"Why don't we just... wait here for a little while... see what happens?" When we watch a horror movie, the one thing that can lessen the tension at the end is some sort of resolution. That's not what you get with John Carpenter's The Thing. It's often considered one of the scariest movies ever made, and for good reason - it preys on our fears of isolation and uncertainty. In the film, the characters are trapped with a shape-shifting menace of unknown origin. That would be scary if it took place in Cleveland, but becomes terrifying when set in Antarctica. There's nowhere for them to go, no one to rescue them, and due to the nature of the threat, no way of telling who is going to attack. Nothing to do but wait. That's what makes the ending so incredibly unsettling - the heroes do not emerge victorious, but instead are stuck waiting for the inevitable.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
