As soon as art reaches the public it becomes owned by the public. Graffiti expresses New York. Murals tell the story of the Irish in the nine counties. Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the US’ was a call to right-wing arms. Child’s Play 1988 is a video nasty.
For good or ill the public at large will misinterpret or reinterpret the artist’s original intent. Every artist must be aware that they may suffer that. Every artist must be aware that there is a section of the public that will scrutinise and analyse. These are the fanboys; the hardcore; the smart marks. They look closer – out of love.
John Carpenter’s The Thing 1982 tells a different story to different people. It is scifi, paranoid thriller and/or horror. It tells a different story with each viewing. It is a work of excellence. It was a box office failure upon release. The fanboys of subsequent generations have elevated it to classic.
Hollywood has a new generation at work. They are the likes of production house Anchor Bay and writer Eric Heisserer – the man who rewrote A Nightmare on Elm Street 1984. This new generation make movies by numbers. This hack Heisserer rewrote John Carpenter’s The Thing 1982.
The following red band is similar to the Terminator Salvation 2009 trailer: it’s noisy and says nothing. Anyone who has watched the original is going to hate this remake. There are anti-story jump scares and too much monster taking centre stage. All this can be gleaned from the trailer (and clip). Them’s the best bits.
The Thing 2011 may advertise itself as a prequel but do not be deceived. It’s a remake or less. It’s a ripoff.
The Thing is released 14th October in the US and 2nd December in the UK.
Read more Thrill Fiction: A Nightmare on ElmStreet 2 remake
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