Norweigians discovered it.....

Hey now, as long as I don't look at a picture of her all old and wrinkled her ta-tas are still just like they were back then.

The second 'Thing' film is closer to the source material, which was John W. Campbell's "Who Goes There?" -- definitely my favorite Sci Fi Golden Age novella. It's perfect '50s paranoia: your peers are taken over by an alien personality (e.g. they become commies) and you're fighting to keep from being absorbed.

The first film version was just a space vampire movie, though well done. The second was better, but the special effects were way overdone, IMO.

Why does that sound so familiar? ;)

the plot line was recycled in Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

It seemed like the Norwegians, finding the Thing in the '82 version took the place of the Air Force guys from the original, had the USAF never killed the creature.

I wonder if the new one will actually be set in 1982, before the dog escapes to the US camp.

I think you're right. This new one has them drilling into the frozen alien vs it being the dog. Good way to go at it.