The Thing (1982) - John Carpenter Deleted Stop Motion

Director John Carpenter did not like the Blair Monster stop motion as he perceived it to look ’different’ or not blending in with the other live action mechanical puppetry effects. I have always disagreed with cutting this scene. Just look at it ... the actual stop motion shots are maybe only under 20 total seconds or even less! IMO, your average audience will not notice any slight difference of the stop motion ... the scene is in a dark ice cave. The viewers are generally more interested in the overall story & drama. The stop motion scenes are so short but I think it enhances the overall surrealistic horror effect that the audience can see for a quick second ... the entire shape of this grossly deformed mutant Blair Monster. Randall W. Cook designed & sculpted this stop motion puppet which was molded, then cast in a rubber skin. He also did the hands-on animation. Ernest Farino designed, constructed, and pieced together the internal jointed metal skeletal armature.