Universal Pictures released The Thing on 25 June 1982.

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like this film. Now. But the film was a flop at the time. It barely made back its budget. And critics hated it.

You might wonder why the film didn’t play at the time. And I think the reason is simple: It wasn’t ET the Extra-Terrestrial. That film was released two weeks earlier.

I remember watching ET at the time at the UA-6 Theater. I liked it. But my friends were absolutely crazy for it afterward, and that bugged me. It was the first (but not the last) time I had this experience with a Spielberg film. His cloying work almost always leaves me a tad cold. And that is on steroids with ET!

But people love that kind of stuff. So when Universal put out a film that did not feature a cuddly alien, well, outrage! What’s more, the film reeks of paranoia, which was so 1970s! Didn’t Carpenter know that Ronald Reagan was president?! Good lord! It was almost Morning in America!

Today, it isn’t Morning in America. It hasn’t been since about the time the commercials stopped airing. People can look back at ET nostalgically and pretend they were just kids. It is a kids’ film, after all. But if you want to watch something interesting — something engaging — you put on The Thing.

I’m not saying it is perfect. I think the last act is under-written and poorly produced. It doesn’t live up to what came before. But the first two acts are as good as anything ever put on film. And the ending is great. I’m not complaining. I own two different Blu-ray versions of the film!

And I’m up for watching it any time. And the reason is the same as the reason critics hated it at the time: because it isn’t ET. Except under some torture scenario, I won’t be watching that one ever again.

Other 25 June Anniversaries

Filmmakers

• June Lockhart (1925-2025): Actor known for Lassie and Lost in Space.
• Linda Cardellini (1975-): Actor known for the role of Velma in the two early century Scooby Doo films.

Films

• The Leopard Man (1943): A supposedly tame leopard escapes and terrorizes a small town.
• Robot Monster (1953): Moon men destroy all humans except for one family.
• The Giant Gila Monster (1959): Suprisingly good film that is exactly what you think.
• The Killer Shrews (1959): Single-location cheapy where a group needs to escape giant shrews.
• Night Creatures (1962): Nautical horror adventure.
• The Phantom of the Opera (1962): Herbert Lom as the Phantom!
• Klute (1971): Small-town cop hooks up with a prostitute to find a local businessman.
• The Omen (1976): Posh people raise the Antichrist.
• Blade Runner (1982): A cop chases criminals but with a patina of science fiction. Still, pretty great. Make sure you watch the director’s cut.

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The Thing (1982) poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.