In the winter of 1982, a twelve-man research team at a remote Antarctic research station – led by R.J. MacReady (Kurt Russell) – discovers an alien that has been buried in the snow for over 100,000 years.
Threatened by its violent presence, things take an even more sinister turn for MacReady and the crew when they learn the creature can take the shape of its victims – leaving them alone, in the isolated snowy depths, to determine who is innocent and who is the killer among them.