a review of 怪形

When you start talking about what the best John Carpenter movie is, most people will probably say it's Halloween. It did spawn one of the most iconic horror franchises and villains of all time after all, and even with the countless imitators that followed it still holds up today as arguably the greatest slasher flick ever made. There are those who might even say something like Assault on Precinct 13. Me personally though, despite admittedly having not yet seen the entirety of the legendary filmmaker's body of work, I have to count myself among the second, slightly smaller (but not by much) group who will just as passionately declare it to be The Thing. The film gets so much right it's honestly hard to know where to begin. The most impressive aspect of it by far though is the visuals. It completely nails the body horror element. Even for something that came out back in 1982 (nearly a full 40 years as of this writing!) it never failed at making my jaw hit the floor with each of its horrific alien transformations. Especially since they're all brought to life by practical effects. Everything just looks so believable and real that it's disturbing in a way this style of horror known more for grossing people out than truly getting under their skin typically isn't. Things like the way infective tendrils move or a severed head sprouting insect-like legs and walking around are staggering and haunting because of how Carpenter and crew were able to make them appear so ALIVE. The sights here are absolutely timeless, and if there are any better examples of the laziness of modern computer generated imagery I haven't seen them. Eye candy alone isn't enough to carry a movie however, so its true strength lies in its nigh perfectly executed story. The frozen tundra of Antarctica provides a remarkably compelling setting for a small group of isolated American researchers to come under threat of an extraterrestrial entity with the ability to not only imitate its victims, but to a certain degree even become them, while the survivors' inability to know for certain if their colleagues are still who they say they are serves as the basis for the terror. There's a pretty interesting timeline of events for the audience to try and piece together, as the characters constantly stumble across some sign that even when they're not onscreen each member of the cast is doing something to further their own secret agendas. It casts a thick blanket of unease over the entire scenario that proves uniquely adept and perhaps without equal in its ability to make to make viewers feel the exact same sense of tension and paranoia as the people they're watching are, all of whom are convincingly portrayed by actors who must have seriously (and validly) believed in the material to give such committed performances. Plus, the unanswered questions you'll have after the credits roll in regards to who did what and when encourage multiple rewatches. An already enticing prospect given how gripping the events are to begin with. The fact that this was so negatively received when it originally came out is something of a minor tragedy. Not least of all because of the effect it had not only its director's career, but also his mental outlook as well. It's genuinely a little painful to think that the critics of that era were either too unintelligent or too blinded by what was going on in the world during that period (this was admittedly a rather bleak experience to come out during the recession) to recognize and appreciate the masterpiece they'd just received. That's not a misnomer either. This is legitimately the work of a master performing at his peak. One where no matter their role in the plot each dramatis personae behaves like you would expect an every day human to in that situation, and with an unparalleled level of quality in its presentation. Which is why I don't just view this as Carpenter's best effort, but one of best films of all time in general. A must watch!