It Came From Netflix:The Thing (1982)

By Eric Polk-
Regrets. I have had very few in my life. But now I have a brand-new one.....WHY DIDN'T I SEE THIS SOONER!!!!

Yep, it's true Reaplings. I had never seen this version of The Thing. Not on t.v., not on cable, not from the video store....NEVER!!!! Until recently, that is. Why did I wait so long?????

In Antarctica, A Siberian Husky runs to an American outpost as he's being chased by Norwegians in a helicopter. Why? Well I guess the ? is answer in the re-remake....errrr...prequel reviewed recently by our own Rhonny Reaper. Anyhoo, not knowing what to make of the incident, the station crew adopts the dog, placing it in the hands of Clark, the sled-dog handler. Unable to contact the outside world via radio, helicopter pilot R.J. MacReady and Dr. Copper risk a flight to the Norwegian camp for answers, but find the entire compound in charred ruins. MacReady and Copper enter the charred building to find an axe stuck in the door, the Norweigan personnel missing, and the body of a man who appears to have committed suicide. In the process of collecting evidence, MacReady discovers a large block of excised ice with a hollowed cavity in a room with a large whole in the roof. Outside the camp, the two also discover the burned remains of a mangled humanoid corpse with two faces. They bring the twisted body back to the camp, but an autopsy by Dr. Blair is inconclusive aside from the fact that the creature's body contains a set of normal internal organs.

From there, the alien takes over the bodies of the crew, one-by-one as mistrust breeds amongst the human crew.

How this performed poorly upon its initial release is a boondoggler. Actually not. It was released the same week as E.T. and most mainstream Americans prefer their aliens cuddly and cute. The suspense is top-notch,especially the famous test scene. The gore is disturbing(especially those poor dogs). Yet, sadly, the climax was kind of a letdown. Nevertheless, I am happy to have watched this film, happy that when done right, remakes DO WORK!!!!