Follow TV Tropes

Following

History NightmareFuel / TheThing1982

Go To

OR

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

** The actual dog "playing" the Dog Thing counted himself. He was part wolf, and it showed. th3e actor playing Clarke, who interacted the most with that dog, notes that it would go very still and project an air of absolute menace when in a situation it didn't like, and it was abundantly clear that if the situation didn't change, bad things were going to happen. A more perfect actor for the role cannot be imagined.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


** It was [[spoiler: Palmer]]; in detail [[spoiler: Palmer begins to convulse violently before he starts [[EyeScream bleeding from the eyes]] while it lest out an ungodly scream. His head [[BodyHorror swells in gross,bleeding bumps]], busts out of the rope, then kills a guy by chewing his head off with his [[BodyHorror head-mouth]][[BuffySpeak -thing.]]]]

to:

** It was [[spoiler: Palmer]]; in detail [[spoiler: Palmer begins to convulse violently before he starts [[EyeScream bleeding from the eyes]] while it lest out an ungodly scream. His head [[BodyHorror swells in gross,bleeding bumps]], busts out of the rope, then kills infects a guy by chewing his head off mauling him with his [[BodyHorror head-mouth]][[BuffySpeak -thing.]]]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


** [[spoiler:[[https://youtu.be/Kj_57s-8y9w A deleted scene]] in the 2011 remake answered that question. [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled Yes, he did that to himself]]]]

to:

** [[spoiler:[[https://youtu.[[spoiler: [[https://youtu.be/Kj_57s-8y9w A deleted scene]] in the 2011 remake answered that question. [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled Yes, he did that to himself]]]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


** [[spoiler:A deleted scene in the 2011 remake answered that question. [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled Yes, he did that to himself]]]]

to:

** [[spoiler:A [[spoiler:[[https://youtu.be/Kj_57s-8y9w A deleted scene scene]] in the 2011 remake answered that question. [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled Yes, he did that to himself]]]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

** [[spoiler:A deleted scene in the 2011 remake answered that question. [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled Yes, he did that to himself]]]]

Added: 246

Changed: 346

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



to:

* While it is a distant runner-up to all the {{Gorn}} and terror that the Thing itself brings, there’s the scene in which the men were pretty much about to lynch [=MacReady=] in a paranoid frenzy on some pretty flimsy evidence. The situation certainly called for caution, but seeing how quickly the men turned on each other was pretty damn scary.
** Especially since it is shown the men are so terrified ''they don’t really care all that much if [=MacReady=] is innocent or not.''
-->'''Windows''': [[OnlySaneMan Childs, what if we're wrong about him?!]]
-->'''Childs''': Well then, we're wrong!
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



to:

* [[spoiler: Fuchs']] death. A combination of BetterToDieThanBeKilled and NothingIsScarier. We don't actually see it happen, but the other group members speculate that he realized he was about to be consumed so instead he burned himself alive ''with a flare''!
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* The jump scare when Fuch's light goes out. He takes a flare and walks to his door and trips something and all of a sudden we see a shadow shoot by with one of the most horrific sounds ever put on screen. This jump scare mixed psychological horror and paranoia as we don't know who it is and the sound that it makes is so alien and inhuman that it will ALWAYS crawl under your skin.

to:

* The jump scare when Fuch's Fuchs's light goes out. He takes a flare and walks to his door and trips something and all of a sudden we see a shadow shoot by with one of the most horrific sounds ever put on screen. This jump scare mixed psychological horror and paranoia as we don't know who it is and the sound that it makes is so alien and inhuman that it will ALWAYS crawl under your skin.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



to:

* The ending. [[spoiler: Even if Macready and Childs aren't Things, they're still trapped in the middle of the frozen Antarctic, with little real hope for survival. The ruins of Outpost 31 are burning around them, and they have no food or shelter...and there's that little, teeny, tiny chance that ''[[ParanoiaFuel one of them is infected.]]'']]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

----
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* The kennel scene. If the charred remains of the merged-heads creature didn't clue you in, the dog creature really hammers home just how ''alien'' the Thing is. This is not only due to the appearance of the monster itself, but the sound effects as well (see below).

to:

* The kennel scene. scene, which provides the [[SarcasmMode nice page picture.]] If the charred remains of the merged-heads creature didn't clue you in, the dog creature really hammers home just how ''alien'' the Thing is. This is not only due to the appearance of the monster itself, but the sound effects as well (see below).
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


[[caption-width-right:300:s The Dog Thing. Making audiences scream " '''OH DEAR GO WHAT THE FUCK AM I LOOKING AT'''" since 1982.]]

to:

[[caption-width-right:300:s [[caption-width-right:300: The Dog Thing. Making audiences scream " '''OH DEAR GO GOD WHAT THE FUCK AM I LOOKING AT'''" since 1982.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dog_monster_748.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:s The Dog Thing. Making audiences scream " '''OH DEAR GO WHAT THE FUCK AM I LOOKING AT'''" since 1982.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



to:

''The Thing'' is often described as one of the scariest, most horrific and downright ''terrifying'' films of all time. '''There is a very good reason for this.'''
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

->''"I don't know what the hell's in there, but it's weird and pissed-off, whatever it is."''
-->- '''Clark'''
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


** It was Palmer; in detail [[spoiler: Palmer begins to convulse violently before he starts [[EyeScream bleeding from the eyes]] while it lest out an ungodly scream. His head [[BodyHorror swells in gross,bleeding bumps]], busts out of the rope, then kills a guy by chewing his head off with his [[BodyHorror head-mouth]][[BuffySpeak -thing.]]]]

to:

** It was Palmer; [[spoiler: Palmer]]; in detail [[spoiler: Palmer begins to convulse violently before he starts [[EyeScream bleeding from the eyes]] while it lest out an ungodly scream. His head [[BodyHorror swells in gross,bleeding bumps]], busts out of the rope, then kills a guy by chewing his head off with his [[BodyHorror head-mouth]][[BuffySpeak -thing.]]]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


** Even further, it played with the idea of The Thing and showed just how unstoppable it would be if it ever got to a place that wasn't mostly devoid of life. We really would not stand a chance.

to:

** Even further, it played with the idea of The Thing and showed just how unstoppable it would be if it ever got to a place that wasn't mostly devoid of life. We really would not stand a chance.chance.

----
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Hell Is That Noise is getting cleaned-up: it is no longer an Audience Reaction. Please enter examples in only if the characters within the work are frightened.


** And let's not forget to mention [[spoiler: the horrific, inhuman [[HellIsThatNoise wailing]] the creature's making the entire time.]] It's pretty much the icing on the nightmare/nausea cake.
* The blood test is one of the greatest jumps of all time. [[spoiler: Especially great is how we're made to expect one of two characters is the thing. The guy administering the test is still haranguing them, casually putting the wire to the blood of some guy we barely even remember WHEN IT FUCKING EXPLODES.]] The blood [[spoiler:''screeches'', and it's the [[HellIsThatNoise most hideous sound.]]]]

to:

** And let's not forget to mention [[spoiler: the horrific, inhuman [[HellIsThatNoise wailing]] wailing the creature's making the entire time.]] It's pretty much the icing on the nightmare/nausea cake.
* The blood test is one of the greatest jumps of all time. [[spoiler: Especially great is how we're made to expect one of two characters is the thing. The guy administering the test is still haranguing them, casually putting the wire to the blood of some guy we barely even remember WHEN IT FUCKING EXPLODES.]] The blood [[spoiler:''screeches'', and it's the [[HellIsThatNoise most hideous sound.]]]]]]



** It was Palmer; in detail [[spoiler: Palmer begins to convulse violently before he starts [[EyeScream bleeding from the eyes]] while it lest out an [[HellisThatNoise ungodly scream.]] His head[[BodyHorror swells in gross,bleeding bumps]], busts out of the rope, then kills a guy by chewing his head off with his [[BodyHorror head-mouth]][[BuffySpeak -thing.]]]]

to:

** It was Palmer; in detail [[spoiler: Palmer begins to convulse violently before he starts [[EyeScream bleeding from the eyes]] while it lest out an [[HellisThatNoise ungodly scream.]] scream. His head[[BodyHorror head [[BodyHorror swells in gross,bleeding bumps]], busts out of the rope, then kills a guy by chewing his head off with his [[BodyHorror head-mouth]][[BuffySpeak -thing.]]]]



* The way that [[spoiler:Bennings]]-Thing looks up when they catch up to it, with seemingly huge eyes. And then it opens its mouth to give off an [[HellIsThatNoise unearthly wail]]. Followed by the [[ParanoiaFuel realisation by the team:]] ''[[spoiler: Where's Blair?'']]

to:

* The way that [[spoiler:Bennings]]-Thing looks up when they catch up to it, with seemingly huge eyes. And then it opens its mouth to give off an [[HellIsThatNoise unearthly wail]].wail. Followed by the [[ParanoiaFuel realisation by the team:]] ''[[spoiler: Where's Blair?'']]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

** Are we sure he did that himself?
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* The main theme itself: dun dun.... dun dun... dun dun... dun dun...

to:

* The main theme itself: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7Tn1Y-ERCE dun dun.... dun dun... dun dun... dun dun...]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


** And let's not forget to mention [[spoiler: the horrific, inhuman [[HellIsThatNoise ''wailing'']] the creature's making the entire time.]] It's pretty much the icing on the nightmare/nausea cake.

to:

** And let's not forget to mention [[spoiler: the horrific, inhuman [[HellIsThatNoise ''wailing'']] wailing]] the creature's making the entire time.]] It's pretty much the icing on the nightmare/nausea cake.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

** And let's not forget to mention [[spoiler: the horrific, inhuman [[HellIsThatNoise ''wailing'']] the creature's making the entire time.]] It's pretty much the icing on the nightmare/nausea cake.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* What really made the kennel scene stood out was that when the dog started to transform one of the dogs in the kennel went from aggressive to wanting to get out. Seeing one of them desperately trying to claw and bite at the metal fence just to escape the fate the other dogs received was not only creepy but unsettling.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


** It was Palmer; in detail [[spoiler: Palmer begins to convulse violently before he starts [[EyeScream bleeding from the eyes]] while it lest out an [[HellisThatNoise ungodly scream.]] His head[[BodyHorror swells in gross,bleeding bumps]], busts out of the rope, then kills a guy chewing his head off with his [[BodyHorror head-mouth]][[BuffySpeak -thing.]]]]

to:

** It was Palmer; in detail [[spoiler: Palmer begins to convulse violently before he starts [[EyeScream bleeding from the eyes]] while it lest out an [[HellisThatNoise ungodly scream.]] His head[[BodyHorror swells in gross,bleeding bumps]], busts out of the rope, then kills a guy by chewing his head off with his [[BodyHorror head-mouth]][[BuffySpeak -thing.]]]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

** It was Palmer; in detail [[spoiler: Palmer begins to convulse violently before he starts [[EyeScream bleeding from the eyes]] while it lest out an [[HellisThatNoise ungodly scream.]] His head[[BodyHorror swells in gross,bleeding bumps]], busts out of the rope, then kills a guy chewing his head off with his [[BodyHorror head-mouth]][[BuffySpeak -thing.]]]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* The FX men made a little inflatable monster head and neck, which jumps up out of a petri dish held by a false arm the actor wore for that shot. Freeze-frame it. The editing and performance-matching quality here is frankly amazing.

to:

* ** The FX men made a little inflatable monster head and neck, which jumps up out of a petri dish held by a false arm the actor wore for that shot. Freeze-frame it. The editing and performance-matching quality here is frankly amazing.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* The blood test is one of the greatest jumps of all time. [[spoiler: Especially great is how we're made to expect one of two characters is the thing. The guy administering the test is still haranguing them, casually putting the wire to the blood of some guy we barely even remember WHEN IT FUCKING EXPLODES.]] The blood [[spoiler: screeches, and it's the most hideous sound.]]

to:

* The blood test is one of the greatest jumps of all time. [[spoiler: Especially great is how we're made to expect one of two characters is the thing. The guy administering the test is still haranguing them, casually putting the wire to the blood of some guy we barely even remember WHEN IT FUCKING EXPLODES.]] The blood [[spoiler: screeches, [[spoiler:''screeches'', and it's the [[HellIsThatNoise most hideous sound.]]]]]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* The plans for the never-produced Sci-Fi Channel series: ''The Thing figures out how to get around the blood test.''

to:

* The plans for the never-produced Sci-Fi Channel series: ''The Thing figures out how to get around the blood test.''''
** Even further, it played with the idea of The Thing and showed just how unstoppable it would be if it ever got to a place that wasn't mostly devoid of life. We really would not stand a chance.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* To provide due warning to anyone now thinking about seeing this movie, it has BodyHorror and ParanoiaFuel out of, and providing, your worst nightmares.
* The part where [[spoiler:after eating a man's arms with a mouth in its chest, one of the monsters pulls its own head away from its flaming body, after which it (the head) then sprouts legs and eye-stalks and tries to scuttle out the door.]]
* The blood test is one of the greatest jumps of all time. [[spoiler: Especially great is how we're made to expect one of two characters is the thing. The guy administering the test is still haranguing them, casually putting the wire to the blood of some guy we barely even remember WHEN IT FUCKING EXPLODES.]] The blood [[spoiler: screeches, and it's the most hideous sound.]]
* The FX men made a little inflatable monster head and neck, which jumps up out of a petri dish held by a false arm the actor wore for that shot. Freeze-frame it. The editing and performance-matching quality here is frankly amazing.
* The scene [[spoiler: where a guy begins to go into convulsions as he transforms into a Thing, with two other guys flailing and screaming bloody murder ''because they've been tied together with him''.]]
* The [[spoiler: burned and twisted biological rejects frozen in expressions of abject suffering, the sickening digestive sequences, the emergence of the Thing from its host, and, of course, the ''blood test''.]]
* The kennel scene. If the charred remains of the merged-heads creature didn't clue you in, the dog creature really hammers home just how ''alien'' the Thing is. This is not only due to the appearance of the monster itself, but the sound effects as well (see below).
* Hell, even before the kennel scene, that dog was terrifying. It's no spoiler to point it out; you know something's just not right about that dog from the first time you see it. [[UncannyValley It stands perfectly still, and stares, and never wags its tail.]] You can just see it planning. And that music...
* According to the commentary track featuring John Carpenter, the dog was not prompted for any of the behavior that's so damn creepy (pausing as if to listen for anyone who might discover it, the slow and deliberate walk, and as mentioned above, the intent look on its face). They only trained it to hit its marks on set -- the creepiness is all-natural. That's because the dog is actually half-wolf. That standing still and staring is it getting spooked by something, while well trained the actors were genuinely scared of it.
* Although the body horror elements are still incredibly creepy, as well as the paranoia, the sound effects are also pretty nightmare-inducing.
** Take for example the scene right before the kennel, when [=MacReady=] grabs a beer in the fridge... in the background you hear weird rumbling monster sounds, and then you hear that awful high-pitched dog yelping/barking/squealing. [=MacReady=] slams on the fire alarm (which puts you into panic mode).
** THEN the scene switches to Clark waiting nervously in the hall, and you hear one of THE MOST god-awfully nightmarish sounds ever, a strangely distorted male voice screaming in agony... it makes you wonder what the hell kind of transformation is taking place in the kennel, especially since none of the humans are inside of it.
** When the men shine their light on the dog-Thing, it lets out an unnerving sound that sounds like a big cat's roar run through an electronic filter. And in the wide shot of the creature, it makes a sound like the electronically processed squeals of a pig.
** During the rest of the scene, you continue hearing these weird hybrid sounds of humans wailing/screaming, dogs barking/yelping, and weird growling and hissing sounds. One could simply LISTEN to this scene and get completely unsettled.
* After [[spoiler: the blood test]] we notice something that might hit you [[ParanoiaFuel subconsciously]]. [[spoiler: The blood that was tested to be the creature, after screaming and being dropped to the ground, quickly scurries away consciously, and for the rest of the movie we never see of it again...]]
* The jump scare when Fuch's light goes out. He takes a flare and walks to his door and trips something and all of a sudden we see a shadow shoot by with one of the most horrific sounds ever put on screen. This jump scare mixed psychological horror and paranoia as we don't know who it is and the sound that it makes is so alien and inhuman that it will ALWAYS crawl under your skin.
* The same sound is heard when [[spoiler: Blair-thing shows up to kill Garry]] by MORPHING HIS HAND INTO HIS MOUTH, the scene afterwards we're shown his body being dragged by the hand melded mouth.
* The [[spoiler:Bennings]] scene.[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0Z44BIDPPc Absolutely everything about this scene]] is horrific in every sense. The first slow pan from a bloodied chair, to the way [[spoiler:Windows]] slowly turns his head to the source of the noise of [[spoiler:Bennings being consumed by the Thing]] just ends with him softly whispering [[PrecisionFStrike "shit"]].
* The way that [[spoiler:Bennings]]-Thing looks up when they catch up to it, with seemingly huge eyes. And then it opens its mouth to give off an [[HellIsThatNoise unearthly wail]]. Followed by the [[ParanoiaFuel realisation by the team:]] ''[[spoiler: Where's Blair?'']]
* The frozen Norwegian corpse who slit his wrists ''and'' throat.
* The main theme itself: dun dun.... dun dun... dun dun... dun dun...
* The plans for the never-produced Sci-Fi Channel series: ''The Thing figures out how to get around the blood test.''

Top