The iconic poster for the 1982 classic American sci - fi horror filmThe Thingwas made in just 24 hour . The motion picture , direct byJohn Carpenterand written by Bill Lancaster , is establish on the 1938 John W. Campbell Jr. novellaWho Goes There ? , and centers on a group of American researchers in Antarctica who receive a parasitic “ affair ” that goes on to simulate other organisms — include sled dogs — and work mayhem on their base of operations clique .

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Struzan also   went on to produce cover for various album and books , and his legion workings of art   have been displayed in galleries and published in printed collections . There was even a 2013 documentary based on his career;Drew : The Man Behind the Posterdetails his spirit and study and interviews the directors and other picture personnel he worked with . Most recently , Struzan came out of retirementto create multiple postersfor the 2019 release ofHow to Train Your tartar : The Hidden World .

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How The Thing’s Iconic Poster Was Made (In Just 24 Hours)

When John Carpenter was fetch quick to promoteThe matter , a poster was involve in a hurry . AsStruzan recently tweeted : “ I conceived it , painted it , and my art was deliver to the studio apartment all within 24 hours . In fact , when they put it under the glass to shoot it , the key stuck to the glass because the thing was still wet!”Struzan had n’t even seen the movie when he draw the poster . As   StruzantoldParade , he was n’t even given a rundown of the movie before craft the figure ; the studio apartment just told him to think the fifties picture show , The affair .   They   fall in him no   further   detail , which only allowed him to consider the imagery in his head , work from there to make the image that has since become now placeable inside and out of the genre . Now , it has a place standing amongst other iconic imaging like Carpenter’sHalloween , Ridley Scott’sAlien , andJaws .

The range of a function onThe Thingposter draw a adult male in a wintertime coat with beams break open from his face ; his head is encircle by a big hood . The man pictured is the protagonist   MacReady , a helicopter airplane pilot played byKurt Russell . The poster — whichEmpirelisted as the 43rd best plastic film post horse ever , the first being theJawsposter — is reminiscent of the pre - credits chronological sequence of the movie , which boast scads of strobing lights from an alien starship that is approaching Earth .

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MOVIE ARTWORK - The Thing

Kurt Russell as MacReady with a flamethrower (not in use) in The Thing 1982