An expedition of a lifetime becomes a subterranean nightmare in The Thing, the thrilling prelude to John Carpenter’s 1982 film of the same name. Debuting on Blu-ray Combo Pack with UltraViolet, DVD, Digital Download and On Demand on January 31, 2011, The Thing stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World,) as paleontologist Kate Lloyd who, along with the crew’s pilot Carter (Joel Edgerton, Warrior), discovers a mysterious organism buried in the ice.

“When a simple experiment frees the creature from its frozen prison, it unleashes a flood of chaos and paranoia upon the camp, pitting the team against one another. With the ability to mimic the physicality of anything or anyone that it touches, the shape-shifting creature makes everyone a suspect in this suspenseful psychological thriller.”

Full specs inside. From Dawn of the Dead producers Marc Abraham and Eric Newman, The Thing also stars Ulrich Thomsen (Season of the Witch), Eric Christian Olsen (“NCIS: Los Angeles”), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (“Lost”), Paul Braunstein (Tuxedo) and Kim Bubbs (“Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures”).

The Thing Blu-ray Combo Pack includes an all-new UltraViolet copy of the film. UltraViolet is the revolutionary new way for consumers to collect movies and TV shows, put them in the cloud and stream instantly to computers, tablets and smart phones and soon, consumers can download to devices of their choice too. The Thing Blu-ray Combo Pack also includes a DVD as well as a Digital Copy of the film which is compatible with iTunes, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android or other retail partners. So now, consumers can truly enjoy their movies and TV shows anytime, anywhere, on the platform of their choice.

BLU-RAY and DVD BONUS FEATURES:

-DELETED/EXTENDED SCENES

-THE THING EVOLVES: Profiling key behind-the-scenes stories of the film from inception to completion, including pieces entitled “The Legacy,” “The Inspiration” and “The Evolution.”

-FIRE & ICE: In a frigid environment and against a relentless foe, there’s only one hope: Fire. Join the cast as they train with flame-throwers, battle wild fires on-set and get schooled in the importance of understanding fire’s unpredictable personality.

-FEATURE COMMENTARY: With Director Matthijs van Heijningen and Producer Eric Newman.

BLU-RAY Exclusive BONUS FEATURES: Unleash the power of your HDTV with perfect hi-def picture and perfect hi-def sound.

-UltraViolet: The revolutionary new way for consumers to collect movies and TV shows, put them in the cloud and stream instantly to computers, tablets and smart phones, currently available in the United States only.

-BD-LIVE: Access the BD-Live Center through your Internet-connected player to watch the latest trailers and more!

-pocket BLU app: The groundbreaking pocket BLU app uses iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android, PC and Mac to work seamlessly with a network-connected Blu-ray player. Plus iPad and Android tablet owners can enjoy a new, enhanced edition of pocket BLU made especially to take advantage of the tablets’ larger screen and high resolution display. Consumers will be able to browse through a library of Blu-ray content and watch entertaining extras on-the-go in a way that’s bigger and better than ever before. pocket BLU offers advanced features such as:

-ADVANCED REMOTE CONTROL: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live functions with ease.

-VIDEO TIMELINE: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the film.

-MOBILE-TO-GO: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there is a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy content on the go, anytime, anywhere.

-BROWSE TITLES: Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLU-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-ray Hi-Def. They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device.

-KEYBOARD: Entering data is fast and easy with your device’s intuitive keyboard.

-uHEAR: Never miss another line of dialogue with this innovative feature that instantly skips back a few seconds on your Blu-ray disc and turns on the subtitles to highlight what you missed.