25 Behind-the-Scene Pics from the Making of 'The Thing'

He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man. 

Rob Bottin, an American special effects artist famous for his work on The Howling, The Fog, Total Recall, and RoboCop, was the designer largely in charge of the creature design for The Thing. Based on the novella Who Goes There?, the story takes place in Antarctica where a team of scientists are visited by an otherworldly creature who has the power to disguise itself in plain sight and transform into freakish monsters.

Using materials such as foam and latex, combined with techniques like sculpting, molding, and puppetry, the team behind The Thing was able to bring this classic story to life. Rob Bottin became so dedicated to this project that he worked non-stop for over a year, literally living on a Universal lot where he slept in the locker rooms. By the time filming had wrapped Botting landed himself in the hospital, needing treatment for exhaustion, pneumonia, and a stomach ulcer. But everyone who loves their job knows that feeling.