18 Scripts Wannabe Screenwriters Should Read Right Now

15. The Thing (1982)

The Script: "Scientists in the Antarctic are confronted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of the people that it kills." - IMDb What You'll Learn: A deftly underrated screenplay if ever there was one, Bill Lancaster's updated retelling of Howard Hawks' B-movie classic The Thing From Another World provides a brilliantly tense and admirably subtle read. Here's a screenplay about an alien on the loose that isn't bogged down in dull exposition, but simply embraces its characters and their remarkable situation, moving relentlessly forwards towards a thrilling climax with all the readability of a dime-store novel. A classic sci-fi script, and a masterclass in the handling of multiple characters. You can read Bill Lancaster's script for The Thing here.