Fifteen years on, The Thing (2011) still pulls horror fans back to the Norwegian camp that John Carpenter’s 1982 film only hinted at. The frozen setting and creature effects continue to spark debate, and the prequel’s making is full of details that reward a rewatch. Here are eight things you didn’t know.
It nearly followed MacReady’s brother
In early 2009, Variety reported the launch of a prequel project—possibly following MacReady’s brother during the events leading up to the opening moments of the 1982 film—with Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. as director and Ronald D. Moore as writer.
A remake was never the plan
Producers Marc Abraham and Eric Newman found John Carpenter’s 1982 The Thing in the Universal Studios library after their Dawn of the Dead remake. They convinced Universal to make a prequel instead, feeling that remaking Carpenter’s film would be like “paint(ing) a moustache on the Mona Lisa”.
The reveal was hidden in rewrites
In March 2009, Ronald D. Moore described his script as a “companion piece” to Carpenter’s film and “not a remake”. Eric Heisserer was later hired for a complete rewrite; while Moore’s original draft made clear who would be the Thing, the rewrites decided the audience should not know who was infected, to add to the sense of paranoia.
A cancelled zombie film led the director here
Van Heijningen became involved after Army of the Dead, his planned Las Vegas zombie film written and produced by Zack Snyder, was cancelled three months before production began. Because Alien and The Thing are his favourite films, he asked his agent if a The Thing project was in development; being European, he had always wondered what happened at the Norwegian camp.
Shot on 35mm, without fast cuts
The film was shot in the anamorphic format on 35mm film because the director dislikes the look of films shot digitally. He chose not to fast cut, opting for a slower pace to build a sense of dread. Filming ran at Pinewood Toronto Studios, Port Lands from March 22 to June 28, 2010.
A laptop with “a million” frames of the original
On set, the director kept a laptop containing “a million” screen captures of the Carpenter film. He used it as a point of reference to keep the Norwegian camp visually consistent with the first film.
The ice-block alien began as a silhouette
Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr. of Amalgamated Dynamics created the practical creature effects. The alien in the ice block was initially only intended to be shown as a silhouette, but the director liked their designs and encouraged them to fully create the creature, realized by a creature suit that Tom Woodruff wore.
CGI from the District 9 house extended the practical work
Computer-generated imagery came from Image Engine, the visual effects house behind District 9. CG was used for digital extensions on some practical animatronic effects, as well as for digital matte paintings and set extensions. Van Heijningen preferred practical effects because actors give better performances with something physical to react to—“much better than working with tennis balls [as markers]”.
The film premiered in New York City on October 10, 2011, and was released in the United States on October 14, 2011. Which detail makes you want to revisit the Norwegian camp first? Tell us your favourite fact.
Facts from Wikipedia: The Thing (2011 film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Film images from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.
