Nice to see a horror story that favours mind over splatter. Keeping things under wraps can heighten our level of interest. This causes The Thing from Another World to jolt our nervous systems via subtlety rather than carvery. Christian Nyby’s science-fiction narrative draws inspiration from John W. Campbell’s mesmerizing short story Who Goes There?

Some compelling characterizations led by Captain Patrick Hendry (Kenneth Tobey), Dr Arthur Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) and Nikki Nicholson (Margaret Sheridan, be still my heart) lead us to an alien vessel.

Attempting to separate the ship from its cold prison proves disastrous. However, the researchers quickly locate a survivor. Described as hairless with strange features, it’s kept under constant watch. By no means can it be defrosted for further investigation. Guess what happens next.

Compared to the excesses of John Carpenter’s wretched remake, there’s not much about The Thing from Another World to induce chills. Meanwhile, writer Charles Lederer honours the original narrative indirectly. There’s a major change -- dare I say omission -- yet the film works regardless.

Commendably, editor Roland Gross carves a straight path between monster and prey. Therefore, The Thing from Another World captures that rare duality: being a film of its time and very much ahead of the game. (Capsule review)

(Released by Warner Home Video; not rated by MPAA.)