fewer films have been less obviously comforting than John Carpenter's The Thing.

Adapted from the John W Campbell Jr novella Who Goes There? (1938), The Thing tells the story of an American research team in Antarctica who encounter a parasitic alien that assimilates other organisms. Neither audiences nor critics took well to the 1982 body horror flick to begin with, condemning it as one of the worst films of all time. Nevertheless, it gradually found a foothold in the horror canon as a cult favourite, and in recent years has undergone a dramatic reappraisal and broken through to achieve mainstream appeal.

Perhaps it's the charisma of Kurt Russell (as helicopter pilot RJ McReady), or the familiarity of plot and characters that comes with repeat viewings and a deep penetration of pop culture, but most likely the film fills us with a warm glow because of the nostalgia factor. The rejuvenated appeal of the 1980s to contemporary audiences is apparent in the enduring demand for synth-laden, neon-coloured films and such hugely popular TV as Stranger Things.

Whatever the reason, we're thankful The Thing is there to turn to when we need it.