The Thing From Another World premiered in 1951. It became an instant classic. So much so that the legendary John Carpentier created the remake of it 31 years later called The Thing.
Watching it today, the original The Thing From Another World doesn't really appear scary, unless you're a little kid who doesn't know better. The special effects compared to today's is a little so-so. But as you watching the film, the little special effects there are are great because it not overly done. It's just enough to give you a bit of a scare. There's no blood or gore in the film (sorry my gore loving friends, but this was the 1950s) nor heavy violence. This is a sharp contrast to Carpentier's 1982 version of the film which has plenty of blood and gore and a great classic in itself for its special effects.
The movie is set on a research outpost in Antarctica. One day one of the men stubble upon a UFO that has crashed some 10,000 years ago and its pilot only several hundred feet away, buried in the ice. They take the body back to the station where it defrosts and the fun begins as the creature has come back to life and spreads its terror among the scientists.
If you are not familiar with either this or John Carpenter's version, I highly recommend watching this version, followed by Carpenter's. Not only will you be watching a couple of classic horror movies, but you get a real appreciation of how much love that Carpenter had for the original to make his own version.
As promised, here is the little known fact about both versions of the film:
Both films are based off of a horror novel called Who Goes There? However the 1951 version is a much scaled down version of the book than John Carpenter's. In 1951, it would have been considered too graphic to be release had it been exactly like the book. Additionally, John Carpenter had read the book and wanted his version to be just like the book. So if you are going for more authenticity, go for Carpenter's version.