The correct order for watching movies

Picture this: A group of researchers in Antarctica discovers an alien spacecraft buried deep in the ice. Despite the fact that winter had arrived, the researchers decided to thaw out the ice from inside the rover and chance upon a creature estimated to have landed 20 million years ago. This creature or somethingsecretly assumes the appearance of a crew member upon revival, overwriting their personality while retaining their memories. The creature repeats the process over and over, slowly dwindling the base’s human population by violently overriding their identities. By the time the research team realizes the truth, it is too late, as this alien parasite now looks like one of them, pretending to be human…

This is the basic idea of ​​Who Goes There?, a 1938 science fiction horror novel by John W. Campbell, who initially published it under the pseudonym Don A. Stuart. Campbell’s story expands on the trope of shape-shifting monsters by injecting it with imitation and assimilation, blurring the lines between what can and cannot be considered human. Paranoia and distrust play a role in the isolation of cabin fever evoked by the story’s settings, as the ways of recognizing and containing this tradition become more complex over time. These intriguing themes and ideas have also had a significant impact on literature and associated media since the novel’s publication, particularly in the treatment of fictional monsters that pose a threat to the very fabric of human connection.

The most direct (and popular) adaptation of Campbell’s work It’s John Carpenter’s 1982 classic The Thing. Which is perhaps one of the most influential horror films of all time. However, this isn’t the only adaptation of the source material, as there are two other inspired works that explore the same premise in noticeably different ways. The viewing order of these films can fluctuate based on personal interest, but here’s our recommended viewing order to help you get the most out of it all.

Spoilers To track modifications to the ‘thing’.

Let’s take a quick look at the monitoring arrangement before diving into the reasons behind it:

• “The Thing” (2011), directed by Matthijs van Heijningen

• “The Thing” (1982) directed by John Carpenter

• “The Thing from Another World” (1951) by Christian Nyby

Although Carpenter’s film required no introduction, 2011 horror film of the same name, directed by Matthias van Heijningen It focuses on a horrific series of events that set up perfectly for the opening of Carpenter’s 1982 film. Heijningen is set in the winter of 1982 and follows members of a Norwegian research station who find a creature in the ice. The basic beats of Campbell’s novella (and Carpenter’s film) are included here, but the characters are completely different, as they are meant to be the creature’s first victims before it disguises itself as a sled dog. In the 2011 film, we primarily follow Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a paleontologist who leads an investigation only to witness the thing’s terrifying survival instincts as it (quite literally) tears apart her research team. The film then ends with a helicopter chase that leads directly into Carpenter’s film adaptation, which is the next item on your watchlist.

Carpenter’s real focus in “The Thing” lies in the complex dynamics between the researchers, who are doing their best to adapt to a terrifying and impossible situation while always being on the brink. Here, the characters’ human colleagues suddenly become “others” and are virtually indistinguishable from those whom the researchers consider their colleagues, exacerbating tensions and anticipating betrayal at every point. The often-discussed ending of “The Thing” also raises complex questions About autonomy, the preservation of the human race, and how mistrust forever destroys opportunities for the silver lining. The unsettling realization that one can never do that truly Knowing the true nature of the Other adds to the film’s stunning appeal, which works alongside the intricately designed practical creature effects that have stood the test of time.

Your last stop is Christian Nyby’s 1951 film The Thing from Another World, which takes so many artistic liberties while redrawing Campbell’s story, that it eliminates key aspects that make the novel worthwhile. The basic beats of a crashed spacecraft being discovered in the ice set the story in motion, but the melting of the ice happened accidentally here, unleashing a new hell on the unsuspecting experts and researchers stationed at the base. Things get more complicated from there, as one researcher intentionally grows alien plants from seeds taken from the creature’s severed arm (!) and injects them with blood plasma. While the film detracts from the novel, it also takes some wild turns before hurtling toward a disappointing conclusion.

Although Nyby’s version delivers its trademark thrills and scares, it lacks substance (much like the 2011 film “Thing,” which used poor CGI to depict the titular creature). However, if you’re interested in seeing how the pre-Carpenter “Thing” was adapted, the 1951 version does a good job of expanding on the story’s popular premise.

If we are to look beyond these three films, it becomes clear that the influence of Campbell’s Arctic horror story has also extended to video games, comic books, and contemporary literature, which offer new perspectives while reinventing familiar narratives in important ways. A good example of this is Peter Watts’s famous short story “Things”, which is told entirely from the alien’s perspective and, in turn, makes the reader sympathize with a worldview that seems truly alien and disconnected from humanity’s perception of reality. What makes it even more interesting is the way Watts uses Carpenter’s film as a basis to build this claustrophobic and disgusting perspective, as each character is examined through the creature’s eyes (which glow with truths deemed unknown). As the plot builds toward its inevitable conclusion, we witness the creature acting as god, colonizer, religious missionary, and ruthless explorer. now this A story worth adapting.