Filmography › John W. Campbell Jr

All the books by John W. Campbell Jr adapted to cinema and television

John W. Campbell Jr is known for being the author of the book Who Goes There?, first published in 1938, which was adapted to cinema by John Carpenter in 1982.
Below, we present a ranked list, from best to worst, of 3 movies and TV series based on titles by John W. Campbell Jr. Revisit old favorites or discover hidden gems, whether books or film productions. We invite you to watch, read, and vote for any title, joining the debate of whether the book or the movie is better.
The Thing. Poster of the 1982 movie and cover of the 1938 book, Who Goes There?
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Who Goes There?
John W. Campbell Jr., 1938
movie vs book
The Thing
John Carpenter, 1982

In Antarctica, a Norwegian helicopter pursues a sled dog to an American research station. The Norwegian pilot fires a rifle and shouts at the Americans, but they cannot understand him and he is shot dead in self-defense by station commander Garry. Blair grows paranoid that the creature could assimilate all life on Earth in a matter of years.

The Thing from Another World. Poster of the 1951 movie and cover of the 1938 book, Who Goes There?
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Who Goes There?
John W. Campbell Jr., 1938
movie vs book
The Thing from Another World
Christian Nyby, Howard Hawks, 1951

Researchers in the Arctic make a startling discovery: a massive, frozen spaceling within a UFO that has crash-landed. However, their lives are thrown into jeopardy when the lethal being emerges from its icy confinement. The pressing question arises: could other creatures be on the verge of emerging as well?

The Thing. Poster of the 2011 movie and cover of the 1938 book, Who Goes There?
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Who Goes There?
John W. Campbell Jr., 1938
movie vs book
The Thing
Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., 2011

In the winter of 1982, a buried alien spacecraft is discovered in Antarctica by Lars, Peder and Olav, members of a Norwegian research station, Thule. After seeing the spacecraft, the scientists examine an alien body buried in the ice nearby, and make plans to excavate it.