The Thing From Another World

The Thing From Another World (1951)

While the John Carpenter remake is an absolute masterpiece, I’m always surprised the original doesn’t get the attention it deserves. The Thing From Another World is a classic, and should be watched by everyone.

The thing (excuse the pun) that immediately struck me when I first watched the film many years back was the immensely fun quick-fire dialogue. It sounded like something from His Girl Friday… Then, I looked up who wrote the screenplay, and everything suddenly made perfect sense. It’s amazing how universal great dialogue can be. I don’t recall Charles Lederer writing another sci-fi, yet this has to be one of the sharpest scripts in the genre.

Alongside the great writing is a host of fantastic characters, from the efficient and charming Captain Hendry, to the witty Scotty, adorable Nikki, and misguided and complex Dr. Carrington. The film could just as easy be a stage play with such a dynamic, and plays like a twisted first contact morality tale––which I for one loved.

But, if it was a stage play, we probably wouldn’t get some of the insane effects and stuntwork. The fire scene alone being just cause to shut the whole production down. It’s similar to the one in the original House of Wax were you wonder how they done it, and then realise they just set everything on fire and hoped the actors didn’t die lol (not really… but also…)

The snowy isolated setting ramps up the tension. The scheming from Carrington increases the danger. That damn electric blanket is a menace. Everything feels tense, but also kind of breezy at the same time thanks to all the rapid dialogue and everyone actually being pretty damn competent for once.

The plot is largely similar to the one you all know from the remake, but goes in a slightly different direction that I won’t spoiler here. It funny, witty, and poses some interesting questions. Scotty and Carringtons arc’s both offer different moral viewpoints, while Hendry just tries to do his impossible and improbable job to the best of his ability while prioritising his team’s safety.

Fans of classic sci-fi and the remake should definitely give this one a watch. Unlike some other films from its time the pace is lighting quick, partly because of the witty banter between the Captain, Nikki, and his team, but also the due to the tension that’s built from the moment the Thing From Another World makes its unnerving appearance.