The Thing from Another World is regarded as a great film classic in the realm of science fiction and horror. The film primarily revolves around deception and isolation. If the main character had been able to speak Norwegian, the movie would have been over much quicker.
Attention Spoiler: The following article discusses the twist of The Thing from Another World.
What is The Thing from Another World about?
- A team of scientists is researching in Antarctica
- An alien that has escaped from the ice threatens the scientists at the research station
- The isolation and the alien’s ability to transform into living beings create the horror
John Carpenter directed the film, and it ranks among his best works alongside films like Halloween, Escape from New York, and Big Trouble in Little China. Especially in the areas of body horror and cosmic horror, The Thing from Another World is an important representative.
The main role in the film is played by Kurt Russell, who portrays the scientist MacReady. If MacReady had been able to understand Norwegian, The Thing from Another World would have been over in just a few minutes.
You can find more sci-fi masterpieces in this list: The 13 best science fiction films according to IMDb
You can find a trailer for the film here:
The Dog is Not a Dog
Why Norwegian? At the beginning of the film, the group encounters two Norwegian pilots who have crashed, of whom only one has survived. Instead of seeking help for his injuries, the Norwegian pilot attempts to shoot a dog with his weapon.
He screams at the group in Norwegian while trying to kill the dog. However, the scientists do not understand and kill the Norwegian. This happens around 8:20 minutes into the film. After that, the great horror begins at the research station.
If the scientists had been proficient in Norwegian, they would have understood that the Norwegian was screaming: The thing is not a dog! It is a thing that imitates a dog!
The words are also not translated for the audience, leaving them in the dark too.
The great horror in the film arises mainly from the aspect that the monster can truly be any living being or person, and that the characters are isolated in the cold at the research station. This creates a pervasive paranoia among the researchers.
Speaking Norwegian while watching gives one an advantage over other viewers, even if the scene reveals the great mystery. Another cult classic by John Carpenter is Big Trouble in Little China, which also influenced video games: A cult film from the ’80s flopped at the time, but it inspired a character in a legendary video game
