Listen "SSC 12: The Thing (Carpenter, 1982)"
Episode Synopsis
For October's second horror-centric episode, Tim and Tay talk John Carpenter's not-so-immediately appreciated masterpiece The Thing. From evergreen creature effects to unsettling philosophical implications, this movie has it all. SynopsisAn American research base in Antarctica is infiltrated by an alien that can assume the shape of anything it attacks. The social fabric of the small community quickly erodes as each resident realizes they can no longer trust those around them. Directed by John Carpenter, The Thing was released June 25, 1982, and stars Kurt Russell, Keith David, and Wilford Brimley. The Thing is available to stream on Netflix. Scene [1:17:41 - 1:26:36]As the remaining group begins to suspect Macready, he forces everyone into a blood test to determine who, if any are actually The Thing.Links3:00 - A monster budget4:30 - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)6:50 - An initial critical flop7:20 - Blade Runner (1982)8:25 - Too "strong" for audiences20 - Carpenter on the difficulty of ensemble shoots2230 - The Thing's script26:15 - The Thing (2011) & CGI FX28:20 - The Thing From Another World (1951) / Who Goes There?30:06 - A long pre-production30:40 - Invasion of the Body Snatchers - 1956 and 1978 34:00 - The split diopter shot35:53 - Toy Story 4's split diopter shot56:15 - Stan Winston57:49 - Jed the dog actor59:40 - Ethan Hawke's most impressive costarRecommendationsTim: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Kaufman, 1978). Available to stream on Prime.Tay: Attack The Block (Cornish, 2011). Available to stream on CTV.All links are verified at the time of publication and based on availability in Canada.Follow: SSC on Instagram Tim on Letterboxd
More episodes of the podcast Single Serving Cinema
SSC 109: Die Hard (McTiernan, 1988)
24/12/2025
SSC 108: Black Christmas (Clark, 1974)
10/12/2025
SSC 107: Pan's Labyrinth (del Toro, 2006)
03/12/2025
SSC 106: The Shape of Water
20/11/2025
SSC 105: Halloween (Carpenter, 1978)
30/10/2025
SSC 104: The Shining (Kubrick, 1980)
24/09/2025
SSC 103: Weapons (Cregger, 2025)
27/08/2025
SSC 102: 28 Years Later (Boyle, 2025)
30/07/2025
SSC 101: 28 Days Later (Boyle, 2002)
16/07/2025
SSC 100: Zodiac (Fincher, 2007)
11/06/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.