When you think of the sickest, most badass hats that have ever graced the silver screen, your mind is likely to go toward Indiana Jones' fedora or Oddjob’s killer bowling cap. But none of those can touchR.J. MacReady’s (Kurt Russell) supermassive cowboy hat fromThe Thing. This hat is great for an infinite number of reasons, all of which dawn on you the minute that it appears on-screen. WhileThe Thingwas always destined to be a great film, it’s questionable whetherJohn Carpenter’s 1982 effort would have been a masterpiece had it not been for this expert pick in costume design. Everything in the film rides on MacReady’s dastardly piece of headwear, ranging from his need to stylistically stand out from his peers, intimidate others with the size of his cap, and the hat’s multifaceted range of capabilities. MacReady isn’t the hero ofThe Thing, nor is Childs (Keith David) — it’s this glorious hat.
A team of researchers set out to study an alien spacecraft found in Antarctica, where they also discover an alien body on the site. The alien buried in ice is actually alive and has the ability to imitate human form. The group must find a way to distinguish who the real person is from The Thing and stay alive. John Carpenter’s 1982 film is a remake of 1951’s The Thing from Another World and stars Kurt Russel as the hero RJ MacReady.
The Hat in ‘The Thing’ Is Wonderfully Impractical
John Carpenter’sThe Thingis a monster movie that had been in the works for decades. The original film, 1951’sThe Thing from Another World, is a staple of the monster movie subgenre, andthe idea of a remake was thrown around beginning in the ’70s. The movie would even make an appearance in Carpenter’squintessential 1978 classic,Halloween.Halloweenwas a humongous hit, not just by independent movie standards, but by movie standards in general. With newfound success landing in Carpenter’s lap, it seemed as though the choice was obvious for who should helm the remake ofThe Thing. From there, all the pieces fell into place.Kurt Russell would staras the film’s lead, an all-star lineup for a supporting cast joined the ranks (including Keith David andWilford Brimley),Rob Bottinwould create the film’s game-changing practical effects,Ennio Morriconewould score it, and the costume department found the best hat on Earth for the film’s protagonist to wear.
The first time you see MacReady’s hat inThe Thing, a sensation of shock and awe is sure to wash over you. Right off the bat, it’s a tremendous stylistic statement, but questions of practicality immediately boil to the surface.This sucker is so huge that even John Carpenter’s ultra-wide lenses can barely make it fit.The hat’s brim snaps in on the front and back sides, giving MacReady the room he needs to be able to seehis wintry surroundings, as well as bringing a marvelous and unique curvature to the look of his headpiece. That said, being that it is held together in this way, it makes you wonder just how big this hat might be at its greatest possible circumference. Had MacReady ever unfastened the brim of his hat and let the front and back flow however far they needed, you might chuckle to yourself at the idea of our bearded friend being swamped to his feet by the flaps. Of course, they wouldn’t ever go that far. In reality, it would probably take on a sombrero-like shape and would have turned MacReady into a total goof in front of his shape-shifting foes.
The Hat Says Plenty About Kurt Russell’s MacReady
Apart from its size, the hat always ends up being MacReady’s go-to head-hugger of choice when venturing outdoors, the calling card of any genuinely reliable and trustworthy cap. This dome piece is also regularly paired with a thick leather flight jacket, gray hoodie, olive green ripstop pants, army boots, and a killer pair of black goggles. It’s a truly admirable fit that many hard-edged hipsters might aspire to on their coldest night, all without the guts or flame-throwing abilities of our friend R.J. The hat inJohn Carpenter’sThe Thingpromises an individual who you know can whip up a tasty drink, appreciate a leisurely game of chess, and hold their intellectual ground as a helicopter pilot in a room full of scientists, but also kick the asses of murderous intergalactic shapeshifting alien beasts like it’s yesterday’s business.No one else at MacReady’s base wore one of these hats, and look what happened to them. You could make the point that Childs, the only other character to survive the events of the film, didn’t wear one either, but when you’re played by someone as rad as Keith David, you’re sure to survive anything.
One of the Greatest Horror Movies of All Time Gave Away Its Plot in the First 10 Minutes
The monster was with us from the start!
There is the case to be made that maybe all of MacReady’s peers laughed at him for wearing this massive cowboy hat, butlike the unseen true form of the aliens, these jokes remain unheard. After all, there is a bit of a clown-like look to this beast of an accessory, but every stylistic innovation in history starts out looking a touch silly. That being said, there’s something so incredibly audacious about the fact that, of all the hats he could have worn, he chose to wear this hat. It’s as if MacReady walked into the room wearing an entirely normal outfit for the environmental circumstances that he’s facing, but he chose to hold it all together with one ofFlavor Flav’sbodacious clock necklaces. That or if he was rocking a pair of bedazzled, neon-green Crocs. There’s looking like a badass, and then there’s topping off your carefully constructed macho-man outfit with a touch of insanity to show everyone around you that you’re reliable, but a little unhinged. A loose cannon.It’s a stylistic pivot that no one else at his base attempted, and they all suffered the consequences for being a bunch of squares.
The Potential for MacReady’s Hat Beyond ‘The Thing’
Sadly,no one in the rest of film history would even attempt to pull this hat off ever again. It’s almost as if the hat, as well as anyone’s desire to don it, burned with the rest of the North American base at the end of the film. Even Jack Burton fromBig Trouble in Little China, anotherJohn Carpenter characterplayed by Kurt Russell, only goes so far as to wear a simple trucker hat. A hat worthy of that character, to be sure, but a clothing accessory that is likely the biggest reason thatBig Trouble in Little China’s reputationis lesser than that ofThe Thing, of course. Plenty of trucker hats remain on Earth’s surface, but how many of those MacReady cowboy hats are there lying around? You got me! Replicas go for a pretty penny online and are few and far between.
We have let a potential pillar of our society fall by the wayside by letting these football field-sizedcowboy hatsnotbecome a staple of modern style. Theywouldn’t even need to stop at being a cold weather exclusive. How about we wear these hats in business casual settings, to show you’re a serious individual but also know how to have a good time? Or you can wear one by the pool! You’ll get tons of shade, and look dynamite if you pair it with a dirt-brown bathing suit! You might even wear one at the altar to show your spouse that, like the brim itself, you’re willing to go to the ends of the Earth for your marriage. Come on, this hat is amust.
‘The Thing’ Prequel Was Originally Much More Terrifying
The often overlooked prequel to John Carpenter’s classic film almost looked very different.
Costume design is a must in every film,but no costume departmenthas ever made a better choice than giving MacReady his enormous cowboy hat inThe Thing. In doing so, he not only intimidated his peers into listening to him, but he likely sent fear and respect into the hearts of his alien enemies, helping him achieve victory in the end and ultimately saving the human race. This is also without mentioning the fact thatthe hat fits his personality so well that it basically feels like a natural extension of his head, a perfect pairing of character and clothing. MacReady was already a cool-as-a-cucumber, dynamite helicopter pilot who knew how to put an outfit together like bacon and eggs, but no touch was better than this helmet of victory: the most badass hat in movie history.
