What happened at the end of The Thing (1982)?

What happened at the end of The Thing (1982)? - Woman in Black Leather Jacket Sitting on Brown Wooden Floor

This is a spoiler. At the end of The Thing (1982),

MacReady and Childs sit together. It is not clear if either or none of them is the Thing at this point. I assume it is clear that not both of them is the Thing, because then they wouldn't bother with portraying human qualities.

I also assume that it is intentionally left unclear what is the case, but has the writer of the script or director made any hints towards what is going on?



Best Answer

There is an extensive answer on our sister site, Science Fiction and Fantasy, addressing this precise question.

Rather than copy and paste it as a whole (and it's very long) I will quote the basic answer and link the remainder below.

TL;DR:

This is the million dollar question, as far as The Thing is concerned. Unfortunately, not only has the answer never been revealed, but the producer and director themselves say they have no idea what the answer is.

There are a number of fan theories - both men are Things; neither man is a Thing; only Childs is a Thing; only Mac is a Thing - but the "evidence" employed to support arguments in favor of one or both men being Things is unconvincing, and it is easy to poke holes in every possibility except "neither of them is a Thing".

Even worse for those who think they have discovered subtle (or not-so-subtle) clues that point to one or both men being Things, the director and producer have both said that they didn't include any such clues, and even they don't know who, if anyone, is a Thing at the end of the film.

Source answer by Wad Cheber




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How did The Thing movie end?

"The Thing" famously ends with MacReady (Kurt Russell) and Childs (Keith David), sharing an uneasy moment by the fire. Their Antarctic research station is burning to the ground and once the flames die down, they will freeze to death.

What happens to Kate at the end of The Thing?

In addition, the film's writer, Eric Heisserer, revealed in an interview with the website Bloody Disgusting that in the script he wrote, Kate does not survive.

Who was The Thing at the end of the movie?

There are more than a few theories. By the end of John Carpenter's The Thing, only MacReady (Kurt Russell) and Childs (Keith David) are left standing. For decades, audiences have wondered whether or not Childs was human in the movie's ending, but it is not certain that either one of them is human.

Who dies in The Thing 1982?

The Thing (1982)
  • Mathias - Blown up when he dropped a grenade.
  • Lars - Shot in the eye by Gary.
  • Lars' Dog - Turned into a thing.
  • Sled Dog - Turned into a thing.
  • Sled Dog - Melted by the thing sled dog.
  • Sled Dog - Shot in the chest by MacReady with a shotgun.
  • Thing Sled Dog - Incinerated by Childs with a flamethrower.




Who Is REALLY Human At The End Of The Thing?




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