It is universally acknowledged that The Thing is John Carpenter's apex as a filmmaker.

The 1982 horror classic, which bombed at the box office in the heralded movie summer of 1982 but would later earn its legacy and devoted cult following, is now getting the lavish Blu-ray treatment. A brand new Collector's Edition Blu-ray release (courtesy of Scream Factory) is out now, and it boasts not only a 2K scan of the original film print and a new audio mix, but a truckload of extras.

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Those special features are what really make this new Blu a treat for fans of Carpenter's frightening exploration of paranoia, caused by the discovery of an alien monster that could take the form of other organisms. The second disc has a number of recent and vintage featurettes delving into aspects of the film, including several "Making Of" pieces. There is also a cool piece called "The Art of Mike Ploog," which looks at various storyboards done by the celebrated comics artist.

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Kurt Russell and Carpenter also do audio commentary on the film. But if you're looking for some really great insight into the movie, there are quite a few interviews included here to pique your interest. In a new interview for this Collector's Edition, Mick Garris sat down with Carpenter. In this clip provided exclusively to Blastr, Carpenter talks about how everyone warned him that the amorphous creature -- a Change-o-Head monster -- would be a disaster.

But as Carpenter explains in the clip, he was committed to the movie and the creature at its center. So he rolled the dice on a then up-and-coming young special effects guy named Rob Bottin. Clearly, the gamble paid off. Watch it for yourself: