who goes there?
can't quite place it? back in 1951 with cold war anti-communist hysteria moving into gear, an adaptation from howard hawks
on the face of it a monster played by a man in a rubber suit, setting a precedent for so many more, awakening from antarctic deep freeze by a bunch of scientists, in a remote outpost. the tensions ratchets up as the are picked off one by one. by the subtext to this early classic horror, is far mor insidious, and the final line of dialogue confirms it : Watch the skies, everywhere! Keep looking. Keep watching the skies!
at a time where air power had final proved its worth and the superpowers were racing to devise every more powerful ways to destroy each other, this tale of it's time was brought to the screen to terrify a nation that a new enemy was coming.
fast forward 30 odd years:
and john carpenter creates one of his finest, again the setting, the monster awakened, but this time the tension, horror and pace are moved up another gear. throw in rob bottin groundbreaking "in-camera" effects, stunning matte paintings and a classic was born. and the sub-plot this time? well we are about to enter the reagan era, and the cold war is still raging hard as ever, but a new enemy has reared it head, one thats far more insidous, and played upon to greater effect, the monster gets to you through your blood, through contact, and as the isolated men fight for their lives, and identity in the dark corridors of the outpost, who has it? who doesn't? there's only one sure way to know, and the outcome is terrifying
a story and two movies for their times? or simply moments that make you jump, scream, and certainly in one case say "you gotta be ****ing kidding"