Art of the Scene: The Thing’s Defibrillator

John Carpenter’s The Thing was one of the most gory films ever made. In a movie that was loaded with disturbing imagery, one of the most memorable and nasty scenes has got to be the one where a man attempts to resuscitate a fallen peer using a defibrillator, and the dude’s chest opens up and swallows his arms. Eesh. Now, relive this classic scene and learn all about the work that went into making it, courtesy of Cinefix’s series Art of the Scene.

In addition to the huge array of amazingly creative practical effects created by the brilliant Rob Bottin and team, we learn about the genesis of Carpenter’s vision, and his dedication to the idea that The Thing could truly assume any form. I especially love the bits where we get to see the cartoony sketches of how the gag would work…