Editor's note: Ten-Year Itch is a weekly column that takes a peek back at an album or film that is at least 10 years old and deserves a second look.
When it comes to horror, I am sadly not too involved with the genre. I have seen most of the classics and will give my time to a new horror flick if it sounds astounding but I just don't know that I have ever sat down specifically to watch one.
Well, during Halloween, this type of rationale goes out the window. People want to be frightened, to have a good scare.
I have found that my favorite scary movies are usually melded together with another genre of which I happen to be fonder.
This is where this week's Ten-Year Itch comes in. "The Thing" was released in 1982 and brings together science fiction with some serious, intense scares.
This 1982 John-Carpenter-helmed remake tells the tale of an American group of military personnel who go out to the Arctic to investigate a Norwegian research team, the members of which have all been killed.
Obviously, something supernatural is going down. But what, exactly? I would not want to ruin the surprise for those who have not had the chance to catch this cult classic. I guess you could just go to Wikipedia or something and find out yourself, but I'm a gentleman and will never tell.
Kurt Russell leads the cast and is as rough and rugged as he was in anything in the 1980s. The characters in the film are not really likable ones; you won't grow to really care for any of them. However, as they argue and turn on each other and confusion mounts within their bunker, the paranoia and intensity makes up for lack of character development.
With this being first-and-foremost a science-fiction film, the special effects in the film are wonderfully disgusting. Carpenter's use of body-horror is truly mesmerizing and akin to some of David Cronenberg's best work in the '80s.
So, if you have grown tired or seen enough of Krueger or Jason or Michael Myers, throw ol' Kurt Russell and "The Thing" on and enjoy a great head of hair and some frightening moments.
Luke McCormick can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 275 or lmccorm2@siu.edu.
