Despite being a travesty at the box office during the summer of 82, The Thing is considered one of the greatest entries in both the sci-fi and horror genres as well as among one of the best in John Carpenters storied filmmaking career. Carpenter's remake is based more closely on the famous 1938 short story as the plot follows American scientists being preyed upon by a terrifying shape-shifting extra-terrestrial life form in Antarctica. Why It Outshines The Original: The original 1951 version, known as The Thing From Another World, is arguably a classic, but was simply made too early as the 50s era effects were nothing close to being sophisticated enough to deliver real scares or portray realism. Both versions however play on the fears of invasion and paranoia during the cold war era and Carpenters version greatly exceeds this. And besides, would you rather the Thing be a man in a rubber alien suit, or would you rather it be a ridiculously freaky shape-shifting creature topped with amazing gross-out effects?
