The Hollows and THE THING (1982)

A simple way to raise the stakes in any horror story is to add in a harsh climate. Since winter’s almost here, I’ll be pairing up two tales of survival in frigid temps. Bad weather isn’t the only danger in THE THING and The Hollows. In both stories, the heroes battle against terrifying creatures that threaten all of mankind.

John Carpenter’s THE THING (1982) (itself based on John W. Campbell Jr.’s short story “Who Goes There?”) is set in Antarctica, at a research outpost during the first week of winter. In the form of a dog, a parasitic alien creature infiltrates the base. The men discover this when it is caught in the middle of assimilation. They burn what they can, but part of it gets away. The creature’s ability to imitate any life form it assimilates descends the camp into chaos as paranoia and personal conflicts thwart the men’s attempts to band together.

Written by Daniel Church, The Hollows was just released on November 8, 2022, by Angry Robot Books. The novel is set in a small village in a rural mountainous region of England. It opens with a local man found frozen to death.  The corpse, Tony Harper, was a member of a family well-known for criminal activity and evidence suggests foul play. In addition to finding the body with a drawn knife, there is a strange symbol drawn into the rock nearby. 

While informing the family of his death, Constable Ellie Cheetham shows them the symbol. Liz Harper, the victim's mother, visibly reacts when she first sees the symbol, but denies recognizing it. The next day two homes on the outer edge of the village are torn apart and the families are missing. Ellie believes all the crimes are related and suspects the Harpers are involved…or at least know who is. Although the perpetrator is not a who but rather a what, she’s not wrong. The Harper family bible, passed down through the generations, contains secret knowledge of the danger inhabiting the hollows beneath the village.

While both stories focus on the threat of a specific monster, the main conflict is man versus nature. The creatures—whether supernatural or extraterrestrial—can be interpreted as physical representations of natural forces. In addition to the immediate threat of the creatures, the setting provides additional layers of danger and difficulty. Their isolated locations and weather conditions make them a vulnerable target with limited options for seeking outside help or simply running away.

The perception of safety provided by modern society is quickly stripped away. Their means of communication is disrupted, power and heating eliminated, and ability to travel impeded. In Carpenter’s film, the denizens of the outpost are already limited to an unreliable radio. It’s later destroyed, along with their transportation, to prevent the alien from leaving the base. If the monster gets out, all life on earth would be assimilated within a few years.

While in the novel, all forms of communication suddenly and mysteriously stop working. Not only does it cut the village off further from outside help but isolates individuals within the community. The humans only advantage over the creatures (called Tatterskins) is their aversion to light, a resource in short supply when the power lines are broken and the village is left without electricity. Shelter does little to protect the townspeople the when attacked due to the strength and numbers of the Tatterskins.

Both groups are armed with guns, but they aren’t very useful. The creatures seem nearly indestructible and aren’t even slowed down by the gunshots. What’s interesting and likely a significant detail is how fire ends up being their only means of defense. Not only does it provide the needed warmth against the cold—but it’s also used as a weapon, the only weapon that seems to have any effect on either creature.

It makes sense considering it is a fight against nature for survival. Essentially, they have to harness the power of nature in order to win the battle against it.

The Hollows is currently available for purchase as an eBook and paperback from Angry Robot Books and other booksellers.

THE THING (1982) is currently available for rent/purchase on most digital platforms.