Films & Events

For a special collaboration with Novel Nook at UofSC, we’re screening The Thing, director John Carpenter’s legendary sci-fi horror classic. Based on the novella Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell Jr., the film follows a group of researchers stationed in Antarctica whose isolated outpost becomes a nightmare when they encounter a shape-shifting alien capable of perfectly imitating any living organism. As paranoia spreads and trust collapses, the men realize that the creature could be anyone among them—including their closest allies.

Starring Kurt Russell alongside Keith David and Wilford Brimley, The Thing is now widely regarded as one of the greatest science fiction horror films ever made, celebrated for its groundbreaking practical creature effects by Rob Bottin and its bleak, tension-filled storytelling. Though it received mixed reviews upon its 1982 release, the film has since become a cult classic and a major influence on the horror and sci-fi genres. In 2025, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

This special event with Novel Nook—a community book hangout connecting readers from the University of South Carolina and the wider Columbia community—celebrates the intersection of literature, film, and conversation around one of the most enduring sci-fi stories ever told.

1982. 109 min.

Rated R.