John Carpenter’s 1982 movie The Thing, about a group of scientists battling a shape-shifting alien, is a classic of sci-fi horror. Humor writer Tom Gerencer is one of the film’s many fans. “This movie is woven through my life in so many ways,” Gerencer says in Episode 506 of the Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast. “I watch it every five years—maybe every three years—and I love it every single time. I love the feeling, the mood, the aesthetic, the chemistry between the actors. I love the schlocky parts of it. I love the paranoia. I just think it’s fantastic."

TV writer Andrea Kail agrees that The Thing is one of Carpenter’s best films. “It’s a great movie,” she says. “It’s scary, it’s creepy, it’s all about paranoia. The monster stuff is great, but I just think as a film, it’s a really great example of how to build tension. So if you are a fan of good filmmaking, I would watch it, definitely.”

The Thing is based on the 1938 story “Who Goes There?” written by legendary magazine editor John W. Campbell Jr. Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy host David Barr Kirtley initially preferred the subtle paranoia of “Who Goes There?” but has come to appreciate the gory violence of The Thing as well. “There have been so many paranoid stories where it’s like ‘Who’s the alien?'” he says. “It’s even a party game—’Which one of us is the alien?’—so just the creativity of the special effects captures my imagination more now.”

A prequel film, released in 2011, largely failed to connect with fans. Hollywood is slated to try again with an upcoming adaptation of Frozen Hell, an expanded version of “Who Goes There?” that was discovered in 2018. But science fiction author Matthew Kressel thinks it might be better to give the franchise a rest. “If they do it right, if they give it a proper treatment, who knows?” he says. “But it’s going to be really hard to beat the Carpenter version.”

Listen to the complete interview with Tom Gerencer, Andrea Kail, and Matthew Kressel in Episode 506 of Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy (above). And check out some highlights from the discussion below.