John Carpenter Calls 2011 The Thing Prequel a ‘Piece of Crap,’ but Some Fans Are Rushing to Its Defence

Horror movie veteran John Carpenter has harshly criticized the 2011 prequel to his 1982 hit, The Thing, calling it a "piece of crap." However, not all fans are ready to accept his harsh words. The 2011 film serves as a prequel to Carpenter's beloved classic, following a group of Norwegian scientists who uncover a parasitic alien buried beneath the ice in a Norwegian Antarctic research station.

Despite receiving lukewarm reviews from critics and fans alike, with a 34% and 43% rating respectively on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB, some fans have rallied to defend the film.

One fan argued that the movie's shortcomings were due to decisions made by the studio rather than the filmmakers. They pointed out that practical creature effects, originally created by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. and the Amalgamated Dynamics team, were replaced by CGI due to studio pressure. This decision, they claim, was misguided, as evidenced by the existence of workprints containing the original practical effects.

Another fan expressed their personal enjoyment of the film, praising its respect for Carpenter's original work while lamenting the overreliance on CGI. Still others have acknowledged that, while the film wasn't necessary, they are glad it exists. Despite Carpenter's criticism, van Heijningen has since expressed regret over the CGI reshoots, stating that they made the wrong choice in post-production regarding the monster's design.

He also suggested potential directions for a sequel, including Kate's escape and the creature's rampage on a South Pole oil rig, but acknowledged the film's lack of a chance at a sequel due to its poor reception.