The Thing

Kurt Russell starred in this faithful 1982 adaptation of a short story written 1938. A team of scientists in the Arctic are infiltrated by a shape-shifting alien which has the ability to replicate the appearance of the people it kills. This is arguably Carpenter's most effective film, creating a real sense of claustrophobic paranoia through its isolated location, Ennio Morricone's iconic score, and the distrust shown among the men as they try to work out who is still human. Shunned by the public on its initial release (soon after E.T. had made aliens cuddly), the film's success owes much to special effects wizard Rob Bottin's gruesome creations, which still stand up to scrutiny today, even on the big screen.