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JJoshua's avatar

No one has mentioned The Thing(1982) with Kurt Russell. What a great movie.

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Kate's avatar

That's one of my all-time favorites, unsung and underrated. The way tension and paranoia slowly build in that movie is brilliant. I feel it's more about the dark side of humans than it is about a shape-shifting alien. That final scene is epic. And the score -- pure tension-building genius.

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JJoshua's avatar

That's why it's so good. It blends all if that.

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Lillia Gajewski's avatar

That was really good. Nothing like the bleak Antarctic for a horror movie.

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B-hanimal's avatar

I feel that isolation is almost essential to a horror movie. Without it, the writers have to go to great lengths to explain why help is not available. Usually, the protagonists or the "authorities" appear to the audience as being dumb and unperceptive.

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Lillia Gajewski's avatar

Good point. I've often thought how much easier it must have been to make horror films in the pre-cell phone era.

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B-hanimal's avatar

Hah, this leads me to my theory that we now have so many stories set in the 70s, 80s, and 90s under an umbrella of "nostalgia" that is really about solving that problem. Why don't they just call? Why don't they just look it up on their phone? Hmm...I guess it better be in 1988 then.

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Lillia Gajewski's avatar

Funny, I've thought the same thing.

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MC's avatar

Yes, excellent film. The practical effects were cool. I still feel bad about those dogs.

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JJoshua's avatar

So do I man, I loved those dogs lol

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Thomas M Gregg's avatar

Yes, that's a good one. And the great original from 1951, "The Thing from Another World," though dated, remains watchable. Also, I recommend reading John W. Campbell's 1938 novella, "Who Goes There?" on which the various films were based.

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Bruce Miller's avatar

The best scene from the original Thing was the woke scientist groveling to the Thing, saying "you're so much wiser than we are," etc and then the Thing just knocking him ass over teakettle. As true now as it was then.

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JJoshua's avatar

😂😂😂

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JJoshua's avatar

The 1951 original is great. Didn't know about the novella, I will definitely check it out. Thanks!

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just a farmer's avatar

Great soundtrack too...

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JJoshua's avatar

John Carpenter has great music in his movies

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Kate's avatar

Yes, he actually played Halloween's score himself on the piano. Amazing the effect that only a few keys can have.

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JJoshua's avatar

I didn't know that. But just last night I watched Halloween III, although not well received I thought it was super creepy and I saw in the credits Carpenter did the music, which was similar to Halloween. I knew he had a part of the music but not actually playing it. Most of his scary movies have those few keys of music - Halloween, The Thing, The Fog, Prince of Darkness

Prince of Darkness, another classic Carpenter film that scared me when I was younger.

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just a farmer's avatar

Or score, I guess--Ennio Morricone

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