Dear Movies, I Love You

Episode: John Carpenter and The Thing (1982)! Plus, Lucé Tomlin-Brenner!

Airdate: February 24, 2026
Hosts: Millie De Chirico & Casey O'Brien
Guest: Lucé Tomlin-Brenner

Episode Overview

This episode immerses listeners in the icy paranoia of John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982), widely regarded as one of the finest remakes and horror films of all time. Hosts Millie and Casey examine Carpenter’s craftsmanship, the enduring chills, and the film’s themes of isolation and mistrust. The show also welcomes filmmaker and comedian Lucé Tomlin-Brenner for a sharp, passionate discussion around “women driven to madness by an unkind or apathetic society,” tying cinema’s past and present to broader cultural anxieties.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Living with Cold (01:50 – 13:46)

• Setting the Mood: The hosts joke about recording "from Antarctica" to parallel the film’s harsh setting. They reminisce about growing up in cold vs. warm climates and dissect their evolving tolerance or dread for winter.
  • "Every year that I get older, I start really hating the cold. Now if I catch a chill, I can't get rid of it for a long time." — Millie (04:18)
  • Winter clothing loyalties and the culture of “embracing” frigid weather, with side-bars on old-fashioned boots (Blundstones, Merrells), and anecdotes about L.L. Bean and REI shopping adventures.
• Cabin Fever: Millie details the restless boredom of winter days stuck inside, revealing nostalgic, impulsive internet shopping (a new caboodle and Guns N' Roses T-shirt).
• Cold Culture: Casey offers insight into Minnesotan resilience:
  • "People refuse to let weather stop them. It's almost like a point of pride that they go to social events, ride bikes in winter — people just will not be stopped." (11:56)
• Transition to Film: The segment closes with excitement for The Thing and teasing Lucé Tomlin-Brenner’s forthcoming guest spot.

2. Film Diary: Weekly Movie Watches (23:53 – 33:59)

• Millie: Extended riff on Mystic Pizza (1988), including a hilarious “movie-ruining” prank about secret pizza ingredients (“I said, 'Oh shit, this is the movie where there’s jizz in the pizza, right?’” — 26:44).
• Casey: Highlights Night Shift (1982) as a fun, heartfelt comedy (“They don’t make movies like this anymore”), and Set It Off (1996) as a dark, high-stakes girl-powered heist movie — sparking a tangent on the psychological thrill of bank robberies onscreen.
• Both: Explore what makes certain genres exciting, including stakes, criminal plans, and the peculiar thrill/fear of heist films.

3. Deep Dive: John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) (34:00 – 75:39)

Why This is the Greatest Remake (17:09 – 19:01):

• Millie champions it as “an improvement so extreme it became a staple of film culture.”
  • “If you think about somebody that took something and just improved upon it to the point where it has become like a cultural staple... you really can't find another that comes close." — Millie (18:21)
• Top John Carpenter films are debated: consensus settles on The Thing and Halloween in the lead.

Plot Summary & Character Breakdown (43:59 – 54:56):

• Opening with the Norwegian dog and introduction to the U.S. research station.
• Overview of main characters: Mac (Kurt Russell), Blair (Wilford Brimley), Childs (Keith David).
• Detailed account of film’s events: the spread of “the thing,” the paranoia, and the shocking, gooey practical effects.

Performance & Iconography: Kurt Russell’s Mac (46:04 – 50:09):

• Rugged, manly, but with a touch of goofball — his inappropriate wardrobe for Antarctica becomes a running joke.
  • “His outfit is not appropriate for this climate. He’s got his little bomber jacket from Wilson’s, no insulation…” — Millie (36:17)
• Product placement: J&B Scotch, a through-line for 70s/80s “tough guy” iconography.

Cold, Isolation, and Group Dynamics (50:34 – 54:56):

• Fantasy of working at an Antarctic research station — Millie and Casey reflect on the psychological/claustrophobic terror of being “stuck” with others, and the appeal of the crew’s downtime and game room.
• Thematic alignment with isolation horror like The Shining.

The Alien, Paranoia, and Practical Effects (54:56 – 63:13):

• Analysis of the alien’s ever-shifting, illogical “rules”— which heighten terror.
• Practical effects lauded as “scarier, artful, and more fun” than any CGI.
  • “There’s this like stutter of the effect... it’s fun when it’s shitty!” — Millie (59:51)
• Hosts bemoan Hollywood’s drift from practical SFX, longing for its return.

Social Paranoia & Modern resonance (64:32 – 68:20):

• The group draws connections between The Thing’s atmosphere of mistrust and current social fragmentation, political paranoia, and online culture.
  • “Movies about paranoia like this always hit harder in times of political upheaval and fascism… this is real, we're all doing this." — Millie (64:32)
• Facebook quirks: vetting old friends with suspicion echoes the film’s 'who can you trust?' anxiety.

The Ending’s Ambiguity (68:20 – 72:25):

• Final scene analyzed — the unresolved fate of Mac and Childs.
• Debated whether either is “the thing” and why the opacity still resonates.
• Mac's pride (“He won’t even wear a hat, let alone eat Childs if it came to it!” — Millie 71:46) as character-defining to the end.

Masterpiece Status: Why The Thing Persists (72:25 – 75:39):

• Praised for pacing, production design, cast of compelling "non-movie-star" actors, and timeless relevance.
• The “unwinnable war” of paranoia — it endures because of its philosophical richness, unforced social metaphor, and visceral chills.

4. My Area of Expertise: Lucé Tomlin-Brenner on Women Driven to Madness (76:30 – 111:16)

Introduction and Background (76:30 – 79:01):

• Lucé’s “video visions” comedy/film event at LA’s famed VideoTech store. She champions physical media and DIY community in a streaming world.
  • “We’re not just an archive, we’re an experience — $5 for a rental, but you get to talk to real people about real movies.” — Lucé (79:01)

Theme Introduction (84:28 – 93:43):

• Expertise: “women driven mad by an unkind/apathic society,” from Carrie and Shirley Jackson to 70s horror like The Haunting and Let’s Scare Jessica to Death.
  • “There’s a freedom to cinematic female insanity that I am very envious of… Sometimes, I just want to stand naked in a crosswalk and scream!” — Lucé (89:16)

Classic & Cult References:

• Age of female horror: 60s-70s seismic shift, influenced by society’s changing view of women’s roles (Rosemary's Baby, The Brood, Criminally Insane).
• Deep dive into the “revenge” vs. “delirium” (yield to the haunt) subgenres — Miss 45, Alucarda, Messiah of Evil, and analysis of (truly) madness-inducing domestic spaces.
  • “The house… is the site of domesticity, and for women it’s both the home/prison and locus of possession in these films.” — Lucé (93:43)

Modern Resonance & Gaps:

• 21st-century trends: Current films are often less nuanced, more “message-forward” (The Substance, Greener Grass).
• Societal pressure to “perform goodness” — why there’s less room in contemporary film for authentic, “messy” female antiheroes or open rebellion.

Societal Snark and Shifting Empathy (104:10 – 108:40):

• Cultural move from rooting for outcasts to siding with authority/victims — example, reappraisal of Carrie (“now we don’t feel sorry for her classmates”) and Ghost World (“Thor Birch’s “meanness” is punk, not cruel”).
  • "No, the boot's not gonna leave my neck because I'm licking it. ... It aligns with fascism to say that you should be nice to people who are being mean to you." — Lucé (108:18)
• Subcultures, authenticity, and why the “outsider” voice must still be radical, not sanitized for mainstream consumption.

Closing (111:16):

• Lucé encourages everyone to check out It's Always Halloween and visit VideoTech’s “Video Visions” if in LA; she’s plotting new film projects featuring more “crazy women content.”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Paranoia:
  • “Part of what makes ‘The Thing’ so timeless is that it’s an unwinnable war: either you’re infected, or you’re killed for someone thinking you are. At some point, paranoia and anger win anyway.” — Millie (72:52)
• On Practical Effects:
  • “There’s this two seconds of shittiness that happens with a practical effect, and it's so wonderful. It’s fun when it's shitty.” — Millie (60:25)
• On Social Culture:
  • "Men are expected to wear less than the bare minimum of layers when it's cold... but it's cold! I refuse to play your game." — Casey (49:43)
• On Cinematic Violence:
  • “You should be cheering for Carrie!” — Casey (87:15)
  • “Sometimes I just want to stand naked in a crosswalk and scream.” — Lucé (89:34)
• On Modern Cinema’s “Kindness” Fetish:
  • “Art is not moral. You cannot look at art and be like, good and bad. ... I want to be a fuck up and still be a good person.” — Lucé (103:00)

Segment Timestamps

• Living with Cold / Opening Banter: 01:50 – 13:46
• Film Diary: 23:53 – 33:59
• The Thing Analysis: 34:00 – 75:39
  • Intro & Top Remakes: 17:09 – 19:01
  • Plot, Characters: 43:59 – 54:56
  • Effects, Paranoia: 54:56 – 63:13
  • Sociopolitical Paranoia: 64:32 – 68:20
  • Ending: 68:20 – 72:25
  • Why it Endures: 72:25 – 75:39
• Lucé Tomlin-Brenner Interview: 76:30 – 111:16
• Film Recommendations: 112:16 – 116:46

Film Recommendations (112:16)

• Millie: Day of the Dead (1985, George Romero) — another “bunker” movie, but steamy and claustrophobic in the Everglades.
• Casey: Wolf’s Hole (dir. Věra Chytilová, Czech, 1987) — atmospheric, “cold” isolation horror with an alien infiltration twist.

Next Week

Film: Her (2013, dir. Spike Jonze)
Theme: AI in love and prophecy; what the film got eerily right (and wrong) about our present.

Episode Tone & Style

Conversational, unpretentious, and sharply funny. Hosts playfully roast each other, digress into personal anecdotes, and drop vivid asides—yet maintain relentless focus on film as art and lived cultural experience. The Lucé Tomlin-Brenner segment is pungent, hilarious, and incisive—leaning into feminist critique and cultural commentary with full-throated honesty.

Final Thoughts

A rich, witty podcast episode melding film history, genre appreciation, and personal reflection, with a particularly memorable guest segment spotlighting women's rage and madness as sites of both oppression and cinematic liberation. Carpenter’s The Thing isn’t just examined as a horror classic, but as a living text for every anxious, isolated, or skeptical moment—social, political, or personal.