Are you looking for a horror film by Bill Lancaster? Well, then, your search concludes here, as you’ve come to the right place. Read this article to know more about The Thing starring Kurt Russell. Furthermore, I’ll also tell you where was The Thing filmed.
The American horror sci-fi film, The Thing was released in the final week of June 1982. This psychological thriller was directed by John Carpenter, who worked closely with Bill Lancaster. In fact, the film’s entire story was inspired by Lancaster’s fictional story, which he wrote previously. Later, Carpenter convinced Bill to join this project as the sole screenwriter.
The basic premise of The Thing revolves around a group of American researchers who traveled to Antarctica to conduct an experiment. The plot thickens when the scientists encounter a strange shape-shifting creature, which eventually hacks them to death.
The makers weren’t completely satisfied with the commercial performance of The Thing. This riveting thriller film only grossed over $19 million in global collections against a shooting budget of $15 million. The Thing managed to collect over 3 prestigious nominations. However, this movie didn’t bag any major awards.
Now, if you’re wondering where was The Thing filmed, continue to read this piece and find out all the details.
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Where Was The Thing Filmed? Let’s Know This Psycho-Thriller Flick Closely!
The story of The Thing is set in Antarctica, as I’ve mentioned before. But, in order to depict the scenes, the production members couldn’t travel to Antarctica for obvious reasons. So, during the initial stages of production, Carpenter invested the majority of his time in deciding the eventual filming location for this film.
So, before the director selected any of the cast members or acquired shooting permission, he asked the production members to scout for shooting locations in Canada. This decision was taken after Carpenter and other creative heads of his team conferred in a meeting.
The majority of the outdoor sequences of The Thing were filmed in Canada, specifically around the province of British Columbia. However, the interior sequences of the movie were filmed entirely in America.
In fact, during the final stages of shooting, the director also decided to shoot some outdoor scenes for his film in America, specifically near the northern state of Alaska. Principal photography commenced in the first week of August 1981 and continued till the month of January of the following year.
The shooting schedule of The Thing was quite long. Mainly because the shooting of this movie took place in two parts. Carpenter wanted to capture the lush background of Alaska during the spring season.
Whereas the sequences depicting the background of Antarctica were all filmed during the winter season in Canada. The harsh-snowy the, climate of British Columbia during the winters was perfect for replicating the unforgiving icy background of Antarctica.
However, the production members faced a number of challenges while capturing these sequences. The freezing temperatures and frequent snowstorms eventually delayed the shooting schedule. But, the production members gave their best and completed the shooting closer to the original timeline.
So, before I begin to discuss the plot of this phenomenal movie, let’s find out where was The Thing filmed.
Alaska | USA
The majority of the scenes filmed in Alaska were captured in an anamorphic format aspect ratio. The director employed this particular technique of cinematography to capture widescreen shots without using a widescreen native aspect ratio. This created a special effect that stretched the distorted images using an anamorphic projection lens.
Needless to say that the scenes captured in and around Tongass National Forest, Alaska came out absolutely brilliant. The sequences depicting the original base of the American scientist were captured in the city of Juneau.
Then finally, the production members moved to Hyder, a sparsely populated area in the eastern part of Alaska. Additional outdoor shots were captured around this place before the filming crew moved to Canada.
British Columbia | Canada
After the production members completed the first part of the shooting in Alaska, which lasted for almost 12 weeks, the team moved to Canada. Most sequences depicting Antarctica’s background were captured in and around the province of British Columbia.
The production members traveled to a select few locations in Kimberley and Stewart. Then finally, the ending scene of the movie was captured near Salmon Glacier, which is located 25 km north of Stewart. The shooting process of The Thing finally ended by the first week of February 1982.
So if you plan to spend your vacation days in Alaska this summer, I suggest you look up Denali National Park, Anchorage, Sitka, and Fairbanks. Not only do these Alaskan places offer warm hospitality, but they also have a number of tourist attractions that are absolutely mesmerizing. So be sure to include them in your travel list should you plan to visit Alaska in 2023.
You can continue to read this piece as I’m going to discuss the plot of The Thing. In the meantime, you can also
read Judas and the Black Messiah, Mariposa de Barrio, and Basketball Diaries.
Plot Of The Thing | What’s It About
The basic premise of The Thing revolves around a number of American researchers who travel to Antarctica to conduct a special experiment. At the very beginning of the film, MacReady and his team are briefed about their next assignment by the chief scientist.
As the story progresses further, the lead character and his team members go on an adventure trip to get acclimatized to the cold weather of Antarctica. However, after reaching the final destination MacReady and his team lose composure instantly.
No sooner than the male lead and his team recovers from the initial climate shock, they are attacked by a strange creature. Watch The Thing now to find out the full story!
Final Words
Alright, guys! I’ve mentioned the exact filming locations of The Thing. I hope you enjoyed the read. If you like reading articles like, where was The Thing filmed, then browse through other articles on Viebly.
But, if you’d like us to cover the filming locations of any other movies/shows, then you can mention that in the comments section below. See you soon!
