The Thing- The Predator Notion

Coincidently, our film class watched “The Thing” due to the required learning spectrum. Despite the fact I thoroughly enjoyed this classic 1982 sci-fi hybrid; there was an element of this well-crafted film that I found utterly profound. Carpenter intentionally pursues an all male cast, with no females featured throughout the films entire progression.

In the vast majority of interviews, Carpenter stated that the stereotypical female slows down the natural progression of action and suspense, and if shot poorly, can dilute the sequence all together with humdrum romance and excess emotion. Instead, he focuses on the growing paranoia of men in the 80s, due to the Watergate scandal concerning Nixon; as trust within American society was sparse.

I feel this idea would be profound, as our antagonist could signify an up-to-date social message concerning society’s distrust of the 21st century. I also feel it would be an appropriate idea if we were to mirror the traits of “The Thing”, whereby malevolence can lie behind any face. This is seen thought such antagonists as Alex DeLarge, (Clockwork Orange Stanley Kubrick) who stripped down could be percieved as the average teenager. However, beneath the superficial smile lies a child who enjoys rape and ‘ultra violence’.

Many have argued that the role of a female was merely unnecessary within such a film, as the men degenerate to such an extent that they adapt traits of a conventional female portrayed in cinema.

Many have even argued that The Thing itself is female. This may sound somewhat ludicrous; however after careful deliberation it seems extremely relevant. When analysed basically, the monster gets under the skin of the men, literally dissolving their ego’s until they are gormless beings. For men, this homes in on the fear of females, which is anchored by the vagina sequence when The Thing consumes the surgeon’s arms with its razor sharp “vagina teeth”.

I fundamentally decided to do a short reflective analysis on this film as a whole, as the concept of an ambigious predator is one that universally speaks to me. Obviously, our group does not plan on devising a real life size Thing, as the budget is sparse and restricted. However, the simple fact that The Thing conceals its relentless evil behind men is an idea that I really like, as it creates a wide spectrum of enigmas, and if stripped down the basics, could work in a Thriller.

Within our warehouse torture sequence, its possible we could even attempt to mirror and shoot the scene in a way that reflects Carpenter’s renowned blood test sequence, as the possible threats are tied up, all with suspicious, fretful non verbal communication to anchor the pending threat that will eventually unfold before the audience.

The final aspect to consider in both “The Thing” and own thriller, is the motives behind the antagonist. If we do decide to follow the unconventional, quirky killer route, we will have to contemplate as to why he commits such a heinous crime. However, throughout the 1982 remake the monster is literally branded as “weird and pissed off”. Many could argue that the fact the Thing’s priorities are ambiguous is an effective way of creating enigmas, which is something we could easily adapt in our thriller. Co-linking with the themes of mistrust and erratic behaviour, one could say that no motive behind death brings realism and horror to an all new level in cinema.