Entertainment
Shudder Gets Ultimate Sci-Fi Horror Remake Masterpiece On Streaming
By Robert Scucci
| Published
Every once in a while, a classic horror flick like John Carpenter’s The Thing makes its rounds on streaming and reminds us just how ahead of its time it was by elevating such a simple story line with next-level creature effects. Now that The Thing is streaming in all of its violent and nihilistic glory on Shudder, you can see for yourself just how tense and nauseating it is for yourself.
From the remote Antarctic wilderness to the looming and always building sense of paranoia that drips from every single sequence, you’d be hard-pressed to find a sci-fi horror film that will make you want to test the blood of everybody living in your house before going to bed just to be safe. Or, if you’re anything like me, your next viewing of The Thing on Shudder may or may not have you reading Amazon reviews for flamethrowers.
Why It Works
Though The Thing predates Predator by five years, both films have one thing in common that make them superior to their contemporaries, and it’s the sense of routine and camaraderie from an experienced crew that’s disrupted by external alien forces. Kurt Russell’s R.J. “Mac” MacReady has a rapport with the rest of the research crew that effortlessly lets the audience know how these guys generally trust each other and get along in any other circumstance before the events that take place in The Thing, now streaming on Shudder.
When an American team’s Antarctic research station is raided by a Norwegian helicopter (they’re not Swedish, Mac!), Mac and Dr. Copper (Richard Dysart) decide to fly over to the attacker’s station to see exactly what set them off. Their initial assumption is that the Norwegians had a case of isolation-induced cabin fever, and for reasons unknown wanted to snipe out one of the many sled dogs living on the American base. It doesn’t take long for Mac and Dr. Copper to find a severely burnt corpse that appears to be a human in an suspended stage of mutation after getting incinerated by the Norwegian crew.
Looking for a logical explanation, Mac and Dr. Copper bring the corpse back to their base of operations, along with whatever research the Norwegians have compiled before things went south. Senior Biologist Blair (A. Wilford Brimley) confirms that the corpse is human despite its deformities, but has a change of heart when one of the station dogs violently mutates while locked in the kennel. The crew now knows they’re dealing with some sort of “Thing” that takes on the shape of its host in order to assimilate and eliminate any living being that can host its DNA, and they shudder at the implications.
While there are initially some doubts that they’re dealing with an alien life form, it’s hard for everybody to ignore the buried alien spacecraft that the Norwegians uncovered before they went on their rampage.
An Exercise In Futility
The Thing presents a moral dilemma that needs to be immediately addressed. Blair, growing in his paranoia, makes the executive decision that the Thing’s contamination and assimilation efforts need to remain isolated after predicting that whatever life form they’re dealing with can take over the entire planet in just a few years if let loose across the globe. He destroys the radios and sleds, and kills the remaining dogs to make sure nobody can escape.
Armed with flamethrowers and enough explosives to blow the research station sky-high, the crew is all but certain that they’re not going to survive the winter. When Bennings (Peter Maloney) and Norris (Charles Hallahan) get infected, the surviving crew’s paranoia gets the best of them because they have no true way of knowing who else is infected by the Thing. Though Mac and Childs (Keith David) have more than enough reason to not trust each other at this point in the ordeal, they really don’t have a choice but to put their heads together in their survival efforts.
Next-Level Creature Effects
Emotional and existential turmoil aside, The Thing shocked everybody upon its 1982 release because of how ahead of its time it was with its creature design and their stop-motion movements, which still hold up when you stream it on Shudder. Special effects designer Rob Bottin required a budget of $1.5 million (one tenth of The Thing’s entire production budget), and used a mix of chemicals, food, rubber, and mechanical parts to bring the eponymous Thing to life in its various grotesque permutations. If you’re somehow seeing this John Carpenter classic for the first time in 2025, you may not believe that you’re watching a 43-year-old film because of how well done the practical effects are executed.
A Certified Cult Classic
The Thing is one of those creature features that actually benefits from showing its monster on screen, and there’s no shortage of blood, ectoplasm, saliva, and bone to get this point across. As each mutation gets more intense, so does the sense of real fear from its principal cast that is made all the more convincing by the frigid temperatures on set, which in all likelihood kept the adrenaline levels high during production, giving the film an air of authenticity that I haven’t seen replicated so beautifully since.
You can stream The Thing right now on Shudder, and I strongly recommend that you do so next time you want to see the world burn. And if you want to explore The Thing further, the GenreVision podcast does an excellent breakdown that you wont want to miss.
Entertainment
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 2, 2026
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition will require some knowledge of popular U.S. sports and pop culture.
As we’ve shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.
Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections: Sports Edition?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication’s sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
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Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.
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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
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Here’s a hint for today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Here are today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: A Pittsburgh Athlete
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Green: Seen on an MLB Scorebug
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Blue: Teams in the PWHL Playoffs
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Purple: Horse Racing Triple Crowns
Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today’s Connections: Sports Edition #585 is…
What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?
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A Pittsburgh Athlete: PANTHER, PENGUIN, PIRATE, STEELER
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Seen on an MLB Scorebug: COUNT, INNING, OUTS, SCORE
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Teams in the PWHL Playoffs: CHARGE, FLEET, FROST, VICTORIE
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Horse Racing Triple Crowns: AFFIRMED, CITATION, JUSTIFY, WHIRLAWAY
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to today’s Connections.
Entertainment
NYT Pips hints, answers for May 2, 2026
Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.
Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.
Currently, if you’re stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.
How to play Pips
If you’ve ever played dominoes, you’ll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we’ve shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don’t necessarily have to match.
The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.
Here are common examples you’ll run into across the difficulty levels:
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Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.
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Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.
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Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.
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Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.
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Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.
If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.
Easy difficulty hints, answers for May 2 Pips
Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 6-3, placed horizontally.
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 6-3, placed horizontally; 3-4, placed horizontally.
Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed horizontally.
Less Than (6): Everything in this space must be less than 6. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically.
Medium difficulty hints, answers for May 2 Pips
Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-3, placed vertically.
Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally.
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Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally
Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed vertically.
Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 2-6, placed vertically.
Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically; 5-6, placed vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-6, placed vertically.
Hard difficulty hints, answers for May 2 Pips
Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 4-5, placed vertically; 2-5, placed vertically.
Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 6-3, placed vertically.
Number (15): Everything in this space must add up to 15. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally.
Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally; 6-3, placed vertically.
Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically; 1-3, placed horizontally.
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally; 3-3, placed horizontally; 3-4, placed horizontally; 1-3, placed horizontally; 0-3, placed horizontally.
Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally.
Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 0-3, placed horizontally; 0-1, placed horizontally.
Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 0-1, placed horizontally.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Entertainment
New rules for the Oscars: AI actors are out of the race
The Academy won’t be handing over the golden statuette to robots anytime soon.
In new rules announced May 1, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has ruled that AI performances are not eligible for an Oscar. Filmmakers can still utilize AI tools in their submitted works, but only human actors and human-authored screenplays will be considered for the body’s highest honors.
The move aligns with AI agreements won during the 2023 Writers’ Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA strikes and addresses growing tension over the presence of generative AI tools across artistic industries.
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For example, a recent trailer for the upcoming historical adventure film As Deep as the Grave, featuring an entirely AI-generated recreation of the late Val Kilmer, caused widespread furor among fans who recoiled at the on-screen digital likeness. Prior to his death, Kilmer created an AI version of his speaking voice with UK tech company Sonantic. Other celebrities, like Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine, have worked with AI company ElevenLabs to clone their voices, as well.
But while some celebs are getting ahead of their AI counterparts, others are fighting back against nonconsensual deepfakes writ large. Pop star Taylor Swift recently filed for trademark of her voice and image — including the phrase “Hey, it’s Taylor.” — amid a surge of synthetic AI likenesses of her proliferating across the internet, including ones used in data phishing scams.
The Academy announced additional rule changes for international film and acting categories, generating buzz online after several contentious Oscar campaign races in recent years. For non-English films, a country can now have multiple nominated entries instead of the previous limit of one. Similarly, actors can receive multiple nominations in the same category if their performances rank in the top five.
Topics
Artificial Intelligence
Oscars
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 2, 2026
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