The Thing (1982): Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley and Keith David. Directed by John Carpenter, Screenplay by Bill Lancaster, based on the novella "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell Jr.

No, I can't believe that there's a remake on my list of 31 horror films either ... well, I guess re-imagining from the original source material (the novella "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell Jr that the original 1951 film was based on) is more appropriate in this case as we're pretty much dealing with a completely different monster.

There are two kinds of horror films: there are films that scare your pants off and then there are films that are just plain cool. John Carpenter already proved that he could be scary back in 1978, so this film, in my books anyway, is just plain cool. The goal of the film, whose very slim, yet fairly gripping storyline is that there is a shapeshifting monster among the inhabitants of an isolated Antarctic research station, is: just how many different ways can you make a dangerous weapon out of the human body? Despite the fact that I have a very warm place in my heart for the Howard Hawks original, "The Thing from Another World", Carpenter's film does it one better with each and every different form the creature takes being more inventive than the last. At the time, the effects (by Rob Bottin and the late, great Stan Winston) were lauded as being state-of-the-art, but more horrific than audiences could take, which built a bit of a reputation around the film. In '82, the bulk of movie-going audiences were off seeing "ET - The Extraterrestrial", but when the film hit home video, it became an instant cult classic.

Once again, like in a lot of film on this list of 31, isolation plays a key factor in the suspense: there are a certain number of people, more or less stranded in one place, and one of them is a monster. Carpenter, with a great script by Bill Lancaster, keeps you guessing, right up until the very end (and beyond, actually), even having you question the main character and supposed "hero" of the film at times. In all, it's a masterful pairing of a terrific story with amazing over-the-top gore. Why settle for one over the other?

Amazingly, Universal has blocked all attempts at a remake over the years, keeping Carpenter well in the loop. However, it's emerged recently that plans are underway to re-imagine John Carpenter's "The Thing" (which, as I've already said, was a re-imagining itself), I'm sure, with a full CGI creature rampaging through it. I might be old fashioned, but I think part of the charm of this film is that the creature and its various forms are "real", not impossible optical effects added in post. Oh well. Guess you can't complain too much about remaking a remake. Strangely, it won't be the only film on this list that was remade more than once ...

Get it at Amazon.com:
The Thing (Collector's Edition)