John Carpenter recently confirmed interest in crafting a sequel to his cult classic psychological/monster horror film The Thing. Following the movie’s re-release in theaters by Fathom Events for its 40th anniversary putting it on the box office top 10 list, diehard fans are anywhere from mildly intrigued to desperate to relive the atmosphere and ambiance that is joyously watching the enigmatic Kurt Russel grapple with a disgusting, primordial creature while trapped in a grimy, testosterone-flooded antarctic bunker. John Carpenter has a well-deserved, devoted following based on his aesthetically distinct, nostalgic, and for their time, groundbreaking horror movies such as Halloween, Escape from New York, They Live, The Fog, Big Trouble in Little China, and of course, The Thing.
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The Thing was not as much of a box office success in 1982 as it is today. However, it quickly became a cult classic after its VOD distribution and television broadcasts. Clearly, there’s still a market for this story. The 40-year-old sci-fi/horror flick screened in only 700 theaters making it in the top 10, up against the likes of Top Gun: Maverick and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which is no small feat. This, however, is just the superficial case for arguing for a sequel. Here is why now is a perfect time for the return of The Thing. John Carpenter, we call upon you to satisfy our curiosity!
The Thing Finale Needs Resolution
Universal Pictures
Let’s face it, Carpenter never really got his due. His claim to fame has settled in slowly and gradually, and fans never really got their big, celebratory moment in history to come together and discuss his vision in real-time. His movies all have a certain supernatural-meets-psychological horror bend that directly preceded viewership record-smashing, post-Nixon-era shows and films like The X Files.
Those who dabble in suspicion and thrills are obsessed with Carpenter’s movies for their arresting visuals, practical VFX, man versus super-nature themes, and distrust of institutions and government. Not to mention that there’s something cozy and safe about curling up in front of a staticky, chilly, smoky movie screen with a cup of hot cocoa to watch tough guys get obliterated.
The Thing and its constituents live in the fan-favorite era of X-Files, Aliens, etc. Who doesn’t want to see this big-backed TV era of content come back into our lives? Now that millennials are increasingly in charge and in a position to restore the spirits and satisfy the longings of estranged audiences, a restoration of authentic Stranger Things-style content is a very real possibility, and it could all start with John Carpenter.
Starring Kurt Russell, The Thing follows a team of scientists in Antarctica who are exposed to a malignant alien parasite that slowly turns them all into…well, things. The ending is iconic, and a sequel to it would have enormous and important implications for the overall meaning of the movie. Russell’s character, MacReady, and actor Keith David’s character, Childs, confront one another after a fiery explosion of the compound, presumably killing the last of the…things. MacReady and Childs, the compound’s last survivors, have no way of knowing whether either one of them has been infected with the parasite until one of them transforms into a thing. With no protection and hope of escape, they sit in the cold with a bottle of whiskey and drink to their dilemma, holding each other firmly at gunpoint, and thus the film ends. Audiences will never know what happened next.
Will MacReady turn? Will Childs turn? Will one kill the other just in case? Will they kill each other? Or, perhaps none of this happens, and the duo skips off into the antarctic sunset. There are a lot of theories, but none are canon.
What Should Happen in a Sequel to The Thing?
Each day, some headline on some news website somewhere reads that a team of real-life scientists in an antarctic compound has just discovered a prehistoric parasite frozen in the ice. The only reason this is so widely and sensationally reported on is because of John Carpenter’s The Thing. The same goes for the wide interest in mummies being largely fueled by Brendan Fraser in The Mummy. This is only to say that, 40 years later, this concept is still relevant and fresh in people’s minds.
Ultimately, what a sequel to The Thing should do is ask more questions than it answers. Perhaps it should leave us hanging in such a way that the lack of resolution influences the next 40 years of our lives and culture, just like the first movie did. This is the sort of situation in that John Carpenter is a master at staging and we hope to see it happen again.
