The 1982 John Carpenter directed film “The Thing” starring Kurt Russell is coming to Blu-ray Disc in a Limited Edition Steelbook release on November 6th via Scream Factory (Shout! Factory) in collaboration with Universal Studios. The release, set to span across a 3-disc set, will include both an all-new 4K scan of the film on the first disc, as well as a 2K scan of the interpostive approved by the Director of Photography. Tech specs include full 1080p HD video in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio for both scans of the film. The audio (at least on the 2K scan) will come in two options: a 4.1 mix “Created From The Original 70MM Six Track Dolby Stereo Soundtrack” and a 5.1 mix, with likely both being presented in DTS-HD Master Audio. I’d expect the 4K scan will get a 5.1 mix – although it has not yet been detailed.

This new Blu-ray Disc Steelbook is not yet available for pre-order over at Amazon or Best Buy, but stay tuned for an update. However, it is available to PRE-ORDER directly from Shout! Factory‘s shop, where they’re including a FREE bonus 28.5″ X 16.5″ rolled litograph poster – to the first 1,500 customers who order. The 3-disc set (as mentioned) will include two versions of the film from two different scans, and those scans are detailed a bit below after the break.

 

 

Transfers of the film included:

 

DISC ONE:

• 2017 4K Scan Of The Feature Film

DISC TWO:

• 2K Scan Of The Interpositive Supervised And Approved By Director Of Photography Dean Cundey
• 4.1 Audio Mix Created From The Original 70MM Six Track Dolby Stereo Soundtrack (5.1 Audio Mix Also Included)

Bonus materials on the release will be rather lengthy and span across the 3-disc set. You can find those listed below.

Bonus Materials:

Disc 2 Bonus

• Audio Commentary With Director Of Photography Dean Cundey
• Audio Commentary With Co-producer Stuart Cohen
• Audio Commentary By Director John Carpenter And Actor Kurt Russell
• Teaser Trailer
• Theatrical Trailers (U.S. And German)
• TV Spots
• Radio Spots
• Still Gallery (Behind-The-Scenes Photos, Posters And Lobby Cards)

Disc 3 Bonus

• Requiem For A Shape Shifter – An Interview With Director John Carpenter In Conversation With Filmmaker Mick Garris
• The Men Of Outpost 31 – Interviews With Keith David, Wilford Brimley, David Clennon, Thomas Waites, Peter Maloney, Richard Masur And Joel Polis
• Assembling And Assimilation – An Interview With Editor Todd Ramsay
• Behind The Chameleon: The Visual Effects Of THE THING – Interviews With Visual Effects Artists Peter Kuran And Susan Turner, Special Make-up Effects Artist Rob Burman, Brian Wade And Stop Motion Animators Randall William Cook And Jim Aupperle
• Sounds From The Cold – Interviews With Supervising Sound Editor David Lewis Yewdall And Special Sound Effects Designer Alan Howarth
• Between The Lines – An Interview With Novelization Author Alan Dean Foster
• Back Into The Cold: A Return To The Shooting Locations Of THE THING – An Animated Photo Gallery Narrated By Todd Cameron Of Outpost31.com
• The Art Of Mike Ploog Gallery
• John Carpenter’s The Thing: Terror Takes Shape – A Documentary On The Making Of THE THING Featuring Interviews With John Carpenter, Kurt Russell, Special Effects Make-up Designer Rob Bottin, Legendary Matte Artist Albert Whitlock And More! (SD)
• Network TV Broadcast Version Of THE THING (SD)
• Outtakes (SD)
• Vintage Featurettes From The Electronic Press Kit Featuring Interviews With John Carpenter, Kurt Russell And Rob Bottin (SD)
• Vintage Featurettes – The Making Of A Chilling Tale And The Making Of THE THING (SD)
• Vintage Product Reel – Contains A Condensed Version Of The Film With Additional Footage Not In The Film (SD)
• Vintage Behind-The-Scenes Footage (SD)
• Annotated Production Archive – Production Art And Storyboards, Location Scouting, Special Make-up Effects, Post Production (SD)

Editorial Note: As a lot of readers have asked, and even I’ve wondered myself, it would seem that a 4K UHD Blu-ray release should come out sooner or later of the film, with this and another John Carpenter film (“The Fog”) also getting a new 4K scan. Scream Factory has previously released both of these titles on Blu-ray. So, they should have the 4K UHD Blu-ray distribution rights. Perhaps they’re just waiting to start doing 4K releases of feature films. They have released quite a few phenomenal 4K UHD Blu-ray releases (of IMAX or other large format documentary short films) on the Shout! Factory parent distributor label. Let’s hope they start doing 4K releases of feature films very soon, as they certainly have the rights to some downright classic films.