The Thing Expanded

release year: 2026
genre: documentary
viewing setting: home Bluray 6/14-17/26

synopsis: This 5+ hour documentary explores various behind-the-scenes aspects of the classic 1982 film The Thing.

impressions: This is a high-quality independently-made documentary about a single movie. There are chapters covering just about every topic e.g. the original short story, the special effects, key plot questions that remain unanswered to this day, the prequel, multiple death scenes for one of the characters, the nature of the alien, and much more. There's a lot to learn about here, for example the time the bus carrying most of the cast members almost slid off the side of a mountain during a snowstorm.

acting: N/A but the interviews are great; the actors and crew seem genuinely enthusiastic talking about their parts in the original movie. Aside from director John Carpenter, most of the cast, and a number of crew members, the interviewees include Guillermo del Toro, Eli Roth, Frank Darabont, Issa Lopez, Mick Garris, and Stephen Colbert.

final word: This is a good documentary that all The Thing fans should definitely see.

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