One thing that is cool about being a father is getting to show your teenager all the cool movies you grew up watching. When Film Guy John Meyer from Pegasus News announced they were doing a special screening of John Carpenter's "The Thing," I immediately told my son that we were going.
Since May, Meyer has been hosting Pegasus Picks: The Horror once a month. The events are presented free of charge by Studio Movie Grill at their Royal location in North Dallas. It is sponsored by local haunted attraction Zombie Manor.
It's amazing that a movie made in 1982 can still pack a movie house. Then again, what horror fan in their right mind is going to miss the chance to see one of John Carpenter's greatest films on the big-screen? I was too young to see "The Thing" in the theater when it first came out, so this was a way for me to make up for that.
Pegasus's John Meyer and a friend of his introduced the film. First off, watching Meyer talk about "The Thing" was somewhat awkward because he resembles Carpenter in a way. They took a few moments to examine the differences between Carpenter's version and the original 1951 "The Thing from Another World." Meyer's friend (I can't remember his name) preferred the less graphic 1951 film.
As "The Thing" began, I looked over at my son and gave him a mischievous smile. He had been telling me all day that there was no way the movie was going to scare him. The movie started and we settled in. Everything was calm until the head of the wolf exploded open and the alien came out. My tough guy 13 year old suddenly lost his composure and looked away. As the noise and yelling began, he looked at me and said, "Dad, why would you bring me here to watch this?" My job was done.
When the movie was over and we were driving home, I explained to my son why I loved showing him horror movies. I told him it's because my fondest memories were of watching films like "The Fog," "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre II," and "Psycho II" with my dad and cousins when I would go see him during the summer. I wanted my son to have those memories when he got older, too.
"The Thing" hasn't lost its shock value. It's still very gory and has some great parts where you jump out of your seat. I tried to visualize myself as a teen in a movie theater watching the movie. I can only imagine how audiences reacted to "The Thing" in 1982.
For more articles by Eric Shirey, check out:
Interview with 'American Vampire' Creator/Writer Scott Snyder Screenwriter Todd Farmer Talks 'Halloween 3-D' and New 'Hellraiser' Interview with 'Psychic Experiment' Director Mel House
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