Review - The Thing Expanded

Deep in isolated Antarctica, a Norwegian helicopter chases after a sprinting sled dog, which is headed in the direction of an American research station. Bewildered by the sudden and threatening arrival of supposed intruders onto their base, the station's staff welcome the dog as the helicopter's passenger does everything in his power to brutally slay it, accidentally resulting in the chopper exploding in an almighty blaze. Still hellbent on killing the dog, he sporadically unloads his rifle, but not before passionately shouting at the crew. For those who speak Norwegian, the tragic irony is not lost, with the sniper not threatening the station, but instead warning, declaring, "Get the hell outta there. That's not a dog, it's some sort of thing! It's imitating a dog, it isn't real!" This introduction of failing trust, subversion of expectations, misguiding Trojan horses, paranoia and threat of the other is what builds the foundations of John Carpenter's 'The Thing' (1982), a powerhouse horror film whose legacy has been cinematically eulogised in incredible depth and praise throughout the brand-new documentary 'The Thing Expanded'. 

The Thing goes on to exacerbate these thematics in an array of gory body horror that epitomises the overarching story of what occurs within the station as the crew are soon overcome by the ghastly 'Thing'. It is precisely this alluring and mysterious anonymity of the villainous presence, assimilating substance and creature that The Thing Expanded explores throughout the five-hour runtime, alongside a whole host of behind-the-scenes titbits, production stories and retrospective receptions. Akin to a rigorous almanac or a never-ending Yellow Pages of history, The Thing Expanded is the only documentary that has managed to capture the immense backdrop, framing and consequential success of this classic horror film. 

The form of this mammoth of a documentary is what allows the five hours to flow effortlessly, with the film being dissected into various chapters, ranging from 'End of the World Stuff' which follows the film's cataclysmic in-film-universe effects to the world outside of the station, to the chapter, 'Who Goes There?', which chronicles The Thing's now infamous ending and the studio's initial hesitancy over Carpenter's valiant filmmaking choices. Joining the extensive chapters are exclusive tales from the film's production, including an incredibly detailed analysis of The Thing's most intriguing and legacy-creating factor - its grandiose visual effects. 

It is often agreed that the aesthetic beauty of horror is founded in its ability to display the unseeable, impossible and even unthinkable, which is entirely the case when it comes to The Thing. Upon its release, the film was not overtly favoured by critics, due to the narrative undertones concerning its bleak and misanthropic tonality, alongside its extremely graphic violence, which filled the screen with torn limbs, wet, slimy blood and strange arachnid-human hybrids with drool hanging from their fanged, gaping mouths. Now, these sights are what horror fans would consider pure art. The Thing Expanded spends an extensive amount of time agreeing with this statement as the documentary delves into great detail about how these mesmerising effects were conceived. 

Throughout, a slew of effect technicians such as Erik Jensen, Ken Diaz and Margaret Bessera, who all worked on the infamous props, account the secrets of puppetry and perspectives that went into creating the gore. A particularly interesting fact reveals that faux-ceilings were constructed in order for the artists to physically wield tall props, giving them the eerie mobility that added to the intra-dimensional quality of monstrousness. This idea of the layered nuance that went into making The Thing a staple horror classic is further examined by Carpenter himself, who makes countless appearances throughout the documentary. 

It would be easier to list who doesn't appear in The Thing Expanded, with the documentary featuring talking heads from not only carpenter and The Thing's cast including Kurt Russell, Peter Maloney, Keith David, Thomas G. Waites, Richard Masur and David Clennon, but also interviews from horror icons such as Guillermo del Toro, Frank Darabont, Eli Roth, Chuck Russell, Issa López, Greg Nicotero, Alec Gillis, and Mick Garris, all of whom create a collective of voices that represent the lasting mark that The Thing has left on the horror genre. 

The Thing is a film whose reputation was not solely built on its innate uncanny showcasing of terror and rich characterisation, but also its fandom, which has endowed the film with its continued status as a monumental horror. Therefore, it is only fitting that The Thing Expanded concluded its journey with clips from fans proclaiming their love for the film and their favourite scenes, epitomising the documentary's declaration that it is a project for horror fans made by horror fans. 

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