The Thing
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U.S

U.S. Outpost 31, as seen in the opening scenes of The Thing (1982).

U.S. Outpost #31 is a U.S. Antarctic research center which first appears in the 1982 film The Thing and is subsequently featured in the 2002 video-game of the same name and two Dark Horse comic-books - The Thing from Another World and The Thing from Another World: Questionable Research. The station is operated by the United States and is manned by a crew of twelve men.

Background[]

In the 1982 film The Thing, the outpost is infiltrated by a shape-shifting extraterrestrial being during the winter of 1982, which leads to the demise of almost everyone there. In a desperate bid to prevent the creature from escaping, the remaining survivors decided to destroy the entire outpost. The film ends with the sole survivors - MacReady and Childs sitting alongside the burning wreckage of the station. The fate of the men and the outpost were further explored in the 2002 video-game The Thing and the Dark Horse Comics series The Thing from Another World.

Personnel[]

Cast shot promotional image - The Thing (1982)

The cast of The Thing, on location in British Columbia (minus Wilford Brimley).

Trivia[]

  • While MacReady identifies the American camp as "U.S. Outpost 31" in dialogue, the sign seen at the beginning of the film incorrectly names it "National Science Institute Station 4". A similar goof occurred in John Carpenter's earlier film Assault on Precinct 13, which was so named despite the titular precinct actually being identified as "Precinct 9, Division 13" in dialogue.
  • The extensive Outpost 31 set built for the film was actually destroyed with explosives for the climax of the movie. The ruined Norwegian camp, seen earlier in the film, was actually the remains of the Outpost 31 set after its destruction.
  • In the novel Who Goes There?, the outpost was originally called Big Magnet.
  • In a deleted scene from the 2011 prequel film, Norwegian Station radio-operator Colin makes an unsuccessful radio transmission from Thule Station to Outpost 31.
  • The tool shed the crew locked Blair is a Easter Egg in the 2022 video game, Saints Row. It even has a UFO beneath the shed like in the film.

Gallery[]

The Thing (1982)[]

The Thing (Other)[]

Maps[]

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