#22: The Thing (1951 & 1982)

The actual title of the Howard Hawks’ produced (and possibly directed) original is “The Thing From Another World,” and it is by far my favorite of the two and easily one of the best horror films to come out of the fifties. Set in a remote and isolated Arctic research station staffed with scientists and Air Force personnel, Captain Hendry (an absolutely superb Kenneth Tobey) and his men come across a crashed alien spaceship and its traveller, both frozen in the ice from the heat of the crash. After accidentally blowing up the ship (an act that will become a running joke in a film filled with quiet, intelligent humor), the men drag the block of ice containing the alien back to base with no intention of thawing out the scientific find of the century without orders from on high. Obviously, those best laid plans don’t work out and soon a blood-hungry piece of plant life, The Thing (James Arness), is on the loose.

On top of its creepy, claustrophobic atmosphere and slow-tension scares, the real pleasure of Charles Lederer’s script (loosely based on John Campbell’s short story “Who Goes There?”) is the inter-action between the characters as heard through a uniquely charming and casual banter that quickly establishes the various relationships and allows for a ton of necessary exposition if we in the audience are going to understand what’s going on and why.

At the center of the action is our hero Hendry, a strong-jawed American leader who’s not above making mistakes (like blowing up the spaceship) or asking those around him who know better any number of questions necessary to make the best decisions. His willingness to do everything possible to try and accommodate a visiting reporter who’s desperate to report the story and the station’s lead scientist, Dr. Arthur Carrington (an excellent Robert Cornthwaite), who’s even more desperate to study and protect the marauding alien, go a long way towards establishing the character as the kind of man we’d all like follow. He’s not weak, far from it — just willing to listen, do what he can, and ultimately take full responsibility for the end results. (more…)

I have always been a fan of so-called B movies. I’m not sure I like that description because it implies that B movies are not as important as A movies, not as serious, not as good. Well, I’m not so sure about that. Of the B movies that I love, my favorites are, without a doubt, the science fiction monster movies. Yes, those wonderful creations conceived of by some of the most colorful characters in Hollywood and beyond. Studios like AIP, Toho, Daiei, Hammer and Universal are synonymous with creatures that crawl, creep and are able to stamp a city flat.

Names like Ray Harryhausen, George Pal, Bernard Herrmann and H.G. Wells come to mind. As do those of Ken Toby, Less Tremayne, Paul Frees and Whit Bissell. Each of these names, plus thousands and thousands of others, can immediately conjure up a favorite film, a scene or even just a great line or look that impressed us as kids and perhaps continues to do so.

When I think about those elements that I love in my favorite sci-fi monster movies, my mind can easily dwell for hours on the creatures themselves, the settings, the art direction, the machinery and technology and everything in between. I never grow tired of that stuff. But I also love, with equal passion the characters that people the story. They are really what it’s all about. So, indulge me as I invite you to take a little trip through my memory, recalling some character moments that stand out for me in the B genre of scifi monster movies. (more…)