Grand Rapids, Mich.- June 24, 2010. Scientists in the Antarctic are confronted by a shape-shifting alien who assumes the appearance of the people it kills is the premise of Thriller! Chiller!’s Saturday night cult classic this year.  “John Carpenter’s The Thing” will be screened as part of Michigan’s premier genre film festival on October 23rd at the Wealthy Theatre.

The annual film festival screens at least one cult classic genre movie as part of its celebration every year. In the past, Thriller! Chiller! has unspooled other great genre classics such as “Jaws,” “Poltergeist,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “The Shining” to name just a few.

Festival director, Chris Randall, says there’s a lot to love about the film. “‘John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’ is one of those great classic genre movies. It has so much going for it from the acting, to the story, to the visuals, to the effects,” he says. “It’s a unique film that can mix of all the genres together that we represent with Thriller! Chiller! And this one has it all with the very best of sci-fi, horror, suspense and action.”

The film was released in 1982, years before the use of CGI visual effects, and FX artist Rob Bottin famously worked himself to exhaustion creating the practical special effects used throughout the movie. “John Carpenter’s The Thing” was director John Carpenter’s fourth collaboration with cinematographer Dean Cundey (“Halloween,” “The Fog,” and “Escape from New York”) and his third movie with lead actor, Kurt Russell.

Thriller! Chiller! is the last chance many people will have to see the original on the big screen before the release of the prequel next spring. The prequel, which focuses on the how the creature came to Earth, is currently in production and has been scheduled for release on April 29, 2011.