# The Thing (John Carpenter)  appreciation

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-john-carpenter-appreciation/853486>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 9, 2020, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-john-carpenter-appreciation/853486 "2020-05-09T18:38:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
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**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-john-carpenter-appreciation/853486/19 "2020-05-18T19:37:03Z")

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I recall Roger Ebert calling this movie “the barf bag movie of the summer.” I saw it at a drive-in, and it did kinda put me off my buttered popcorn. Some years later, I found a hardback book in a used book store titled “It Came from Hollywood,” which contains the original stores on which many Hollywood sci-fi classics were based, including “Who Goes There,” the basis of “The Thing.” The original story is extremely well-written and descriptive, and Carpenter’s movie follows the story very closely. I’ve read it several times, as recently as a month ago, and always find it a gripping tale. The movie’s ending is a bit more downbeat, though.

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