5. The Thing From Another World (1951)
Directed By... Christian Nyby
Secretly Directed By... Howard Hawks Although John Carpenter's version of
The Thing, based on a story originally written by John W. Campbell, is arguably the most famous version nowadays, but Carpenter's flick was essentially a bloodied-up remake of the movie called
The Thing From Another World, as credited to a guy named Christian Nyby, known mostly for his TV work. This marked the first time Nyby had directed a feature film - some think he didn't direct it at all. That's right:
The Thing From Another World is heavily rumoured to have been helmed by the one and only Howard Hawks, although he's only credited as being a producer. So what's the deal here, you ask? Well, although Nyby certainly had a hand in the direction, much of the cast came forward to explain how Hawks was the one working most the magic behind the camera. It does
feel like a Hawks movie, and you'll find that it's credited to both of them on some DVD releases.