In the over forty years since its release, the deliberately ambiguous ending of John Carpenter’s Antarctic set “The Thing” still leads to questions and debate about what we’re seeing.
The film itself closes out with the two former colleagues R.J. MacReady (Kurt Russell) and Childs (Keith David), surrounded by the remnants of their burning base, sharing a whiskey.
Having been separated before this scene, each is uncertain if the other is human or a part of the shapeshifting alien lifeform and it appears as if the standoff will continue until one or both eventually freeze to death.
The scene has been examined over and over, from the way the characters breathe to the way the scenes are shot. One popular theory however originated from the film’s cinematographer Dean Cundey.
Cundey says throughout the film a specific light gleam can be seen in the eyes of whichever body the alien inhabits and in the final scene a gleam can be seen in Childs’ eyes.
In a new interview with ComicBook.com whilst promoting his true crime horror anthology series “John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams”, Carpenter himself shoots down that theory and disses Cundey’s speculation at the same time:
“He has no clue. Yes, I know. I know who’s the Thing and who’s not in the very end. [Cundey] doesn’t know. He has no idea. He puts the lights up. He puts the lights up and we were in the snow. He has no clue. You tell him that. Tell him he’s full of s—.”
Carpenter adds that he is the only person who knows the real answer. Will he share it? “Nope. Cannot tell you. Sorry.” Earlier this year, Carpenter teased a potential “The Thing” sequel may be on the way sometime in the future. Could we get answers then?
