The Thing from Another World (1951)
I picked up a DVD of The Thing from Another World purely because of the remake by John Carpenter made 31 years later. I assumed this would be a nice little piece, more of a curiosity than anything. Little did I realize I was holding one of the best sci-fi films of the ’50s. Filled with compelling, well-written characters, and a tight script, loaded with suspense, this black-and-white feature is extremely entertaining.
A United States Air Force crew investigates a crashed flying saucer near the North Pole. When they discover a frozen alien nearby, Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) insists they attempt to communicate with it. He’s certain the creature is going to be a gift to mankind. The airmen led by Captain Hendry (Kenneth Tobey) and Carrington’s secretary, Nikki (Margaret Sheridan), aren't so sure.
I’m a chicken but older black-and-white horror films hardly ever get to me. I appreciate Frankenstein and Dracula for their historical significance instead of the nightmares they bring at night. The Thing from Another World actually made me jump. Not once, but twice. There’s tremendous suspense thanks to the writing. Subtle touches throughout make you care about the characters. The pragmatic airmen who think on their feet as things spiral into chaos, the feisty secretary who knows exactly what she wants and isn’t afraid to let the people around her know what she’s thinking, even the scientist, responsible for the ensuing catastrophe that will plague the station get plenty of character development. In a run-of-the-mill alien picture, Dr. Carrington would be a complete fool. He’d insist that the titular thing (played by James Arness) is friendly even as it’s strangling the life out of him. Here, he makes some compelling arguments. The picture knows exactly what information to divulge, and what to keep close to its chest. You’re worried for these delightful characters but don't want them to kill the alien - at least not before you get the answers you seek.
The film has many iconic scenes, the best of which comes right at the end. There’s a piece of dialogue that’s absolutely chilling. It’s so good it sends just thinking about it fills me with unease. That brings me to the one thing that could have been improved: the alien. A good picture like this deserves an iconic monster and it doesn't have one. You see everything “The Thing from Another World” has got going and you go “WOW!” There’s a lot of humor throughout, but it’s used to accentuate the scares rather than undermine them. You get a sense that things might turn out to be ok, then BAM! It comes at you through the wall and grabs your wrist. The quieter moments as people converge and formulate plans make you that much more invested in this story. These people are smart. There's hope for them.
Subtle points made during the film are the kind you might not catch the first time around, but subliminally, make you understand why - even years later - this picture is still influencing the sci-fi genre. Remarks made about the scientific community, how it was regarded back when the picture was made (the atomic bomb was fresh in people’s minds) give this picture lasting power.
I was blown away by The Thing from Another World. If you like science fiction films, you’ll be delighted to know that it varies wildly from the John Carpenter remake, so you don’t know where the plot is headed just because you've seen its more famous descendant. I can’t believe it took me this long to sit down and watch it. (On DVD, July 1, 2016)
