The modern moviegoer so reviles remakes that even the complaints about them are rehashed every single year. But these fan-issued fatwas come with an implied carveout, as remakes sometimes so eclipse an original that source material once considered untouchable is quietly shuffled off to a home for retired film reels. When people say Ben-Hur is a classic, who’s referring to the 1925 version?
That’s the fate that befell The Thing from Another World, which celebrates its 75th birthday today. While John Carpenter’s 1982 remake was initially dismissed as an empty, nihilistic gorefest, The Thing (née Another World) has since been reevaluated as one of the greatest science-fiction films of the ‘80s, and certainly one of the most influential. To horror fans who grew up with Carpenter’s version, its predecessor can look dated and dull; but there’s a reason Carpenter questioned his own ability to surpass the original.
