The Thing (1982)

An alien with the power to absorb any form of life infiltrates an Antarctic research outpost, and the 12-man team is soon engulfed in carnage, mistrust, and paranoia. John Carpenter's best film sits squarely in the midst of the horror and science fiction cinema genres.

As a sci-fi film, a cross between Alien and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, it succeeds in posing the question "Who Goes There?" by pushing our survivors to figure out who they truly are as The Thing puts their humanity to the test, just like its literary source material did. The intensity rises, and Kurt Russell, as team leader MacReady, gives one of his greatest performances.

The practical special effects hold up better than you might expect, and we dare you not to be blown away when a victim's head sheers itself from its flaming corpse and spider-walks away. If you haven't seen this film yet, you should do so right now.

Director: John Carpenter
Stars: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David
Runtime: 109 mins