Universal is planning a remake of John Carpenter's classic sf horror film The Thing. It will be written by Ronald Moore of Battlestar Galactica fame but no director has been announced. Other reports I've read suggest this may be more of a prequel than a straight-forward remake, in which case my opinion change. I can stomach a prequel, particularly one focusing on the Norwegians finding the downed spaceship and exploring it, but a straight-up remake/reimagining/rewhatever simply isn't needed.

The Thing works on many different levels -- the cast, the horror, the effects, the story -- and I can see modern Hollywood screwing it up in a variety of ways. The horror of the thing is made all the more chilling because it seems so real ... and it seems real because Carpenter did amazing work with conventional special effects. I can easily see a Thing remake turning into a nightmare of overdone, unbelieveable CGI effects, when what it really needs is some old fashioned slime.

Tell us what you think by voting in Nuketown's "Should John Carpenter's The Thing be remade?" poll.