The Thing (1982)

The Thing (1982) is Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) meets An American Werewolf in London (1981). Yes, The Thing captures Cold War paranoia but its hamhanded gore is inferior to the chilling viscerality of Alien (1979). Alien showed us that the special effects of The Thing and An American Werewolf were old-school -- they succeed well enough in their context, though dated. Truth to tell, I've always been put off by the guttering gristle of The Thing; the harrowing is not just horrific but horribly deficient compared to the Gigeresque alien and its face-hugging brood. The Thing will remain a classic but the Alien saga will far outlive it. 4 stars.