The Thing (1982)

The Thing rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb8.2/10· 522K votes

Rotten Tomatoes85%

Metacritic57%

TMDb8.073/10· 8K votes

With 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 8.2/10 on IMDb and 57/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been very positive.

About The Thing

A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.

Cast of The Thing

• 

  Kurt Russell

  as MacReady

• 

  Wilford Brimley

  as Blair

• 

  T.K. Carter

  as Nauls

• 

  David Clennon

  as Palmer

• 

  Keith David

  as Childs

• 

  Richard Dysart

  as Dr. Copper

• 

  Charles Hallahan

  as Norris

• 

  Peter Maloney

  as Bennings

• 

  Richard Masur

  as Clark

• 

  Donald Moffat

  as Garry

• 

  Joel Polis

  as Fuchs

• 

  Thomas G. Waites

  as Windows

The Thing facts

Budget

$15M

Box office

$19.6M

Collection

The Thing Collection

Our take on The Thing

John Carpenter's 1982 horror sets a research team in the frozen isolation of Antarctica, stalked by a shape-shifting alien that perfectly copies whoever it kills. The terror comes less from the creature than from the paranoia it breeds: no one can be sure who is still human. Blending horror, mystery and science-fiction, it builds dread through claustrophobia, suspicion and grisly, tactile effects. It rewards viewers who like their scares slow, atmospheric and rooted in distrust rather than jump cuts. Grim and uncompromising, it works best for horror fans comfortable with bleak tension and viscera, and anyone drawn to stories where the real monster is doubt itself.