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Kurt Russell in "The Thing" in 1982. Source: https://egreg.io/movie-review-the-thing-1982/ (May be subject to copyright) |
That dilemma faced the men in “The Thing”.
What I will remember is more than the fact “The Thing” may be my favourite horror movie. If you know me, that is an incredibly small sample size.
No, what I will remember is the guys I was with to watch the movie, and the great time I had, back in 1984.
Friends for life
It is hard to describe the friendship I had with Mathew Ebner. Our families were neighbours before we were born and, in fact, my parents knew Mat’s dad when he was still a teenager. They even knew Mat's grandfather Emil before he passed on their farm to Mat’s dad Reinhold.
It is hard to describe the friendship I had with Mathew Ebner. Our families were neighbours before we were born and, in fact, my parents knew Mat’s dad when he was still a teenager. They even knew Mat's grandfather Emil before he passed on their farm to Mat’s dad Reinhold.
We rode the school bus together forever, even though we went to different elementary schools then different junior highs.
Yet, we hung out a lot over the years, even before we started going to high school together in Grade 10.
Again, we had a lot of the same interests. We both loved comic books, science fiction, music and computers. Mat got a TRS-80, the personal home computer Radio Shack used to make, and played on that thing for hours. Beyond this really cool adventure game we cracked, we tried designing our own video games.
Our friendship is hard to describe, because we were more like cousins. We were closer than friends, I thought, but I treated him badly sometimes, like a cousin would.
He never acted poorly, or badly. He was a kind and gentle soul, who really always tried to do his best for himself and others.
When we were in Grade 9, he invited me to his birthday party, which is still one of the best times I ever had as a teenager.
Guest list
Mat’s parents were really nice people too. Mr. Ebner was so supportive of his kids. He played with them, took an interest in everything they did, and supported them through everything. Mrs. Ebner was a hair dresser who had her own salon in their house, one that my Mom and sister would visit periodically. She was a kind soul too. It is hard to say where Mat gets it from, because they were both so nice and kind.
Mat’s parents were really nice people too. Mr. Ebner was so supportive of his kids. He played with them, took an interest in everything they did, and supported them through everything. Mrs. Ebner was a hair dresser who had her own salon in their house, one that my Mom and sister would visit periodically. She was a kind soul too. It is hard to say where Mat gets it from, because they were both so nice and kind.
They said Mat could have three friends over. Mrs. Ebner would make some pizzas – and she made great pizza – while Mr. Ebner would go to town to rent the movies Mat requested.
Because we went to different junior high schools, I didn’t know any of his school friends, other than through the stories he told me on the bus. So, guys like Alan, Sanjay, and Jason were an idea to me, more than people. I had met them in passing, at McLennan’s the arcade downtown, when we walked to shop class. That was it though.
Mat ended up inviting me, his good friend Alan Uchimura and Jason Clements. They were both also really interesting guys.
Alan was a video game genius through and through. He was a master in the arcade. The joystick was like an extension of his hand. At a time where you had to pay a quarter to play a video game, and essentially start over when you ran out of lives, Alan played forever. Later, when home video game systems and computers provided great games, he mastered them too. Beyond that, he watched a lot of movies and read a lot. You could tell why he and Mat were such good friends.
Jason was less known to me. Mat wasn’t the only guy I knew from the other school. Whenever those guys talked about him, he was usually the butt of their jokes. I never took that too seriously because I’d rather form my own opinion. I still try to live my life that way. Beyond that, he had gone to McNally, a country school by Lethbridge, so he had only been going to the other school for junior high. I had encountered him in elementary school when our mini basketball teams played each other. But I didn’t actually know him.
The ride home
We took the bus to Mat’s place. All the buses for the town congregated at Kate Andrews High School. I hopped on a bus from St. Joe’s every night, and Mat hopped on a bus from R.I. Baker. They both dropped us off and we wound our way to the bus we took home. When I got on the bus home, Mat had already arrived with Jason and Alan in tow. It was a bit odd for me, because it just meant getting off the same bus, just one stop sooner – I was the last stop on the way home and Mat was the second last stop.
We took the bus to Mat’s place. All the buses for the town congregated at Kate Andrews High School. I hopped on a bus from St. Joe’s every night, and Mat hopped on a bus from R.I. Baker. They both dropped us off and we wound our way to the bus we took home. When I got on the bus home, Mat had already arrived with Jason and Alan in tow. It was a bit odd for me, because it just meant getting off the same bus, just one stop sooner – I was the last stop on the way home and Mat was the second last stop.
We chatted a bit on the bus, and I recall beginning to think Jason was a really cool guy. I wondered why the other guys from Baker treated him the way they did. That’s also when I was reminded of something really cool. Mat had told me Jason was bringing his Atari 2600 and the game “Pitfall II”. I was an Intellivision man, so I had never really played a lot of Atari. Actually, to that point in life, virtually none at all.
That would change.
The party
The smell of pizza was already wafting in the air when we got to Mat’s place. Soon after, Mr. Ebner arrived from town with the movies in hand.
The smell of pizza was already wafting in the air when we got to Mat’s place. Soon after, Mr. Ebner arrived from town with the movies in hand.
The one Mat was really excited to see was “The Thing”. It was the 1982 version, which was still relatively new. We joked about making sure to get the right version, because I think Mr. Ebner had seen the original when he was younger.
This one was about a party trapped at an Arctic outpost who discover an alien entity that begins to hunt them down and kill them. It was an abject horror movie that starred Kurt Russell.
For some reason I cannot recall, Alan had to go home.
“Aww, but you’re going to miss the movie,” Mr. Ebner said.
Alan responded he had already seen it.
Mat couldn’t resist asking him where “The Thing” was at that point.
“It’s in the dog,” Alan said, then left shortly after.
Neither I nor Jason could believe it.
The dog seemed so to the side, and beside the point.
Sure enough, it wasn’t, and what unfolded in “The Thing” was , well, horrifying.
Everything paused as we ate and gave Mat his presents. I had visited a used bookstore and purchased for or five books by Andre Norton, a science fiction writer who was Mat’s favourite. She was prolific, but Coles didn’t carry her books, so I had to hit the used bookstores. Still, it was what he wanted, and I saw him reading those books on the bus and at school over the next few months.
We eventually drifted back to the Atari and “Pitfall II”. Jason had already solved the game, but he let us play it until we figured it out on our own.
It wasn’t that night though, because Jason graciously left his Atari and the “Pitfall II” cartridge at Mat’s. I recall going back there on the weekend to see how Mat solved the game.
Eventually it was time to go, and we all went our separate ways.
It was such a great party, that’s all I could think.
Parting thoughts
I thought high school was going to be great, because I was already meeting guys from the other school that were going to be my classmates in September.
I thought high school was going to be great, because I was already meeting guys from the other school that were going to be my classmates in September.
It was great, but I never really did form the friendships I would with those other guys. We were friendly, said hi in the halls and, in Alan’s case, I did go with Mat over to his place to see him every so often.
Yet, for one evening in 1984, we had an amazing night together. When I watched “Stranger Things”, the camaraderie they had during their Dungeons and Dragons nights kind of reminded me of that, only we were playing video games and watching movies.
Every time I think about “The Thing”, I am taken right back to that basement on a farm north of Coaldale.
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