AN abridged spoof version of horror prequel 'The Thing' made by ex-Stanmore College students is competing for the top prize in a fans' movie-making contest.
The team, calling themselves Movie Maniacs, attracted enough public votes to claim one of five spots in the UK category final of the Jameson Empire Awards 2012's Done In 60 Seconds competition for remakes that last no longer than a minute.
Producers Simon Jago and Ryan Casey, both 24 and from Northolt - who also saw their second entry, a take on boxing story The Fighter, fall by the wayside - are hoping to do better than two years ago when their lo-fi version of warrior blockbuster '300' similarly made the UK final but advanced no further.  
News cameraman Simon and pub worker Ryan were helped by Simon’s trainee optician girlfriend Caitlin Parlee, 20, and his dad Laurie Jago, who teaches sound technology at Stanmore College, friend Leigh Goudling, a 24-year-old production editor from Alperton, and a handful of friends who played extras.
Simon previously told the Observer: “We worked pretty solidly on both films for about four weeks and it was a good laugh.
“We had a lot of fun even though we gave up a lot of Christmas and it bothered my mum a little bit that we were filming on Christmas Eve when she wanted to relax and watch a film.
“Before the competition organisers released the shortlist, they uploaded all the submissions to the website and we were browsing and found lots of people had just tried to replicate a film in 60 seconds without trying to put their own spin on it, so I think our two are among the strongest.”