If you haven’t subscribed to The Next Reel, and you’re a nerd for movies, you really should. This week, Andy and I take on John Carpenter’s The Thing from 1982 to kick off our month of horror flicks. Plus, it’s episode 50, which is cool in its own special way.
It’s a funny movie, The Thing, not just because of the spider legs coming out of the head, but because of just how well it holds up as a cultural portrait of the state of things. It’s a film about paranoia and fear and partisanism; it grapples with what it means to address an opponent who wants to defeat you through assimilation. Come to think of it, I can’t think of a better, more appropriate distraction from debate season than a dose of The Thing. Plus, Andy drops “socialism” into the conversation a few times. Can’t go wrong with a little alien socialism, my mama always said.
This week was Andy’s pick. Next week, it’s all mine: 28 Days Later. It’s one of my favorite horror films, but certainly my very favorite from the zombie oeuvre.