Lists
- ranked 245 in The IMDb Top 250
- ranked 289 in Empire 500 Greatest Movies (2008)
- ranked 812 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (March 2006)
- ranked 847 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (December 2006)
- ranked 935 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (August 2005)
- one of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
- one of Empire's 250 Greatest Films You've Never Seen
- one of Guardian 1,000 films to see before you die
- one of OFCS Top 100 Sci-Fi
Suspicion
Based on the same John W. Campbell Jr. story as The Thing From Another World, this is essentially a more intelligent, far more gruesome update. A creature is found trapped in a block of ice, only to awaken and -- well, it's a horror movie, whaddaya expect?
It's surprisingly subtle, with an outstanding minimalist soundtrack and some understated but sophisticated performances.
The scenes of gore are, by contrast, extremely graphic. If this were a film studies journal I'd probably say that they're representative of the all-male cast's internalized emotions; set free they become the Other. But I won't, because a) it isn't, and b) John Carpenter isn't David Cronenberg.
(Thank God.)
Apparently there's a re-cut TV version with the gore mostly removed, and I think that's the one I'd prefer. The special effects are ridiculous even when horrifying, and that interferes with the otherwise pervasive sense of paranoia.
But still, it's definitely worth seeing.