Vanguard of an Invasion: The Thing from Another World (1951)
“Everyone of you listening to my voice, tell the world, tell this to everybody wherever they are. Watch the skies. Everywhere. Keep looking. Keep watching the skies.”
-Scotty
While we could have gone any number of ways for our first ever featured film, this one just feels right. It’s a great representation of one of my all-time favorite genre blends: horror/science fiction. Like chocolate and peanut butter, Cushing and Lee, they just go so well together!
With its theatrical release in the spring of 1951, The Thing from Another World was part of an early wave of science fiction cinema in the 1950s. It was a decade positively loaded with atomic age tales of giant bugs, robots, rampaging monsters, and early space exploration. Arguably the most emblematic of 1950s sci-fi films were those involving humanity’s encounters with alien life forms. Of this subgenre, the alien invasion trope was most prevalent. It should be noted that the decade included a handful of films that bucked this trend in very interesting ways; we will delve into those movies at later date.
Inquiries at the top of the world
A small Air Force unit is dispatched from Alaska to the arctic research facility Polar Expedition Six (PESix) to investigate the crash landing of a UFO near the North Pole. The unit is led by Captain Patrick Hendry (Kenneth Tobey), a sensible and unassuming commanding officer charged with aiding the scientists tracking the crash.
Joining the group is reporter Ned Scott, a.k.a. “Scotty,” (Douglas Spencer), who hitches a ride with Hendry’s unit in the hopes of landing a new story. He quickly endears himself to the team, dishing up wisecracks and droll observations. Scotty also serves as surrogate for the audience, albeit a cheeky one.
The lead researcher at PESix is renowned Noble Prize-winning Scientist Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite), whose curiosity is piqued by the UFO. A break in the weather gives Hendry, Carrington, and crew just enough time to investigate site where they find a spacecraft frozen just under the ice.
The craft is inadvertently destroyed in a bungled effort to free it from ice. However, its occupant, the titular Thing, is recovered. A large frozen block encapsulating our traveler is taken back to PESix. It isn’t long before the creature escapes from its icy hold with the aid of a poorly placed electric blanket.
A monster on the loose and conflict within
Dr. Carrington and the science team discuss the situation.
A hulking humanoid-type creature with razor sharp knuckles and a demonstrated intelligence, the Thing now roams the facility in search of sustenance. Unfortunately for our cast the creature feeds on human blood! A cat and mouse game ensues around the complex as the team grapples with the threat. Poor communication also hampers efforts as Hendry receives only intermittent and garbled radio instructions from his commanding officer in Anchorage.
To further complicate matters, a high stakes debate arises between Carrington and Hendry. Carrington is vehement that humanity has much to learn from the thing and that for the sake of scientific knowledge, they should attempt to communicate with it. Sensing a clear and present danger, Hendry is just as determined to neutralize the threat by destroying the creature.
Awkwardly positioned between the two is Carrington’s smart and level-headed assistant Nikki (Margaret Sheriden). Nikki is conflicted as she struggles between her loyalty to the professor and her growing concerns over for his near fanatical obsession with the thing as he seeks to protect it at any cost.
The crew faces off against the Thing.
Enveloped by an unrelenting blizzard, with little contact with the outside world and a deadly threat lurking in the arctic shadows, our group must summon all their collective ingenuity and resourcefulness to survive!
My two cents
The Thing from Another World is a crackerjack of a film based—very loosely from what I understand—on the 1938 novella Who Goes There? by John. W. Campbell, Jr. With a run time of under 90 minutes, it falls within that sweet spot for many classic genre films, requiring a modest time commitment. The film features zippy and efficient story telling with much of the enjoyment coming from its affable cast. Exposition is delivered via bursts of lively repartee between characters, counterbalancing the dire situation they find themselves in. I was very quick to warm up to this group.
I did not mention this in the synopsis but there is also burgeoning love story between Hendry and Nikki, a near prerequisite for many films of the era. While this is superfluous to the story and not one of my favorite tropes, it is delivered with a playfulness and wit to make it a bit more palatable.
Composed by Dimitri Tiomkin, the excellent score features a powerful opening theme as the title burns through the screen. Clashes with the thing are accompanied by blasts of bombastic brass and winds to great effect. That quintessential musical identifier of mid-century science fiction—the theremin—is put to great use as well.
Encounters with the creature are well staged with brief and intense action set pieces effectively shot in semi darkness; the “less is more” approach works quite well here. This is a movie that succeeds at building tension throughout its story’s arc. The employment of a radioactivity-reading Geiger counter, used to track the Thing’s movements in around the PESix, dials up the suspense brilliantly as the audience anticipates what lurks around each corner.
While the look of the monster is not wholly original—comparisons to Universal Studios’ take on Frankenstein’s monster are likely—its biology and composition are fascinating. The creature has no animal tissue, nerve endings, or arterial structure. Rather, the Thing is composed of a type of vegetable matter akin to some kind of “intellectual carrot” (or so quips Scotty). It is difficult to destroy and can reproduce via seed pods. What if, speculates one of the scientists, this is the vanguard of an earthly invasion. Could an entire army of these monsters be bent on conquering earth and making humans its food source?
The production design is solid, from the suitably utilitarian interiors of PESix to the blustery frozen exteriors. I particularly enjoy moments when a door opening or window breaking is immediately followed by a massive gust of wind and snow. I brushed up on the production history, which included on-location filming in Montana and Alaska, plus shoots and reshoots in the Los Angeles area. Fun fact: there is a sequence in the film when you can see the vaporized breath of the characters as temperatures inside PESix plummet dramatically. This is a very real effect and an authentic reaction from the actors as these scenes were shot in an actual icehouse (!) on Mesquite Street in LA.
While this film is beloved by many a monster kid, I would recommend it to genre and non-genre fans alike for its engaging cast, atmosphere, and ability to deliver the 1950s sci-fi goods. This is the kind of movie that you can watch while cozied up on the couch under a blanket, preferably on a chilly fall or winter evening—I know I have!
Poster art for The Thing from Another World
Did you know?
Actor Paul Frees plays (uncredited) Dr. Vorhees. Frees is best known for his prolific voiceover work in several Rankin/Bass animated features of the 1960s and 1970s. His voice is also recognized for his extensive genre film work, including several dubs for Toho Studios monster and science fiction films.
The Thing is played by the 6’7” James Arness, best known for playing Marshal Matt Dillon on the long running TV series Gunsmoke. He also starred in another favorite of mine from this era, 1954’s THEM!
Director John Carpenter, a big fan of The Thing from Another World and its legendary producer Howard Hawks, pays homage to the film by making it one of the movies Laurie Strode and Tommy Doyle are watching in 1978’s Halloween. Carpenter would go on to direct a remake entitled The Thing (1982). While that film was initially eviscerated by critics and performed poorly at the box office, it is now considered a genre classic and is revered by many.
How did I watch?
Warner Archives Blu-ray
Also currently available to stream on Tubi.
Crew (abridged)
Director – Christian Nyby
Producer: Howard Hawks
Writer: Charles Lederer
Cinematographer: Russell Harlan
Production Designers: Albert S. D'Agostino, John J. Hughes
Production Companies: Winchester Pictures Corp, RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Cast (abridged)
Kenneth Tobey – Captain Patrick Hendry
Margaret Sheridan – Nikki Nicholson
Robert Cornthwaite – Dr. Arthur Carrington
Douglas Spencer – Ned Scott, “Scotty”
Dewey Martin – Crew Chief Bob
James Young – Lt. Eddie Dykes
Robert Nichols – Lt. Ken Erickson
Sally Creighton – Mrs. Chapman
Paul Frees – Dr. Voorhees
Running Time: 1h 27min
Recommendations based on The Thing from Another World:
It Came from Outer Space (1953)
Invaders From Mars (1953)
The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)
The Thing (1982)
