There are some horror films that really excel at getting under the skin. One such is The Thing, the masterpiece from John Carpenter. It has all of the elements that make for a truly unsettling film: an isolated setting (Antarctica), a creature that can assume various identities, and a group of humans slowly driven to madness by their encounter with it. Though most critics disliked it at the time, it has become a classic of the horror genre.
It is in many ways very unique, but there are also numerous films that are similar to it in various ways.
10 Alien
Obviously, one of the films most like The Thing is one that was released just a few years prior. Alien hits all of the same notes, with human beings contending with a creature that seems adept at taking over their very bodily systems (at least for a while). It’s a deeply disturbing film, in large part because it forces the audience to confront the porousness of the human body. Even now, forty years after its release, it has the power to shock, to repulse, and to fascinate. And, what's more, its characters remain as indelible as ever.
9 Prometheus
Since it is part of the Alien franchise, Prometheus hits many of the same notes as its predecessors, and for that reason it is a good choice for those who loved The Thing. Like so many of the other films in this franchise, it’s a truly disturbing film, but what really sets it apart is the character played by Michael Fassbender, an android who is always more than he seems. Though there is of course plenty of death and dismembering here, there are moments of genuine pathos and tragedy as well.
8 The Blob
The 1980s was something of a golden age for both body horror and for alien invasion stories, as The Blob makes clear. In the film, the titular entity, like the creature in The Thing is determined to devour as many humans as possible.
While it might appear a bit cheesy to contemporary viewers used to big-budget special effects, there are actually quite a few scenes that still manage to horrify, even all of these years after its release.
7 Aliens
Just in case viewers didn’t get enough of the body horror in the first film, viewers were treated to a sequel, in which Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley must once again contend with the titular creatures. If anything, it’s even more intense and horrifying than its predecessor, and it really does push the bounds of what viewers can be expected to contend with seeing on the screen (and feeling in their bodies as they do so). It truly is a masterpiece of modern horror, people with fascinating characters.
6 Predator
The sense that humans are not alone in the universe is one of the prime motivations behind a significant amount of science fiction and horror. Time and again, humans in these films have to contend with the fact that there are creatures out that do not have anything in common with humans and in fact view them as nothing more than things to be hunted. That is certainly the case with Predator, in which a group of people must, of course, contend with an alien creature out to kill them.
5 The Thing From Another World
Though some fans might not know it, The Thing is actually based on a novella, and it wasn’t the first time that someone had attempted to film this story. That honor goes to this film from the 1950s. Given the time of its production, the film is very much about the nature of the self and the other, of an invasion by a creature that poses a threat to not only the people at the station but all of humanity. It might seem a bit dated to some, but in fact it holds up surprisingly well.
4 Invasion of the Body Snatchers
There are three different versions of this story, but the one from the 1970s is arguably the most chilling. Like the other iterations of the story, the film is about what happens when a group of aliens invades and begins to take over the bodies of humans, replicating them through pods. Unlike some of the other versions, however, there is no happy ending. In fact, the final scene, in which one of the transformed characters accosts his former friend, is one that chills the blood even now.
3 Videodrome
David Cronenberg is one of those directors who seems to have honed the genre of body horror down to an art form, and this film is a good example of his particular brand of filmmaking. Among other things, it explores the permeability of the human body, as well as the supposedly dangerous nature of new technologies (in this case the VCR). It’s a strange film, to be sure, but it is a horror delight.
2 Annihilation
The 2010s has been another of those decades that seems particularly concerned with the human body, right down to the cellular level. That is of particular concern in this film, which involves a group of scientists who explore an area around an impact site from outer space. Within the radius, DNA undergoes rapid evolution.
It’s one of those films--a blend of horror and science fiction--that really does force the viewer to think critically about their own bodies and their own identities, and it poses the most unsettling question of all: just how much does any person know about their true identity?
1 Pitch Black
This film is a bit of a forgotten gem from the early 2000s--which was something of a golden age for horror--and that’s really a shame, since it features some great performances and some great writing. It focuses on a group of space travelers who get marooned on a planet inhabited by murderous creatures that only come out at night. It’s the perfect blend of science fiction, horror, and thriller, and it features none other than Vin Diesel in his role as Riddick.
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