The Thing (2011) Horror Thriller Sci-Fi Mystery

Rated R | Threatrical Oct 14, 2011 (US) | Genres Horror, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Mystery | Runtime 1h 43m
The Thing (2011) Horror Thriller Sci-Fi Mystery Poster
  • 151,203 votes, 2.62 / 5 rating (52% score)
  • Our Score: ☆ 6/10
    Read our The Thing Movie Review
  • Overall Score: ☆ 5.24/10
    IMDB: ☆ 6.2/10
    Metascore: ☆ 4.9/10
    Tomatometer: ☆ 3.4/10

The Thing Plot Synopsis:

Paleontologist Kate Lloyd is invited by Dr. Sandor Halvorson to join his team who have found something extraordinary. Deep below the Antarctic ice, they have found an alien spacecraft that has been there for perhaps 100,000 years. Not far from where the craft landed, they find the remains of the occupant. It's cut out of the ice and taken back to their camp but as the ice melts, the creature reanimates and not only begins to attack them but manages to infect them, with team members devolving into the alien creature.


Antarctica: an extraordinary continent of awesome beauty. It is also home to an isolated outpost where a discovery full of scientific possibility becomes a mission of survival when an alien is unearthed by a crew of international scientists. The shape-shifting creature, accidentally unleashed at this marooned colony, has the ability to turn itself into a perfect replica of any living being. It can look just like you or me, but inside, it remains inhuman. In the thriller "The Thing," paranoia spreads like an epidemic among a group of researchers as they"re infected, one by one, by a mystery from another planet.Paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has traveled to the desolate region for the expedition of her lifetime. Joining a Norwegian scientific team that has stumbled across an extraterrestrial ship buried in the ice, she discovers an organism that seems to have died in the crash eons ago. But it is about to wake up.When a simple experiment frees the alien from its frozen prison, Kate must join the crew"s pilot, Carter (Joel Edgerton), to keep it from killing them off one at a time. And in this vast, intense land, a parasite that can mimic anything it touches will pit human against human as it tries to survive and flourish."The Thing" serves as a prelude to John Carpenter"s classic 1982 film of the same name. Directed by Matthijs van Heijningen, the thriller is produced by Strike Entertainment"s Marc Abraham and [$Eric Newman ("Dawn of the Dead").
More: Most Anticipated Horror Movies Coming Soon in 2026-2027!

The Thing Movie Information:

Type: Movie
Year: 2011 (more 2011 movies)
MPAA Rating: R
Runtime: 103 minutes /
Genres:  Horror, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Mystery
Sub-Genres:  Monsters
Horror Genres:  Aliens, Creatures
Horror Subgenres:  Body Horror, Sci-Fi
Directors: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.
Stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen, Eric Christian Olsen, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje … (cast list)
Release Date: Theatrical Release Date Oct 14, 2011
Box Office: $16,928,670
Nominations: 6

What is The Thing Streaming On?

The Thing is Streaming on Netflix, Tubi
Language: English, Norwegian, Danish
Country: United States, Canada
Release Dates: Movie Release Dates / The Thing Release Dates In Theaters: Oct 14, 2011, Netflix: Apr 01, 2023, Tubi: Apr 01, 2025
Writers: Eric Heisserer, John W. Campbell Jr.
Producers: Marc Abraham, J. Miles Dale, David Foster, Gabrielle Neimand, Eric Newman, Lawrence Turman
Editors: Peter Boyle, Julian Clarke

Browse: Monster Movies List

Trending in Movies:

Whistle (2025), Forgive Us All (2025), Hell House LLC: Lineage (2025), 28 Years Later: The Bone… (2026), 28 Years Later (2025), We Bury the Dead (2024), Strange Harvest: Occult Murder… (2024), Bring Her Back (2025), Parvulos (2024), and ZombieCON Vol. 1 (2024)

Check Out the Best Horror Movies of 2026 You Must See!

The Thing Plot Synopsis:

Paleontologist Kate Lloyd is invited by Dr. Sandor Halvorson to join his team who have found something extraordinary. Deep below the Antarctic ice, they have found an alien spacecraft that has been there for perhaps 100,000 years. Not far from where the craft landed, they find the remains of the occupant. It's cut out of the ice and taken back to their camp but as the ice melts, the creature reanimates and not only begins to attack them but manages to infect them, with team members devolving into the alien creature.

Check out more movies that start with T and movies from 2011. The Thing is part of the monster movies sub-genre(s), check out more movies like The Thing. Also, you can find more thriller movies that start with T. Also, here are some more sci-fi movies that start with T.

More: Must See New Horror Movies in 2026!

(14) Movie Recommendations


Source: IMDB, Metacritic, Rotten Tomatoes, HellHorror.com fans like you!