The Thing

[Spatial]

One thing I love about The Thing is how it's crafted so that you never really know.

I've seen the thing countless times and every single time I walk away convinced it's a different answer

[frazzles]

Neither of them are the thing. Throughout the rest of the film the thing always kills the humans when it gets them alone. If one of them was the thing at the end, it would have simply killed the other one.

[bash]

Neither of them are the thing. Throughout the rest of the film the thing always kills the humans when it gets them alone. If one of them was the thing at the end, it would have simply killed the other one.

Agreed
*edit*

****, LOL, I've just realised that I started this tread 2 years ago!

[anephric]

The most beautiful part about the end is that they're both still human, and they both choose to die because they're not sure of the other. If you start picking away at it (that the thing can survive being frozen), sure, it doesn't seem so poetic, so shush.

[Brats]

The key line at the end is 'If we've got any surprises for each other, I don't think we're in much condition to do anything about it'.

Basically, there's no point trying to find out if either is The Thing. If they find out, they won't have the strength to kill it. Likewise, if they try to kill each other, The Thing will survive any attack that the other weaked person could inflict.

McReady wants to wait a while because of exhaustion, not because he is necessarily The Thing (although he might be). All we know for sure is that at least one of them is not The Thing, which means that at least one of them is going to die with someone who they are very suspicious of.

As it is MacReady who throws the dynamite at the end, the only way he could be The Thing is if the massive explosions didn't kill it and it took him over before Childs came back. If it's either of them, it's much more likely to be Childs.

However, the point of the ending is that we don't know. All we're left with if the feeling of paranoia that permeats the rest of the film.

In the original script, MacReady suggests a game of Chess to Childs. Although Childs says he can't play, he says he'll learn, then the film ends.

[buster_broon]

Neither of them are the thing. Throughout the rest of the film the thing always kills the humans when it gets them alone. If one of them was the thing at the end, it would have simply killed the other one.

i agree with you

but the ending is there to make people think and they still do after all these years

one of them could be the thing and it ends just before one of them is 'assimilated'

[Matt]

Neither of them are the thing. Throughout the rest of the film the thing always kills the humans when it gets them alone. If one of them was the thing at the end, it would have simply killed the other one.

The Thing at that stage is pretty ****ed. Why risk a fight when it can simply be frozen and survive that way. The remaining "human" will die, you'll live to fight another die.

If Macready isn't The Thing, he'd suspect Childs and have to either do the blood test, or kill him. Waiting around goes against the character. He's a man of action, not a, "Wait and see" type.

It's good how it's open to interpretation. TBH if Carpenter didn't plan on him being The Thing, I think that's a rather poor decision. The script setup the "Wait and see" ending perfectly, with the little comment much earlier about not waiting for The Thing to be frozen again. It's not telegraphed, there's no flashback or similar nonsense, it's there for those who paid attention.

[dvdmike]

I thought that was the point of not lighting the breath ???

[Spatial]

I'd say Mcreadys actions are as Brats said - they're both suffering from the early stages of hypothermia and exhaustion. I'm not convinced that he was The Thing.

Today (ask me again tomorrow and I might have changed my mind) I'm still in the camp that neither of them was The Thing. And if it was, it was possibly Child's as we lost track of him after he supposedly went after Blair (who we know was the The Thing). He says he lost him and has just been wandering around so who can say.

That said, there is real of air of malevolence about the way Macready offers Child's that drink at the end. If he was The Thing and already starting to freeze, then it seems a very clever way of infecting him without having to do the whole `freak out`.

[Matt]

I thought that was the point of not lighting the breath ???

Didn't want to comment on the breath, but yes.

[dvdmike]

I thought he said on the Laserdisc that he was ? may have to dig it out, oh and shameless plug

[QualityChimp]

I'm really pleased my reboot of this thread has reminded people of how ace this film is, I know I'd forgotten!

After posting about the cinema release, I've gone and remembered I'm seeing The Lemonheads tomorrow. D'oh!

Anyway, I always thought the breath thing at the end gave away who was The Thing, but the beauty of The Thing is there are soooo many unanswered questions, but it's still h'amazing.

The IMDb has a good FAQ about it, but openly admits there's not many 100% solid answers.

Here's that page's answers as to who is The Thing:
Movie:

->Open Spoiler<-

Unknown. There's answers for Childs, MacReady, both and neither!

Comics:

->Open Spoiler<-

At the end of the second comic it is revealed that Childs is the creature. Whether or not these comics are canon is unclear.

Videogame:

->Open Spoiler<-

In the initial scenes of the game Childs' body is found indicating that he was human. His cause of death is not made clear. At the end of the game the main character is rescued by a presumably human Mac flying yet another helicopter. Together they defeat a huge and grotesque incarnation of the Thing.

Random Sequel Script:

->Open Spoiler<-

Childs is The Thing

[Kit]

Didn't Carpenter say on the dvd commentary he contemplated turning MacReady into The Thing earlier on (would have been a nice twist) but decided to leave it open?

[anephric]

Edit: does MacReady return to the ship in the comics?

Can't remember. I think he does in one to blow it up. It's been years since I read them. I never got as far as the last series because they got a bit ropey later on.

Forgive the crappy flash photography (and it desperately needs reframing):

[anephric]

While I'm at it:



Forgive the crappy paint job - I did it about 18 years ago. His front left leg's got a bit droopy too in the two decades since I put him together. I'd have to snap it off and remould it with modelling clay to fix it, which I don't really want to do...