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The Thing

The Thing

Anytime. Anywhere. Anyone.

1982109 minRMidcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Director
John Carpenter
Starring
Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter, David Clennon

A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.

Where to watch

Where can I watch The Thing?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists The Thing streaming on AMC+ and Prime Video and to rent or buy on Prime Video.

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Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about The Thing?

The Thing earns 19 badges, led by Top 1% of films and Stood the test of time.

Show 11 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Content
  • Cast

Reception

Is The Thing worth watching?

The Thing's Midcredits score is the 99th percentile of all films, from 2M ratings across 6 sources. 90% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

99th percentile

Better received than 99% of films

99th percentile among Horror99th percentile among 1980s
Acclaim (how much people like it)98th
Approval (how many liked it)98th

82 /100

98th percentile of all films

99th percentile among Horror99th percentile among 1980s

Critics 57 · Audience 83

Audiences liked it more than critics did.

Rating distribution

Ratings pile up at 9–10 with almost no detractors — near-universal love.

90% liked it

98th percentile of all films

99th percentile among Horror98th percentile among 1980s
90% rated it 7–1010% rated it 1–6

Critics 85% · Audience 92%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of audiences approved than critics.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 1 wins / 5 noms overall

99th percentile

2M ratings across platforms

99th percentile among Horror99th percentile among 1980s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 25% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$15M
Opening weekend$3.1M
Domestic gross$20M
Worldwide gross$21M

Returned 1.4× its budget — 83rd percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

An isolated Antarctic research station is terrorized by a shapeshifting alien that can perfectly imitate any organism, creating extreme paranoia among the crew.

Fans praised

  • groundbreaking practical creature effects that still hold up
  • palpable paranoia and claustrophobic suspense
  • strong ensemble cast led by Kurt Russell's MacReady

Detractors panned

  • thin, interchangeable character development
  • gore-over-plot approach that undermines tension
  • slow pacing and muddled storytelling

What stands out

Effects and spectacleDivisive92

Rob Bottin's practical gore sets milestone; still shocking decades later

AtmosphereDivisive88

isolation and claustrophobia are palpable; bleak, paranoid tone

TensionDivisive85

suspense of not knowing who is human drives film; detractors find it ineffective

Sound and musicDivisive82

Morricone's minimalist synth score enhances dread; divisive among some critics

ActingDivisive78

Kurt Russell strong as MacReady; ensemble credible but some find cast bland

Plot and storyDivisive65

simple whodunit premise works for tension but has logic holes

PacingDivisive55

slow buildup effective for some; sluggish and uneven for others

CharactersDivisive45

thinly sketched, interchangeable personalities; few care about fates

Preferred by

Women vs men

Preferred by Men

Men scored it 13 points higher than women.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Under-30s vs over-30s 2 points apart
  • Critics vs users even
  • US vs non-US 1 point apart

Watch experience

What is The Thing like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Scary: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready to pay close attention and feel heavy feelings, and you want to be scared.

It is intense and leaves you thinking. Skip it when you want an easy night or you can only half-watch.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Your full attention and room for heavy feelings.

What it feels like

Scary.

The answer rests on this: Moods
DreadTenseCold
Heaviest: late
Register
Brooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.Bleak · 8% of films
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.Single location · 5% of films: Confined to essentially one place throughout.
ToneCarpenter's film treats its material with unflinching seriousness, maintaining a cold, paranoid atmosphere of dread and hopelessness.
The rideThe mood is sustained dread and tension from the first alien appearance, escalating into frantic paranoia and action in the final act, with the bleak ending as the emotional peak.
StructureThe story unfolds in a conventional linear sequence, almost entirely confined to the Antarctic research station.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Thinking.

Thought-provokingUnsettling
Why it leaves you this wayThe film's open ending and pervasive dread leave the viewer questioning what is real and carrying a lasting unease about trust and identity.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).MonsterPredator
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21% (this title): Predator 6% (this title) · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Predator: A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).

21% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeThe team is trapped in an isolated Antarctic base where an alien organism that perfectly imitates its victims hides among them, forcing the men to turn on each other as they try to identify and destroy the threat.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfSurvival
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15% (this title): Survival 17% (this title) · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% (this title) · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Survival

SurvivalIsolation · 5% of films
Warns its theme: Presents its theme as a danger or a coming cost.Global stakes: Consequences reach the world.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe film is fundamentally about surviving a shape-shifting alien that turns trust into a lethal liability, set against the brutal Antarctic isolation that amplifies every threat.
StanceThe film warns of the apocalyptic threat of an invasive alien that could consume all life, while also cautioning that paranoia can be as destructive as the enemy itself.

The world

ContemporaryInstitutionalWildernessRealistic
Orchestral classicalElectronicSupportive music · original score · Ennio Morricone
SettingA remote American research station in Antarctica, 1982, isolated by winter and blizzards.
MusicMorricone's minimalist, pulsating synth score underscores the alien's inhuman nature and the growing dread, with a simple two-note heartbeat motif.

Content guide

Is The Thing okay for kids?

R

The Thing is rated R. As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at severe (96/100), sexual content at minimal (6/100), language at intense (61/100), drug and alcohol content at moderate (37/100) and frightening material at severe (93/100). Overall it is heavier than 83% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 20 other countries
  • UK18
  • AustraliaM
  • Germany16
  • France12
  • Ireland18
  • JapanR15+
  • South Korea19
  • Brazil16
  • Argentina18
  • Czechia15+
  • Denmark15
  • FinlandK-16
  • ItalyVM18
  • MexicoC
  • Netherlands16
  • Poland18
  • PortugalM/12
  • Russia18+
  • Spain16
  • Sweden15
Overall
Intense · all five categories
Heavier than 90% of all filmsHeavier than 83% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 97%
Sex & Nudity
None / Minimal
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 1%
Profanity
Intense
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 39%
Alcohol & Drugs
Moderate
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 41%
Frightening / Intense
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 97%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is violence, frightening material, and language. Everything else sits at or below what R-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does The Thing have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in The Thing?

Cast

Kurt Russell
as MacReady
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Wilford Brimley
as Blair
Breakout: Their highest-reaching film role at the time, and they went on to a career at least 3 times their standing then.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
T.K. Carter
as Nauls
Breakout: Their highest-reaching film role at the time, and they went on to a career at least 3 times their standing then.
David Clennon
as Palmer
Breakout: Their highest-reaching film role at the time, and they went on to a career at least 3 times their standing then.
Keith David
as Childs
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
newcomer then · star now
Richard Dysart
as Dr. Copper
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.
Charles Hallahan
as Norris
Breakout: Their highest-reaching film role at the time, and they went on to a career at least 3 times their standing then.
Peter Maloney
as Bennings
Breakout: Their highest-reaching film role at the time, and they went on to a career at least 3 times their standing then.
Richard Masur
as Clark
Donald Moffat
as Garry
Breakout: Their highest-reaching film role at the time, and they went on to a career at least 3 times their standing then.

Crew

More like this

What are movies like The Thing?

Movies like The Thing include The Thing (2011), Alien (1979) and Prince of Darkness (1987). Of the 12 closest matches, two are films written by John W. Campbell Jr., and most are survival stories.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

5 of these 12 share its world: the Arctic and Antarctic. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with The Thing?

658 other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: body horror. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.