Definition of The thing (film)

The Thing is a 1982 science fiction film, directed by John Carpenter. Ostensibly a remake of the 1951 Howard Hawks film The Thing from Another World, Carpenter’s film is actually more faithful to the original novella, “Who Goes There?” by John W. Campbell, Jr. (writing under the pseudonym of Don A. Stuart). The film’s musical score was composed by Ennio Morricone, a rare instance of Carpenter not scoring one of his own films. Carpenter considers the film to be the first part of his Apocalypse Trilogy, followed by 1987’s Prince of Darkness and 1995’s In the Mouth of Madness.