…and in a similar vein, The Terminator was essentially a remake of Cyborg 2087. Though that movie was actually from 1966, while Harlan Ellison’s Soldier and Demon with a Glass Hand were from 1964.

Phil, I believe Kurt Russel wore a sombrero in The Thing, not a cowboy hat.

The Thing is definitely one of the most quotable films around, right up there with Ghostbusters.

“ohhh forgot, hellraiser bout made me soil myself, ofcourse i was like 10 yrs old.”

I can trump you there. I nearly peed myself during The Land Before TIme. Course I was like 4 or 5 or something;).

Another one that I saw in theaters was Jaws, I would’ve had to be 5 or 6. That one scared me quite a bit; for quite some time I thought sharks could get me in the bathroom or the swimming pool. I like to think I’ve become a bit more logical since then.

I did watch The Thing again not too long ago on HD-DVD (yeah, poor format choice) and thought it had a lot going for it. I think the main thing that I like about it and Alien is the feeling of isolation you get in both movies. It’s just hard to beat a creature that has two sets of jaws, is ultra-strong, and has acid for blood.

Plus, it allowed us to have a rare sequel that is as good as the original movie.

I was horrified to read that the studios were going to remake both of those. Apparently the new Thing will be written by Ron. D. Moore which is immensely reassuring, although I’m sure the monsters will be CGI. Bah! As for The Fly, somebody came to the studio with a version which was more metaphorical than literal, but all that did was put the idea of a straight remake in the studio’s head. Bah again!

The pacing and overlapping dialogue in the 1951 original are still fresh every time I watch it. And haven’t many of us seen reporter Scott’s admonition — “Watch the skies! Keep watching the skies!” — repeated often?

The 1982 film, as has been noted, follows the plot of the original short story. Special effects aside, the dialogue and acting are superb, and the tension is palpable. The ambiguous ending is great, too!

Now, I wonder what Spielberg will do to/with “When Worlds Collide?” His version of “War of the Worlds” grows on me each time I watch it.

Les

That said, the best part of the movie was Kurt Russell. Until The Thing and Escape from New York, Russell was best known for his roles in several Disney movies. And suddenly here he is dropping the F bomb every other word!!

Poor Walt is still spinning in his grave.

That was just so creepy on so many levels back then.

Alien was scary because of the many “boo” moments in it, but I think the The Thing was more suspenseful overall.

The prop is a little out of price range, but it got me looking around the Movie Memorabilia section on eBay and I wound up getting a Dilithium Crysal prop (with COA).

I don’t know if I should thank or blame you for this one BA.

Never mind. Relics from a movie like The Thing are cool.

Somebody’s never seen “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer” (1986). Based on the confessions of a real life serial killer, Henry Lee Lucas, it will drag all of your beloved Exorcists, Omens, Wicker Men, et al. into an empty alleyway and do things to them that cannot possibly be described on a polite family forum. A genuinely good movie, bowel-voidingly honest in its treatment of the subject and deeply, truly unpleasant to watch.

http://worldofkane.blogspot.com/2005/10/planet-of-vampires-1965-directed-by.html

It is nice when modern directors do a decent job with old sci fi stories from the grand masters. I am excited about the Rama movie that David Fincher is going to direct. Should be seeing that in the near future. XD