Thursday Night, 23:35 p. m.
This is what Todd has been organizing for weeks and what I've
been dreaming
of
for equally long; the first time we get to see John
Carpenter's THE
THING on the big screen! After a full day of slowly
building up
the adrenaline for this major and historic event, we were ready
to
climb up walls at this point!
Back in 1982, I was but 11 years old, way too young for the movie's then R/18+ minimum age requirement. Todd was even younger still, so needless to say we never did get a chance to experience to greatest film of all time on the big screen, the way it should be. Sure, in 1983, my brother Phil and I saw the film on pay-TV, but that's not the same at all... After years of watching the widescreen VHS (and later the DVD) versions of the movie, I knew this wasn't the ultimate in alien terror. The big screen was!
Waiting For The Film
Todd and I were incredibly anxious at this point. I think I was
actually drooling at one point! After a quick stop at the
restrooms
we headed to the "big screen", where we had the whole place to
ourselves. Can you imagine watching your all-time favorite film
in an auditorium-sized room with a total of seven people with
you? Needless to say it beats regular cinemas anyday. No
annoying
jocks with their beepers and cell phones, no old geezers trying
to
figure out what's happening, no young giggling girls talking and
laughing all the time, no teen guys (boys, to be honest) talking
loudly, throwing food all over the place, hitting with their
feet
all surrounding seats, etc...
Todd and I were waiting for this moment for weeks. Out of all the people he personnally invited for this very special and private screening, only I was able to attend. I guess it's due to the fact that most other folks who were invited lived in the UK and the USA, making a trip to Ontario on a weeknight pretty much impossible! In any case, Todd and I were anxious, excited, and we couldn't believe this was finally happening.
The Lights Dim, The Screen Lights Up...
Before the film actually played on the "big screen", we also
were
treated to a preview for "The Thing"! To be honest, I was
expecting
the preview which is included on the DVD version of the movie,
but to
my suprise, this was another preview altogether! Todd,
who has
still not seen the preview off the DVD was equally suprised,
however
he thought it wouldn't be the same. This was a great way to get
us
all in the proper mood for what was to come.
As soon as the preview was over, the pitch black screen saw a classic white credit fading in, as the creeping, low-fi ambient score also slowly faded into existance. This was it: "The Thing" on the "big screen"! I will not go into the many details and ecstatic feelings of the experience itself but I will say this: NOTHING compares to seeing this masterpiece on the "big screen", not the widescreen VHS tape, not even the cristal-clear widescreen DVD. We saw things (no pun intended) we didn't see before, and experienced it as if it was the very first time.
Todd was joking at how I must have stopped breathing during the film since he never saw me twitch a single moment. But then again, he did not see me move much, probably because he also was busy staring at the screen!
Friday Morning, 1:40 a. m.
After the final credits have rolled on, and the film was over,
the
lights returned, and we woke up from our collective trance. For
about
an hour and forty minutes, we were where John Carpenter wanted
us to
be, but 19 years later. Todd and I both agreed that this was
uncomparable
to any previous TV-sized experience. This was the ultimate way
to see
the film.
We discussed the points which differed from watching it on the small screen. First, everything seems much more in-your-face, being that much larger in size (obviously!). We noticed a few details we never even saw before, such as the cases of Budweiser beer stacked up in the storeroom, later moved to the rec room. Doctor Copper's nose ring was clearly evident as well. I noticed that we could see Windows' eyes through his shades, while Todd pointed out a blunder concerning two icicles in the Norwegian camp. I also enjoyed seeing the snarling husky dogs in the kennel scene, which I never really did see properly before. Little details, yes, but worth quite a lot when you're a Thing-Freak at the very first Thing-Fest!
After we quickly got our feet off the clouds, we sicussed the possibility of doing another Thing-Fest BEFORE next year (the 20th anniversary). Todd mentionned something about a Hallowe'en screening before next year's THING-Fest part 2.
When The Music's Over...
After the film, we all pretty much returned to Todd and
Miranda's for
the obvious passing out. Although I was almost asleep in the
car, and
quickly passed out in Todd's couch, he stayed up and posted
messages
on his Yahoo
Club board of discussion.
All in all, this was a successful first run of Todd's THING-fest, which he plans to do each year, especially next year (2002), being the 20th anniversary of the film's original release. Plans are for a better organization, which would ultimatly result in more folks from our "elite" club of TF (Thing-Freaks) attending. We were also joking about asking Thomas Waites to come down too, and reclaim his cast jacket! But knowing Todd, I doubt he'll get rid of it that easy!
Going down to the fest/Butterman's getting there trek!
coming BACK to Montréal/Butterman's return trek