The Thing

John Carpenter has revolutionized horror films, no doubt about it. His Halloween flick mastered the slasher genre and his later The Thing proved to be innovative for creature features. Ennio Morricone himself had a fairly interesting track record and could be considered the best composer to provide music that juts out of a film (not a bad thing most of the time). That being said, his work for The Thing is very subtle. Unfortunately, some of the music remained largely unused.

Generally, for John Carpenter films, the score is largely electronic unless a piano route is taken (mostly when Carpenter scores the film himself). The music for The Thing is mostly orchestral. Creeping melodies provide an eery backdrop for the film. While many horror films are largely atmospheric in terms of sound effects, The Thing is atmospheric with the use of the orchestra. The highlight, however, comes with 'Humanity Part 2'. The cue is mostly repetitive electronic beats that create a creepy effect.

If there is a good horror score out there, The Thing is easily one of them. It sets the mood perfectly and is very creepy at the same time. When the electronics are used they work great. Definitely a strong effort from Morricone.