Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell

A great birthday gift! I enjoyed reading the original story that inspired two movies, one from the 50s and one from the 80s. As a bonus, there is a screen treatment done by William Nolan (author of Logan’s Run).

Let me start with the short story by John Campbell. A great idea with a somewhat poor execution. Having seen both movies that drew inspiration from this story, I could see both films in the characters and plot that Campbell wrote. That helped me follow the story. To have read this in 1938, though, I wonder if I’d have been hooked or been able to follow the idea from start to finish. A great notion, executed by two directors, but hard to follow from the original story. Maybe with a few rewrites, Campbell could have nailed it. But, both films owe their result to Campbell’s original idea.

The treatment by Nolan, at the end, is something entirely different. Done in 1978, it reads like the worst films of the present day. Sensationalistic, without solid character development, it was rejected by the studios. I’m so glad. The film that John Carpenter put together in 1982 is the closest to the original story idea and captured, better than Campbell, the paranoia and fear of the story. I did like the 50s film, in context, but Carpenter’s ruled.