The Thing (lost practical cut of sci-fi/horror prequel film; 2011)

Theatrical poster

Status: Lost

The Thing (2011), directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., is a science-fiction body horror film that serves as a prequel to John Carpenter's cult classic of the same name, explaining how the titular alien came to be discovered, and what happened at the Norwegian outpost found burned and destroyed by the Americans in the Carpenter film. It also explains how the iconic Split-Face found in the snow came to be.

The film, originally shot with almost entirely practical effects supplied by Amalgamated Dynamics, received a negative response from test audiences, leading to Universal Studios ordering the film be re-edited and released with CGI effects covering up the animatronics and makeup. When the movie was finally released, it received mixed reviews and was a box office flop, with some blaming the poor computer effects, and others simply for the story and characters being inferior to the original. This left van Heijningen Jr. and Amalgamated frustrated and potentially heartbroken with the final product.

Despite some insisting otherwise, a full cut of the film with the practical effects and some altered scenes does exist, and could still be kept locked away in Universal's archives.