Earthburner’s Jeremy Wagner Shares His Treasure Trove of The Thing Memorabilia
It’s hard not to repeat this thesis, but it keeps ringing true, so here it is — metalheads are fuckin’ nerds. That’s not an insult, I’m a massive fuckin’ nerd. We all are. After all, for every song like “I Cum Blood” there’s a “Destroy the Orcs” or “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” out there.
With that in mind, we at MetalSucks felt it was high time to lift the veil and get artists to share their nerdy passions. This time around, we got Earthburner guitarist Jeremy Wagner to open his personal vaults and showcase one of the coolest collections of memorabilia from John Carpenter’s iconic 1982 horror flick The Thing. From a legit final script to art composed by Anthrax’s Charlie Benante, Wagner’s got some amazing pieces to share.
So check out just some of Wagner’s collection below, complete with blubs written by the man himself. We’re super thankful he took the time to do this, given the fact that Earthburner’s next album Permanent Dawn is coming out on November 8 (preorder your copy now). This isn’t the first one of these we’ll be doing, so keep an eye out for future features and let us know who you’d like to see next.
Screen-Used Miniature Barrel from John Carpenter’s The Thing
Various barrels and buckets were seen around the Antarctic research base and miniatures were used during the climactic scene of MacReady (Kurt Russell) facing off against the Thing and using explosives to destroy it. The barrel is made of a card tube with a resin shell and lid, and the smaller bucket is made of resin. These are very rare to find.
Ernest D. Farino and Mike Ploog Thing storyboards
Ernest D. Farino made this original Thing storyboard book using charcoal. Farino has designed and created visual effects and main titles for films such as Creepshow and The Terminator, and his experience in the field of stop-motion animation includes animating the Pillsbury Doughboy as well as work for films such as Caveman, The Howling, and John Carpenter’s The Thing.
Like Ernest D. Farino, Mike Ploog made these original Thing hand-drawn storyboards with pencil. Ploog is a legend in stop-motion animation as well, and renowned comic book artist.
Charlie Benante Custom Thing “Spiderhead” Painting
One of my closest friends, Charlie Benante is one hell of an artist—in addition to being a sick drummer. Charlie made this painting for me as a gift…it’s based off the original Spiderhead artwork that was done by the legendary Bernie Wrightson.
Original Screen-Used Rotor from Norwegian Helicopter Blown Up in The Thing
During the opening of John Carpenter’s The Thing, the “crazed” Norwegian that accidentally shoots one of the expedition members shouts in Norwegian:
“Get the hell away from that thing. That’s not a dog, it’s some sort of thing! It’s imitating a dog, it isn’t real! GET AWAY YOU IDIOTS!” His buddy on the other hand loses a grenade that blows up their Norwegian helicopter.
Well anyway, The Thing superfan Todd Cameron, went up to The Thing filming location in Stewart, British Columbia in August 2003 and he bought the wreckage of the Norwegian helicopter just to the north of the site—I bought this from Todd years later along with his entire Thing collection which was one of the biggest in the world.
Who Goes There? Original and Signed Hardcover Book with Original Artwork
This is the original, second edition cover illustration art by artist Malcolm Smith for “Who Goes There?” by John W. Campbell, Jr. — along with a signed, 1951 second printing hardcover edition of the story—this book was designed as a tie-in to the 1951 film “The Thing From Another World.”
In case you didn’t know, John W. Campbell’s 1938 novella “Who Goes There?” inspired the 1951 movie “The Thing From Another World” that featured James Arness as the “Thing”. Later In 1982, John Carpenter directed the ULTIMATE movie version (IMO) of the story that most everyone all now know as The Thing — starring the great Kurt Russell as the main badass, R.J. MacReady.
This original artwork shows “The Thing” alien monster surrounded by the men who are trapped with it inside a scientific research station in Antarctica. The original art here was created in ink, ink wash, and white paint.
This signed, second edition of John W. Campbell, Jr.’s “Who Goes There?” was published by Shasta Publishers (Chicago) in 1951‚ BUT, before this book (and the 1951 movie) came out, “Who Goes There?” was actually first published in the August 1938 issue of “Astounding Science Fiction” in a 12-chapter version.
The original story from 1938 still holds up really well today (IMO) and really showcases how brilliant John W. Campbell, Jr.’s imagination was for his time.
The Thing Original “Final Draft” Script/Screenplay
This final draft script is considered by some as the “Holy Grail” of Thing memorabilia. It’s an ultra-rare original production-used movie script of John Carpenter’s The Thing written by Bill Lancaster—dated July 28, 1981.
Original Theater Standee from The Thing
This original Thing standee from 1982 is one of two I have—one is on display in my Thing museum and the other is still brand-new in the box.
For those who don’t know, a standee is an American term for a large self-standing display promoting a movie, product or event, or point-of-sale advertising, often in the form of a life-size cut-out figure. They are typically made of foam-board and back in the day, they made them a bit more elaborate like this one where it would be displayed in theater lobbies in advance of film releases.
Original Blueprints for The Thing’s Flying Saucer and the Outpost 31 Ice Cave
These original blueprints were made by Universal Studios for the creation of the model flying saucer that you see in the opening credits in The Thing. Very detailed.
And the original blueprint for the ice-cave/tunnel underneath Outpost 31 and the Norwegian camp also shows the detail that went into making that creepy set.
The Thing Original 1981 Crew Jackets
I own three original The Thing “crew jackets.” These colored jackets feature the film’s logo on its back in handcrafted embroidery and usually the name of a crew member on the front. Rare finds…there’s more out there—if only those jackets could talk.
