John Carpenter’s The Thing may very well be one of the greatest horror movies of all time. Though it was utterly unsuccessful when originally released—in the same era as Steven Spielberg’s E.T.—it enjoyed a massive resurgence in the decades that followed.
There have been a number of sequels/prequels/remakes to John Carpenter’s The Thing planned, proposed, announced, and (thankfully) scrapped over the past ten years, but the only one to make it out of development hell is the prequel known, simply, as The Thing (2011). Last week, news broke that it wouldn’t be making its April release date for then unknown reasons and today, producer Marc Abraham is discussing why.
Courtesy of Drew McWeeny at Hit Fix, Abraham promises that there’s nothing to worry about regarding the quality of the film, something no producer would ever have any reason to lie about (sarcasm!), and that the release date change will merely give the filmmakers more time to “enhance existing sequences,” “make crystal clear a few story beats,” and “add punctuation marks to the film’s feeling of dread” via re-shoots.One specific scene that requires “enhancement,” so to speak, is the very first time the film’s protagonists see ‘the thing’ in all its wretched glory. Apparently, producer Marc Abraham wants to straddle that very narrow line where the film can be embraced by both hardcore John Carpenter fanatics and newer audiences not so accustomed to the horrors of that thing from another world.
Certainly, that’s no easy task, one might even say it’s impossible, but this particular John Carpenter fanatic would be satisfied with just a good movie.
Some of the cast will be involved in the re-shoots, including star Mary Elizabeth Winstead. No word yet as to whether or not the other star, Joel Edgerton, otherwise known as the Star Wars prequels’ Uncle Owen, will be involved, too.
Special effects work on the film is, obviously, ongoing and likely won’t be finished until early next year. I just hope against hope that the CGI in the film will be utilized solely to augment or support the (cross your fingers) prevalent practical effects. It’s become commonplace in the past few years to heavily rely upon CGI for creature effects in horror movies. This usually rips every ounce of tension right out of the film, because the human eye knows the difference between a cartoon object and a real, physical object, dripping with goo and writhing about covered in tentacles, tumors, eyeballs, and more. Cartoon monsters in the middle of a live-action movie just aren’t scary.
Check out the below video to see just how magnificent the original The Thing‘s creature effects were, way back in 1982:
Frankly, if the creature effects don’t, at the very least, match those from the nigh-on thirty-year-old original in their gruesome plausibility, then the filmmakers might as well get new day jobs. I mean, no one held them up at gunpoint and said, “Make a prequel to John Carpenter’s classic horror film The Thing from 1982!” (As far as I’m aware?)
No word yet on what the new release date for The Thing, directed by Matthijs van Hijningen Jr., will be. Here’s hoping that the re-shoots will provide what it takes to put this movie over the top in terms of sheer awesome horror. Honestly, I’m not expecting a movie on par with the original, but just an enjoyable horror movie experience would be a breath of fresh air.
Source: Hit Fix
No comments:
Post a Comment