Great Scene: “The Thing From Another World”
I was a huge science fiction movie freak as a kid and The Thing From Another World (1951) is still one of my all-time favorites. From a script by Charles Lederer, based on the story “Who Goes There” by John W. Campbell Jr. (with uncredited writing provided by Howard Hawks and Ben Hecht), it is a classic sci-fi saga:
Scientists at an Arctic research station discover a spacecraft buried in the ice. Upon closer examination, they discover the frozen pilot. All hell breaks loose when they take him back to their station and he is accidentally thawed out!
It’s been remade by John Carpenter and arguably spawned dozens of imitators in the “alien-to-destroy-the-world” sub-genre.
There are some great scenes in the movie including the initial discovery of the flying saucer:
And the famous fire scene which you can see here.
But a sci-fi movie is only as good as its ending. So here’s today’s great scene — the Final Struggle between humans and The Thing:
58 INT. RADIO ROOM
The redly glowing door begins to fall inward. As it
topples, Dykes’ voice is heard.
DYKES
Never mind the guns. Use your
axes!
The Creature stands revealed in the doorway radioactivity
causes it to shimmer weirdly in the dark. It pauses a
moment in the doorway, then moves toward the little
group in the mouth of the passagway.
HENRY’S VOICE
(in the dark)
Fall back, fellows — Get going,
Skeely! You nest, Ken! Move!
The group retreats in order down the passageway. The
Thing pauses at the entrance of the corridor.
MACAULIFF’S VOICE
(in the dark)
All connected — Okay, Pat —
The tunnel lights begin to glow redly, revealing the
Army group retreating over the fence wire. The Creature
is advancing toward them, but has not yet entered the
trapped tunnel.
ERICSON
It’s connected! What’re you
waiting for, Pat?
HENRY
(coolly)
I’m waiting to catch it in the
middle of the tunnel, Ken.
Take it easy, son.
At this moment there comes the sound of a scuffling
from the generator room. A figure bursts out into the
tunnel, as we here a chorus of “Grab him,” “Shut the
door,” “Hold him — he’s crazy,” etc. The figure is
Carrington. He pushes by Henry, Dykes and the rest of
the Army group, and runs the length of the corridor.
He comes to a halt at the far end of the corridor,
facing the Creature. Carrington, only a few feet away
from the unearthly visitor, extends his arms in a
pleading gesture.
HENRY
(during this)
Grab him! Eddie! Stop him!
DYKES
Too late. Shall I go get him?
HENRY
(after a split
second)
No. No, Eddie, don’t. Fall
back.
The army group continues to retreat.
CARRINGTON
(his face dimly
visible in the
refracted light
of the Creature’s
phosphoresence)
Listen to me — I’m your friend!
Look, my hands are in the air -
I have no weapons — I’m your
friend — you must understand
that. You’re wiser than I -
you must understand I’m trying
to help you — Don’t come any
further. They’ll kill you!!
Look at me, I’m defenseless -
you must see that I don’t mean
to hurt you — I want to know
you — to help you -
Believe me! You have a greater
intelligence than anything on
Earth — Use it — use it — look
at me and know what I’m trying
to tell you — I’m not your
enemy — I’m a scientist — a
scientist!
The Creature has paused before Carrington’s tirade as
if studying him. Now, without haste, it lifts one arm,
and flicks its hand at Carrington’s throat. Carrington
falls to the floor almost decapitated, his last words
still gurgling in his throat. The Creature steps over
Carrington’s corpse and enters the tunnel. It advances
five or six steps.
HENRY
(crying sharply)
Watch out! Here we go!
He presses the switch in his hand. A bombardment of
huge sparks leaps from ceiling to floor. The Creature
is caught in the lightning flashes. It stands
motionless as the thousand volt bolts crack through it
from head to foot. In front of it stand the five men -
axes ready, and weirdly visible in the spitting light.
The Creature begins to glow like a filament, then
bursts into flame. It sinks to the ground.
HENRY
Don’t move anybody!
SKEELY
(pointing a small
camera)
Keep that light going! I got
him! I got him!
The Creature’s form melts in the flames. As it dwindles
away, Henry ends the spark bombardment. The lights of
the passage come up full. The men move toward the heap
of ashes remaining of the Creature.
HENRY
(to Mac)
Go tell them it’s over — and to
get the furnace going.
As MacAuliff moves to obey, Chapman, Nikki and a number
of the refugees come out of the generator room.
NIKKI
Dr. Carrington — what happened to him.
HENRY
(quietly)
He’s dead.
SKEELY
(to Henry. Kneeling
over Carrington’s
remains)
A clean sweep, Captain. Both
monsters are dead.
Some vivid, visual description here as a “bombardment of huge sparks leaps from ceiling to floor. Here’s the trailer to the movie:
Any other fans of the The Thing From Another World?
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