“The 1982 version, though, IMHO, is one of THE greatest monster movies of all time.”
Agree. Besides being true to the original novella ‘Who goes there?” the special effects were something I’ve yet to see matched by any CG. I enjoyed the black and white movie as a kid, but John Carpenter’s version was next level sci-fi horror.
The original black-and-white version from the 50s was one of my favorite horror movies when I was a kid. Interesting that James Arness, Marshal Dillon from gunsmoke, played the carrot creature in the original version of the thing.
Some other favorites from my childhood:
Them!
The Beast from Twenty Thousand Fathoms
20 Million Miles to Earth
And - the inspiration for Ridley Scott’s “Alien” - It: The Terror From Beyond Space.
Honorable mention: War of the Worlds, Planet of the Apes, and ANY of the Hammer Studios Dracula films with Christopher Lee…