This episode on The Deja Review, Mart & Trev head somewhere warm and cheerful… Antarctica, where the coffee’s frozen, the pay’s terrible, and your co-worker might secretly be an alien lasagne.

First up is The Thing from Another World (1951) — the brisk, no-nonsense sci-fi where a group of scientists discover a crashed UFO and immediately make the worst possible decisions in matching parkas. Mart loves the rapid-fire dialogue and old-school monster mayhem, while Trev notes that the alien basically “a very angry carrot with legs.” Still, it’s charming, tense, and feels like a workplace drama where HR would simply say, “Have you tried shooting it?”

Then they thaw out John Carpenter’s 1982 remake, where the paranoia is thicker than the snow and absolutely no one trusts anyone. Dogs explode, heads grow legs, and Kurt Russell solves most problems with a flamethrower. Both hosts adore it — the practical effects, the dread, the beard game — with Trev declaring “It's a fantastic film.” and Mart wondering if this is the worst team-building exercise in cinema history.

Expect heated debates that will even melt this ice and the shared conclusion that if your Antarctic job involves shape-shifting aliens, maybe just stay home.

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Mart & Trev

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Holiday Plans

00:59 Overview of 'The Thing' (1951)

02:30 Film Synopsis and Initial Impressions

04:56 Creature Design and Special Effects Discussion

09:49 Character Dynamics and Military Influence

15:05 Themes of Isolation and Scientific Ethics

17:58 Transition to the Remake of 'The Thing'

18:56 Details of the 1982 Remake

19:51 Comparative Analysis of Original and Remake

25:07 Special Effects and Practical Techniques

29:47 Character Analysis and Plot Development

35:08 Final Thoughts on Both Films

37:33 Hilarious Errors in Body Horror Scenes

39:57 The Ambiguity of the Ending

42:51 The Impact of Special Effects on Horror

46:14 The Power of Soundtracks in Building Tension

49:11 John Carpenter's Influence and Legacy

54:59 The Debate: Original vs. Remake

57:07 5 to 1: Kurt Russell

01:12:11 Final Thoughts and Tributes

Keywords

The Thing, 1951, 1982, horror, sci-fi, remakes, special effects, John Carpenter, Kurt Russell, isolation