The Thing (1982 film) (revisited)

“The people weren’t ready.” That’s my best guess as to why “The Thing”, John Carpenter’s best film, released to mostly negative reviews and had middling success at the box office. The people wanted a release, or at least a distraction, from their worries, and that art should reflect our aspirations above all; I can imagine Gene Roddenberry exiting a screening of this film shaking his head, tear in his eye. Nowadays, of course, it’s preposterous to consider rejecting art that isn’t a reflection of our present reality, our anxieties and fears. Heck, it’s most of the horror genre these days.

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