When you think about a film that has initial reviews that said it was “foolish, depressing” and its actors are “used merely as props to be hacked, slashed, disemboweled and decapitated, finally to be eaten and then regurgitated” and the film overall, “is too phony to be disgusting. It qualifies only as instant junk,” which was from the New York Times Vincent Canby. Or when Roger Ebert called it, “a great barf-bag movie.” But it wasn’t just these types of film critics that hated John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982), his adaptation of John W. Campbell’s novella entitled Who Goes There, first published in 1938. Even Alan Spencer, writing for Starlog magazine wrote that the film, “smells, and smells pretty bad. It has no pace, sloppy continuity, zero humor, bland characters on top of being totally devoid of either warmth or humanity.” He went on to write that Carpenter should not be directing films, but instead, would be “suited to direct: traffic accidents, train wrecks and public floggings.”

But us horror fans knew back then this film was something special. Sure, the over-the-top special effects from Rob Bottin got all of the young gore-hound’s attention with the creature designs, but this was always a film that would have still worked even without those effects. Carpenter and screenwriter Bill Lancaster created a very tense story filled with paranoia, about a group of men that can’t seem to even understand what is happening, until it’s too late. Brought to life by some talented actors that made us feel what it must be like having to live and work so outside of normal society. Now, over four decades later, not only is it recognized as one of the greatest horror films ever made, but that the National Film Registry has added it to their 2025 list of titles to be “preserved for their cinematic and cultural heritage.”

It makes you wonder what some of those harsh critics would be saying about the film now, doesn’t it?

In the press release about the different films they have chosen and why, Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen stated, “When we preserve films, we preserve American culture for generations to come. These selections for the National Film Registry show us that films are instrumental in capturing important parts of our nation’s story.” Also stated in the press release that The Thing was this year’s top vote-getter”

While you can’t re-write history and fix the damage the negative reviews did to director Carpenter’s career at that time, like being fired from his next directing gig, and even being called “a pornographer of violence”, his work on this masterpiece has really stood the test of time. Just like the alien creature in the movie, it refused to give up and die, to be buried in the snow and forgotten, it wanted to live on.

It has. And will now live on for many future generations to enjoy and to scare the hell out of.

Thank you, Mr. Carpenter. I know it doesn’t fix the ills of the past, but it definitely has solidified your future as creating one of the greatest horror and sci-fi pictures ever made.