10 Horror Movies Where Nobody Wins

5. The Thing

Martyrs 2008
Universal Pictures

John Carpenter's The Thing is one of those films that no matter how many times you watch it, you can’t help but be bowled over again and again by just how damn good it is.

There is very little point in me introducing the film, as it’s so well known by this point. But if you have taken up residence under a rock and don’t know about this horror legend, then here’s a quick rundown.

An isolated research group in the Antarctic stumble across something frozen in the ice, thaw it out, then all hell breaks loose as the titular thing turns out to be a shapeshifting alien hellbent on assimilating and killing every last member of the team.

The special effects are still magnificent, the tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife, and the characters are all believable and real. One of the most contentious elements of The Thing is the ending, as it is unclear who out of MacReady and Childs is the alien entity, or if neither of them are and they're doomed to freeze in the Arctic wastes. This discourse has gone on for decades, but whatever the answer may be, it is a grim one.

Whatever your stance is, the monster and the survivors have both lost. They are left to perish in the freezing cold, with no hope of rescue. Even if they’re both human and the alien was killed, that’s a hell of a nasty way to go!

Contributor

Tilly Owen hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.