POLL: Which is the greater film - Alien or Carpenter's The Thing?

It's really hard...but, I have to side with John Carpenter's The Thing.


Better cinematography, better ensemble cast and I thought that Carpenter brought more to the table in terms of direction.

I appreciate Alien as well, considering that it is Sci-Fi/Gothic Horror. But, I believe that it's hampered by off key editing and the dreary direction of Ridley Scott. I don't believe that Scott came into his own concerning pacing until Blade Runner.

I have to go with Alien - that film scares the shit out of me. I do like the Thing too however. But the idea of being stuck in that big old ship being hunted by that alien is just creepy. And the alien seems only interested in killing - thats what makes it different.

I like the score too. Very minimalist. And having a woman as the hero was a masterstroke.

Had to go Alien.


Better Score
Better Cinematography (Although this is unfair, as Cundey's work on the Thing is pretty goddamn good)
Better Sound
Better Effects
Better Acting, overall.

I just think Alien managed to instill a deeper sense of dread than "The Thing" did.

This is sorta like ranking Hakeem Olajuwon against Bill Russell for Best Center.

I can't choose, both are 2 of my fave horror movies, I like Alien just a wee bit more though.

how is this even so close, alien is by far the better film, and the acting is the key: much, much better. I love The Thing, but it's cartoony, and pretty badly written.

I say ALIEN, because it's a perfect film from first frame to last.... and Carpenter's THE THING falls apart after the blood test scene.

Alien has better camera work. The Thing has better lighting.

Alien has better acting. The Thing has better lines.

Alien has better sound. The Thing has a better score.

Alien has a scarier and better designed monster. The Thing has a more disgusting and better realised monster (The Geiger alien only looks great in close ups and medium shots).

Alien is more realistic and unsettling. The Thing is a mature cartoon.

Better score? Alien
More bleak? The Thing.
Better artistic achievement? Alien.
Better survival horror entry? Tough call.

I think I'll go Alien, if only because I have issues with the Blairmonster encounter, issues I don't have with the Lucky Star sequence. (though, can't really blame Carpenter for it....thing was a bitch to create even for those few seconds it was onscreen.)

Alien comes out on top, but I enjoy them both pretty equally.

The Thing has more incredible effects, but they go south when the stop-motion monster appears at the end.

The Alien is perhaps the most recognizable movie monster EVER. Good claustrophobia in both, but I think that Alien is better at setting the tone.

Plus, Ridley Scott is a better director than Carpenter.

I think that I like the end scene in The Thing better, though. In Alien, we know Ripley is safe and sound, albeit stranded. I love how we're not sure if either Kurt Russel or Keith David are infected. How perfectly nihilistic.

LATER

I think Alien is the better movie.

But I watch the Thing more often.

Very close call, but I'm going with The Thing, only because Alien's first hour is a little pokey. But they are both classic heavyweights.

Aliens first hour is perfect because it makes the 2nd half so fucking scary and suspenseful.

Good choices, good poll.
I picked Alien, my favorite horror film period. Thing is "just" brilliant.

This I agree with 100%:

I love both films dearly. I mean...I truly, thoroughly cherish both of them.

But I have to go with ALIEN. Ridley Scott basically created a highly convincing documentary set in the future, light years from earth. The textured atmosphere, the visceral camerawork, the impeccable design, the down-to-earth performances, the absolutely masochistic pacing...it's truly a sci-fi/horror masterpiece.

I consider THE THING to be John Carpenter's best film. And I love all of Carpenter's films, pre-1988. It's a finely-crafted, highly engaging and beautifully-shot comic book come to life. Kurt Russell & cast are all wonderfully entertaining in various ways, all of whom get some nice personal moments and darkly amusing dialogue. It's truly one of the best films to come out in the Summer of 1982, which is no small praise considering the unbelievable genre line-up that summer, which included: BLADE RUNNER, STAR TREK II, POLTERGEIST, E.T., THE ROAD WARRIOR, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, TRON, etc.

Ultimately, the difference is that ALIEN had more of an impact on me. It felt real. I forgot I was even in a theater. I felt there was no escape, that I had actually been transported through time and space. I remember the audience screaming and hiding their faces through all of the famous scenes...while during THE THING, people seemed merely more grossed out, but in a fun way.

If THE THING is more entertaining, then ALIEN is more powerful. As I said, I love both films dearly, but one -- ALIEN -- left a deeper, more profound wound.

The films are aiming a different things, so a straight comparison is a little unfair. That might be like splitting hais as they are both sci-fi horor movies but hey, it's the franchise forum.

The Thing is all about the gore. the camera is pointing at the monster. Alien is about the fear. the camera is pointing at the humans. That's the difference.

Alien is a psychological drama. The Thing is a paranoid thriller. Different aims.

But i agree with what a lot of poeple are saying. Alien is probably the better film, but i enjoy watching The Thing more. Alien is about real people, The Thing is a comic-book movie. I will admit that i'd rather watch The Thing over Alien any day of the week.
That probably says something about us.

Alien without a doubt. It's the better movie all around imo.

Not to say I don't love The Thing. I do, but it's definitely not on the same level as Alien.

The ensemble cast in Alien, the cinematography, claustraphobic sets, tight suspense all make Alien if not the best, one of the best sci fi horror films ever.

But The Thing is my favorite Carpenter movie.

I had to go with The Thing its a film that continues to resonate in my opinion.

I'll go one further.

ALIENS.

I think people dont watch ALIEN as much because it's very effective... too effective. But that is not a bad thing and it's why it's the best horror film ever made. THE THING is easily digestible because it's a comic book and doesn't stay with you as much.

ALIEN is like the face hugger. Grabs you and doesn't release until it's laid its seed in you so it can gestate.

That might be one "futher," but it's not necessarily one "better." As entertaining and effective as ALIENS can be, I'll take ALIEN or THE THING over it any day of the week.

I love Aliens, and I love the Thing. But Alien is the King.

Alien vs Thing

All I know is that I begged my mom to rent it for me when I was like 10 on Halloween. She did and I hid under the bed for 3/4 of the movie. The Thing didn't make me almost crap my young, impressionable self. Coincidentally, I only actually got the nerve to watch it again when I was about 24.

I'll say it's better as well.

I love ALIEN, but considering that ALIEN's story/plot is a direct remake/ripoff of IT - TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE! (albeit an extremely effective one), I'll have to give a slight edge THE THING.

I can see the argument for Alien being the better film, but The Thing has characters which stick with me. Nauls, Childs, Fuchs...Carpenter shows these guys inevitably imploding under the weight of their fears. Alien's characters don't make much of an impression aside from Kotto and Stanton. Dallas, Lambert, Ash, even Ripley to an extent, didn't care as much for them as I should've.

And while I love The Thing, The Thing From Another World is tops in my book. Intelligent characters, real suspense.

Alien = zzZzzZzz

And THE THING is a remake of THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD.

And that's the brilliance of the movie. The characters weren't meant to be memorable, they were meant to be real. It's like being along with some average trucker people who just wanna go home and get paid but they gotta deal with this fucking monster that's gotten loose and there's no way to escape it. Too much emphasis on the characters and ALIEN's effect would've been dimished, as we'd be marveling at the acting instead being scared shitless.

I remember the characters and their snappy dialogue more in THE THING and that's why it's nothing more than a glorified stage play. ALIEN is a real cinematic experience.

I won't vote. They match each other in too many achievements - acting, directing, score, mood and perfect pacing - no fat at all. They're two of my favourite fims ever and imo as near flawless as they come in aim and execution. I still watch them regularly with utter absorption and admiration, and still find them to be benchmarks in horror film production (I think the "horror" label they get can perhaps distract from their achievements in accomplished film making though)

Like I said, I won't vote, but if the edge had to go to one, it might be to Alien.

There's something I find both deeply thought provoking and extremely unsettling the moment after they wake and discover they're way off the beaten track and a long way from home. It's that feeling that anything that has ever meant something to you, people, places, memories, human history, is so far away hidden somewhere in the vastness of space that all you knew may as well just be a strange dream, and the experience would be a terrible lamenting loneliness if dwelt upon.

Charlie, I can't agree with you on the Aliens over Alien (or The Thing) score. For starters the Nostromo design smokes the Sulacco

But maybe for another thread huh?

ALIENS trounces BOTH of them. Not to say that ALIEN or THE THING are bad in ANY way, but ALIENS kicks all the ass out from under them.

Of course, I have an unhealthy obssesion with that film, so there's that.

LATER

Yep, and several aspects of John Carpenter's THE THING owe a debt to ALIEN as well. That doesn't diminish its greatness, mind you.

It's been interesting to note how little respect so many post-ALIENS fans have for the original film that started it all. All of this absurd bullshit about ALIEN being boring, uninteresting, etc., really mystifies me. I'll never forget seeing ALIEN opening night in a crowded theater and the palpable tension that was in the air. In some ways, I think ALIEN is a victim of its own success, having spawned so many sequels and imitators, that to those who weren't there at the beginning, it does seem cliché. When I look at the soulless garbage being made today, I count myself lucky that I grew up during the late '70s and early '80s...truly a golden era for fantastic cinema.

Survival horror is now a film genre?

ALIEN vs. ALIENS...for starters...

Better cinematography = ALIEN
Better music = ALIEN
Better production design = ALIEN
Better crew cuts = ALIENS
Better Hawaiian shirts = ALIEN
Better creature design = ALIEN
Better Jones The Cat = ALIEN
Better "fourth act" surprise = ALIEN
Better depiction of a butch-yet-sexy Latina played by a nice Jewish girl from Beverly Hills = ALIENS
Better central role recast after shooting began = TIE (Jon Finch as "Kane" and James Remar as "Hicks")
Better depiction of the Space Jockey's Derelict = ALIEN
Better use of weapons mounted on SteadiCam harnasses = ALIENS
Better opening titles = ALIEN
Better cornbread joke = ALIENS
Better chestburster scene = ALIEN
Better facehugger scene = TIE
Better glass-shattering, ear-bleeding scream = ALIENS

And the most important category...

Better direction (mood, atmosphere, realism) = ALIEN
Better direction (action, explosions, gunfights) = ALIENS
Better direction (Ripley in underwear) = ALIEN

Actually, it's not.

Carpenter's THING is a faithful adaptation of an excellent novella/story called WHO GOES THERE by William Campbell (even the infamous blood test scene is in the original story). The only thing the 1950's Howard Hawks version has in common with Campbell's story is the title and the frozen setting.

The other big difference is that Carpenter openly admitted his adaptation of Cambell's story while ALIEN's creators didn't. That's why they were sued and had to pay a fee to the makers of IT - TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE!

BTW, I loved ALIEN, I'd just seen most of the main plot before. Carpenter's THE THING, on the other hand, scared the sh*t out of me despite my familairity of the source material (the novella).

So what? THE THING is better because they didn't get sued?

Think you're missing the point (BTW, read my edited post).

I saw and enjoyed both on the big screen during their original runs. I just find THE THING a better film -- period. I enjoyed ALIEN, but all the brilliant art direction in the world couldn't disguise the fact that I'd seen the story before. What's great about Carpenter's film is that he retains the best elements of Campbell's story and then added his own twists to take it to a whole new level.

Bottom line, for me THE THING was not only a more intense movie going experience, I like it better as a film on several different levels.

I don't get this argument. Every film has elements of other films. Some are blatant rip offs, like Reservoir Dogs, but everyone sings its praises because its an amazing film. But talk about ALIEN and it gets dropped below THE THING because you've supposedly seen it before.

Its a very close call but I had to go with Alien.

Both movies have their strengths and weaknesses, Alien's pacing has often been criticised as slow and ponderous while The Things pacing is far more brisk for example. But for me the production on Alien was far better, the claustrophobic corridors of the Nostromo combined with the fact that on first viewing you never had a clue what the creature looked like and combined with Ridley Scotts visuals and pseudo-documentary style all added up to a classic haunted house movie with extra bite.

The Thing is also a classic movie and certainly shouldnt be derided, its effects and very bleak outcome, combined with a superb script all worked fantasticly well. From the moment McReady and co go to the Nordic base and find everyone dead and a rather bizarre burnt corpse outside, the tension cranks up and works really well.

But for me the thing that sets Alien apart from The Thing is two fold; like Coffinrock I caught Alien at the right time, watching it secretly on my parents Betamax at the age of 8, while they were next door with friends... it scared the crap out of me (unsurprisingly) but on top of that the twist on the standard convention of the rugged male hero saving the day getting turned on its head when the red herring hero figure of Capt. Dallas buys the farm really threw me. True The Thing ultimately goes one step further by wiping everyone out , but what kind of impact do you think having McReady being killed by the Thing half way through would have had on the audience? Who do you root for now? All hope is lost or at least seems to be.....

And so for those reasons and plenty of others I go for Alien.

Slightly off of that though I would say that throwing ALIENS in to the mix is a bit pointless to a degree, simply because The Thing and Alien are closer movies, thematically and therefore more easily comparible.

Aliens is an action movie where as Alien and The Thing are both straight down the line horror movies, silly I know but its like comparing Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Serenity in a poll as a comparison of TV series and their opening jump to Movie and then throwing in Wrath of Khan.

THE THING's a terrific horror film, fun, and scary.

ALIEN haunts my dreams.

ALIEN.

THE THING is one of my all-time favorite movies. ALIEN, however, is the better film.

Alien is the better made film on a technical level, but I think the Thing is a better film on the level of content and delivery.

I forgot about Ripley's knickers.

ALIEN.

Well said. ALIENS is better compared to '80s action flicks like RAMBO or DIE HARD. (In which case, I'd go with DIE HARD.)

Visual wise? i would go with alien, fantastic film to watch.
Bleakness? while alien is quite bleak, i thinkthe thing pips it with the fact you know charles and macready know they are both dead and can never trust anyone ever again, alien however has ripley win..oh well done..
Score?i am going with the thing again, cause it is just memorable and unlike alien music which plays its part it aint stuck in the memory, aliens has the better music than alien

Overall The Thing is the better film for me due to more likeable characters, and obviously more scary, i am just never scared with alien, ever.

i also prefer alliens over alien, far better in every way, though dont get me wriong i know alien is a good film, just doesnt have an emotional impact in any way

No disrespect to your opinion, but you've gotta be shitting me. ALIEN is a thousand times scarier... THE THING is just schock horror, like THE FLY. It tries to scare you by disgusting you with extreme gore. It's like Cameron said:

"You don't create fear with gore, you create disgust. It's a completely different emotion."

Alien or The Thing?
This is worse than Sophie's Choice.

I think the Thing is much scarier (and better) than ALIEN (not to slight Alien in any way, it's one of my faves).

The thing that gets me about The Thing (no pun intended) is the idea of the monster. When the Xenomorphs get you, you die. When The Thing gets you, it slowly invades your body, turning you into something you are not. You eventually become the monster. That idea resonates more with me than a simply painful death.

I dont't know, I think with Alien being more frightening its because you know the evil is inside you waiting to burst out, with The Thing, I'm sure your sense of self is instantaneously negated at the onset of infection, but to know that there is an actual physical representation of horror lurking inside you and you are only awaiting an instantaneous death in the form of an abomination of the miracle of birth really freaks the shit out of me moreso than The Thing. I love both as I've said, and I'll say it again, Alien just ekes ahead of The Thing for me.

Not to shoot down your opinion, but the film never went into that territory. It was a big monster taking over a bunch of guys while they screamed and ran around in their trousers. The movie never explored the idea of the person becoming something they're not, etc and all the philisophical stuff you're implying... it dealt more with trust issues and paranoia. Which is fine, but ALIEN's terror was much more potent because it used sight and sound as its weapons. It's far more terrifying knowing you're one of a few on board a big ship with a frightening creature running around. It's like being at home with a loose dangerous animal and the power goes out and the doors are locked (and the windows are blocked). It's a FAR MORE PRIMAL EXPERIENCE. And primal is much more powerful than comic book shock horror, which is what THE THING ultimately is. When THE THING takes you over, that's it... you are dead and have no idea you are being taken over. When the ALIEN gets you, it's not over. It wont necessarily kill you... if it wants, it takes you and concoons you and you become like a retarted vegetable, very conscious and aware of what's happening... or implated with a face hugger and housing a living devil inside your chest, which you can feel squirming around and growing and eventually crashing against your rib cage to burst out.