Director
John Carpenter Gives Definitive Answer To The Ending OF THE THING On The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
On Thursday, John Carpenter was the guest On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to discuss his latest project “John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams”, a six-episode horror anthology series available to stream on Peacock.
The host, a huge film nerd, revealed to the audience that his go to comfort movie food is 1982’s THE THING. Reviled by critics and cinema goers at the time for being too gory and violent, while expecting a remake of Christian Nyby’s and Howard Hawks’s black & white version of 1951’s THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, the movie was almost forgotten… until sci-fi and horror fans decided differently. In the decades since, the film saw new life with VHS, Laserdisc and Blu-ray/DVD. The film has a killer score composed by Ennio Morricone, organic, non-CGI effects from Rob Bottin and one of the best posters ever from Drew Struzan.
Having celebrated its 40th anniversary, THE THING has become a cult favorite. NECA released a Kurt Russell, Ultimate Outpost 31 Macready action figure in 2022 and it’s a must have for fans. Full reveal, I have two. https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-MacReady-7-Inch-Action-Figure/dp/B099YPZZWN
Having joined many Top Horror lists, film geeks over the years have bantered about different theories on the dismal ambiguous ending where the survivors slowly freeze to death to save humanity from infection in the ultimate heroic act.
When asked by Colbert if he knows who the actual Thing is, Carpenter coyly replies with: THERE’S AN ABSOLUTE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION, I DO KNOW THE ANSWER. IF YOU WATCH IT REALLY CAREFULLY AND YOU SEND ME A CHECK IN THE MAIL, I WILL TELL YOU. Colbert follows up with, I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHETHER I CAN FIGURE IT OUT, to which Carpenter says, YOU CAN.
Watch the fascinating interview below.
For another terrific interview, read Cinephilia & Beyond’s article here: https://cinephiliabeyond.org/john-carpenters-thing-story-sf-horror-game-changer/
John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams is a genre-busting unscripted horror anthology series from the mind of legendary director, writer, and producer, John Carpenter. The series explores the dark secrets and unspeakable evil that sometimes lurks beneath the surface of the sun-drenched streets, manicured lawns and friendly neighbors of suburbia. Each episode focuses on one true tale of terror, told by the real people who lived through it. Their firsthand accounts are brought to life through premium cinematic scene-work, news clips, home photos, and archival footage, combining the visual language of horror films with the tools and techniques of documentaries, creating a uniquely frightening experience for viewers.
Remotely directed from his own home, check out Carpenter’s idea of scary.
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