Oh, how far horror movies have come. “The Thing From Another World” may be campy and not all that scary, but it’s a movie of more wit and intelligence than John Carpenter’s remake “The Thing” in the ’80s and more entertainment value and meaning than the remake of Carpenter’s version from 2011.
Here is a movie that is actually about something. It sidesteps most of the sci-fi and horror movie cliches of the ’50s laden with not-so-subtle allegories about the Cold War and remains a genuinely exciting horror thriller about the conflict between authority and science, logic and brute strength.
But beyond that, “The Thing From Another World” is a largely talky movie that cherishes its scary bits. It’s not 30 percent character and 70 percent violence the way so many horror movies are today. Producer and unbilled director Howard Hawks devotes precious time to subtle traces of sexism from army officers and their fixation on pin-up girls, dialogue that is a little snide but also a little empty, desolate and uncertain, and suspense building set pieces more memorable than millions of dollars of CGI wizardry. Continue reading “Rapid Response: The Thing From Another World”