Original Who Goes There Has Still Got Flair

It might be 60 years old but the Howard Hawks produced version of The Thing (From Another World) still rocks my world. Watching it, one can't help but compare it to John Carpenter's 1982 version, and see where Carpenter was influenced for his film, but also for stylistic touches in the rest of his body of work. There's the camaraderie of a group of men, the tough female, the isolated siege plot, the sci-fi/horror angle at the heart of the plot and the chilling ending.

Of course, much of it has dated. The interplay between the soldiers is a little old fashioned, as is the awkwardly formal flirtation between the hero and the gal on the Research Base. The monster (amusingly an eight foot tall vegetable man) is nothing more than a Frankensteins Monster clone and there's a rather static, stagy feel to the way it's shot (in rather cool, B-movie black and white).

But what still works, works really well. Dimitri Tiomkin's score is wonderfully menacing, there's a real sense of wonder and fear of the discovery that the explorers make (the scene where they realise the crashed craft is a round flying saucer is stunning), the geography of the base is better communicated than even Carpenter's version manages, the banter between the cast makes them memorable and endearing and there's a very real feeling of end-of-the-world urgency about the whole plot. The monster is seen very little which makes it all the more menacing and when it does show up, moody lighting and dramatic fire and lightning effects make things pretty frenzied.

Finally, along with the Carpenter film, this has one of the great endings to a movie ever as the news reporter radios back to the rest of the world with him ominous warning, Watch the skies!" Classic.