The Thing

The only thing they have to fear, is who ‘the thing’ is. The paranoid tension runs through a remote Antarctic research centre, as the crew members discover a parasitic alien which infiltrates, assimilates and imitates earthly lifeforms, but no one knows who is harbouring ‘the thing.’ Criticised as an ‘instant junk’ during its initial release, John Carpenter’s effective thriller is now rightfully enshrined in the sci-fi and horror canons. The gruesome animatronic effects alone are impressive, but what makes it stand out from other gorefest is how it delves deep into the human psyche, revealing how suspicion, mistrust, and anxiety disturb sanity. Tapping into our primal fear of the unknown, it brings out the monster within all of us.

21/9 (Sat): Film talk with Grace Ng