# What Would 1951 Audiences and Critics Thought of John Carpenter's 1982 Version of the Thing ?



## BAYLOR (Oct 24, 2021)

Imagine all the  movie theaters in 1951 , expecting to see their version the thing , suddenly via  mysterious unexplained shift of  a shift in reality  instead,  end up with is John Carpenter's 1982 Version of the thing. How do suppose the audiences would react to this film and , what do suppose the critics of that era would make of Carpenters  version of this film?


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## Droflet (Oct 24, 2021)

They would be horrified. You can't bridge a gap of that many years without consequences. To use an old quote:

“Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!”


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## reiver33 (Oct 24, 2021)

I agree that the culture shock would be a tall hurdle to cross, plus the gore would see it immediately kicked into ‘R’ status (UK ‘X’) for the period. In terms of technical accomplishment, it would leave critics dumbfounded.


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## Mon0Zer0 (Oct 24, 2021)

it would be like those old timey movies of people watching trains coming at them from the 1900's. Can you imagine what today's movies would be like if they had the thing in the 50's???


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## Vince W (Oct 24, 2021)

They would all condemn the film for being vulgar and tasteless. This would be after they had all recovered from faint and nausea. It would be far too shocking for that time.


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## BAYLOR (Oct 24, 2021)

reiver33 said:


> I agree that the culture shock would be a tall hurdle to cross, plus the gore would see it immediately kicked into ‘R’ status (UK ‘X’) for the period. In terms of technical accomplishment, it would leave critics dumbfounded.



The sequences of the morphing Creatures.  The dog kennel scene, The man Cehc spinning up and bitting off the doctors arms , the spider head scene would cause a few audience swoons.


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## BAYLOR (Oct 24, 2021)

Vince W said:


> They would all condemn the film for being vulgar and tasteless. This would be after they had all recovered from faint and nausea. It would be far too shocking for that time.



The level of gore and vilnace would be  way too much for them.   I think a few the critics of that era would have enough  imagination to see the film intent and themes.


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## Droflet (Oct 25, 2021)

Swoon Baylor? They'd be carting the bodies off to the morgue in droves. Heart attacks and all that.


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## Rodders (Oct 25, 2021)

It was a shocking movie when we saw it in the 80's. I suspect a movie like that would've been banned. 

I still haven't seen the original movie or read the book and i think i might add them to my Science Fiction goals for 2022.

I did, rather coincidentally, go and watch this at the cinema yesterday afternoon. Still a cracking film some 40 years on.


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## BAYLOR (Oct 25, 2021)

Rodders said:


> It was a shocking movie when we saw it in the 80's. I suspect a movie like that would've been banned.
> 
> I still haven't seen the original movie or read the book and i think i might add them to my Science Fiction goals for 2022.
> 
> I did, rather coincidentally, go and watch this at the cinema yesterday afternoon. Still a cracking film some 40 years on.



*Frozen Hell* by John W Campbell  Jr       Its the novel length version of Campbell's  original story *Who Goes there ?*


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## BAYLOR (Oct 27, 2021)

I had also thought about doing a thread about  the 50's crowd would thought of the 1979 film *Alien* or *Star Wars.*


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## Rodders (Oct 27, 2021)

Given that it was styled on the serialised movies like Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, i would've expected a 1950's audience's attitude to Star Wars to be pretty similar to the reception it received in the 70's.


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## Droflet (Oct 27, 2021)

But for THAT scene in Alien, they'd have to call the paramedics.


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## BAYLOR (Oct 27, 2021)

Rodders said:


> Given that it was styled on the serialised movies like Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, i would've expected a 1950's audience's attitude to Star Wars to be pretty similar to the reception it received in the 70's.



I think they would have gotten a kick out of Star Wars . They would love the Space Battles , The Deathstar and the characters. Chewbacca would likely have been fan favorite.


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## BAYLOR (Oct 27, 2021)

Droflet said:


> But for THAT scene in Alien, they'd have to call the paramedics.



Ah Yes, the Chest bursting scene  would causes a few audience faints and, so would the full sized monster.


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## BAYLOR (Nov 22, 2021)

Droflet said:


> They would be horrified. You can't bridge a gap of that many years without consequences. To use an old quote:
> 
> “Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!”



A Ghostbuster reference , awesome !


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## paranoid marvin (Nov 28, 2021)

Rodders said:


> Given that it was styled on the serialised movies like Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, i would've expected a 1950's audience's attitude to Star Wars to be pretty similar to the reception it received in the 70's.




Yes, with Newman and Redford as Luke and Han, The Duke as Obi Wan and Vincent Price as the Emperor.


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## BAYLOR (Nov 28, 2021)

paranoid marvin said:


> Yes, with Newman and Redford as Luke and Han, The Duke as Obi Wan and Vincent Price as the Emperor.



The Duke as Obi Wan ?  That one's is giving me a headache.   I can just imagine how he would dealt with  the thugs that were bothering  Luke in that Bar in Mos Eisley.   Yes,  Imagines  of John Wayne as Genghis  Khan  are  now flashing though my mind !


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## Harpo (Nov 28, 2021)




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## BAYLOR (Nov 29, 2021)

Harpo said:


>



Yes , that's  pretty much what a  50's Star Wars would have looked like.


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## Timebender (Nov 29, 2021)

BAYLOR said:


> Imagine all the  movie theaters in 1951 , expecting to see their version the thing , suddenly via  mysterious unexplained shift of  a shift in reality  instead,  end up with is John Carpenter's 1982 Version of the thing. How do suppose the audiences would react to this film and , what do suppose the critics of that era would make of Carpenters  version of this film?



I can't even imagine but I would love to see it!


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## KiraAnn (Dec 3, 2021)

Well, most of the monster flicks of the 50’s were generally regarded as “make-out” time in the drive-in theaters, so perhaps not any different.


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## Guttersnipe (Mar 25, 2022)

"Won't someone PLEASE think of the children?!"


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## BAYLOR (Mar 26, 2022)

Guttersnipe said:


> "Won't someone PLEASE think of the children?!"



People  would still flock to see it , because something that  banned and forbidden make people want to see it.


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## KGeo777 (Mar 26, 2022)

If the film was sent back in time--unknown origin and they just played it-I think it would shock people to distraction and it would be years before people would look at it as a story. I think the thing effects would really gross people out.
It would be regarded like Salo or 120 Days of Sodom.


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## Servomoore (Mar 28, 2022)

Depends on the country. In France, they had already been screening films like Blood of the Beasts, which despite being in black and white is gorier than The Thing: 5 Old Movies that are Still Shocking


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