“The Thing: Assimilation,” Universal studios Hollywood, 2011.
Happy Birthday to writer, director and composer John Carpenter!
Carpenter’s career was launched when he co-wrote, scored and directed “Halloween” (1978), an independent horror film that is considered the first of the immensely popular “slasher” subgenre. In the decades since, John Carpenter has created some of horror and science fiction’s most iconic and influential films, such as “The Fog” (1980), “Escape from New York” (1981), “Big Trouble in Little China” (1986), “They Live” (1988) and “In the Mouth of Madness” (1995) [source].
In 1982, Carpenter released “The Thing,” his follow-up/remake of Howard Hawks’ 1951 film, “The Thing from Another World.” While initial box-office performance was disappointing, “The Thing” has since become a cult classic. It was followed by a 2011 prequel of the same name. Carpenter’s influence on Halloween Horror Nights is great: the events have featured houses influenced by “The Fog” (“The Forsaken,” Universal Studios Florida, 2011) and “Halloween” (“Halloween: The Life and Crimes of Michael Myers,” Universal Studios Hollywood, 2009).
Creatures from “The Thing” and its prequel have also made several HHN appearances, including Hollywood’s 2011 “The Thing: Assimilation” house. In the photo above, the shape-shifting extraterrestrial has been freed from its icy prison and now roams the darkened hallways of Thule Station.
Photo by Jessica Chenoweth, courtesy of Inside the Magic.