The Thing from Another World had a release date of April 7, 1951. The sci fi classic produced by Howard Hawks was based on the short story "Who Goes There?" by John W Campbell Jr. The film featured James Arness as The Thing. Unlike the short story and the remake, the female character Nikki (Margaret Sheridan) was added to the film. Famous voice actor Paul Frees appeared as Dr Vorhees. There has been extensive debate since the film's release if Howard Hawks or Christian Nyby mainly directed the film. Due to financial constrates, the changling nature of the alien was mostly written out of the final film. Film maker John Carpenter was a big fan of the film and not only had it appear in his iconic film Halloween, but went on to direct a remake in 1982 with the shortened title The Thing. While considered a bomb at the time that really hurt his career, the 1982 version has since gone on to be a major cult classic. Directors Ridley Scott, John Frankenheimer, and Tobe Hooper are also said to be big fans of the original film. The Thing from Another World and the Thing can easily be seen as an influence on the first season episode of the X-Files "Ice". ("The Thing from Another World", Sci Fi Movie Event)
