10 Most Ingenious Special FX In Horror Movie History
2. The Thing - The Thing (1982)
John Carpenter's 1982 sci-fi classic is nothing without the insane talents of Rob Bottin, the much celebrated FX artist. The story, a group of American research scientists in Antarctica fall prey to a deadly alien parasite that threatens to turn them against one another, was a vehicle for the varied, imaginative creatures and action sequences.
Despite time being extremely kind to The Thing, the movie was panned, written off by The Thing From Another World director Christian Nyby on release: "If you want blood, go to the slaughterhouse. All in all, it's a terrific commercial for J&B Scotch." Oh dear, how wrong he would be...
The Thing's FX supervisor, Bottin, according to his Wiki page anyway, worked seven days a week for a full year, eventually succumbing to exhaustion as a result. He would go on to work with Ridley Scott on Legend (winning an Academy Award), design and construct Robocop for Paul Verhoeven, plus other gems like Total Recall, Se7en and Game Of Thrones.
There are so many moments in this film that showcase Bottin's extraordinary talents, yet it's the now infamous 'defibrillation' sequence that showcases this man's considerable talents for body horror.
As Doctor Cooper attempts to treat Norris, he is attacked by the Thing, both his arms severed in the attempt. The entity splits into two pieces, one creature rising from Norris's body, the other from his severed head, tentacles whipping across the floor before McReady-for-anything lets rip with a trusty flamethrower. A groundbreaking, terrifying and inventive achievement.