This movie scared the bejeebus out of me back in '82 when I was 13 years old. It was one of those screaming terror kind of horror which screams straight in your face with spittle raining down on your open mouth. It had great special effects with the alien, but lean with the humans balanced out on a white, cold, blizzard hit Antarctic platform. It was claustrophobic, urgent and desperate. It was great horror film making. It was also John Carpenter's most steady and conventional film to date. This is the type of film which is best remembered for its parts and its overall awesomeness.
The Skinny: A group of ex-communicated scientists stuck in an Antarctic scientific outpost unearths a 10,000 year old buried shape-shifting alien. Alien carnage ensues.
The Helmer: John Carpenter
- L.A. Gothic (2010) (announced)
- The Ward (2010) (completed)
- "Masters of Horror" (2 episodes, 2005-2006)
- Pro-Life (2006) TV episode
- John Carpenter's Cigarette Burns (2005) TV episode - Ghosts of Mars (2001)
... aka "John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars" - USA (complete title)
- Vampire$ (1998)
... aka "Vampires" - USA (original title)
... aka "John Carpenter's Vampires" - USA (complete title) - Escape from L.A. (1996)
... aka "John Carpenter's Escape from L.A." - USA (complete title) - Village of the Damned (1995)
... aka "John Carpenter's Village of the Damned" - USA (complete title) - In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
... aka "John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness" - USA (complete title) - Body Bags (1993) (TV) (segments "Gas Station, The" and "Hair")
... aka "John Carpenter Presents 'Mind Games'" - USA (cable TV title) - Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
- They Live (1988)
... aka "John Carpenter's They Live" - USA (complete title)
... aka "They Live!" - USA (poster title) - Prince of Darkness (1987)
... aka "John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness" - USA (complete title) - Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
... aka "John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China" - USA (complete title)
... aka "Ghost Hunters" - Japan (English title) - Starman (1984)
... aka "John Carpenter's Starman" - USA (complete title) - Christine (1983)
... aka "John Carpenter's Christine" - USA (complete title) - The Thing (1982)
... aka "John Carpenter's The Thing" - USA (complete title) - Escape from New York (1981)
... aka "John Carpenter's Escape from New York" - USA (complete title)
... aka "New York 1997" - Japan (English title) - The Fog (1980)
... aka "John Carpenter's The Fog" - USA (complete title)
- Elvis (1979/I) (TV)
... aka "Elvis the Movie" - USA (informal title) - Someone's Watching Me! (1978) (TV)
- Halloween (1978)
... aka "John Carpenter's Halloween" - USA (complete title) - Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
- Dark Star (1974)
- Gorgon, the Space Monster (1969)
- Sorceror from Outer Space (1969)
- Gorgo Versus Godzilla (1969)
- Warrior and the Demon (1969) (as Johnny Carpenter)
- Terror from Space (1963)
- Revenge of the Colossal Beasts (1962)
The Tagline: Man is the warmest place to hide.
The Verdict: This is a great movie.The humm of daily dullness which only an outlandish post can bring, is suddenly splashed with blood; coloring the whiteness of snow with crimson pain. Russell shines in this movie; cementing his role as the 20th century anti-hero who is doing all he can to look out for number 1. And he succeeds. The special effects was pretty much ahead of its time, and by today's standards without the technology of modern CGI. The head tearing scene (see trailers below) is one scary looking mother of a scene: it all starts with a heart-resuscitation pumping of the chest ends up with a head ripped off a body and growing its own pair of crab eyes and spider legs. You just have to see it to believe it.
