Carpenter Says No Fan Has Guessed The Thing's Ending
At the Academy Museum gala, John Carpenter said the film contains a clue to its ambiguous ending that viewers have not yet identified.
John Carpenter said none of the fan theories about the ending of The Thing is correct, according to screenrant.com. The director made the comments at the Academy Museum gala when asked about the worst theory he had heard about the film's final scene.
Carpenter said he knows the right answer, and that a big clue is in the movie itself — but that no one has guessed it.
The 1982 film ends with R.J. MacReady, played by Kurt Russell, and Childs, played by Keith David, as the only survivors, unsure whether the other is infected.
Two later works offered their own answers. The comic series The Thing from Another World resolved the cliffhanger more than 30 years ago, finding MacReady and Childs uninfected at first before Childs later becomes infected. The 2002 video game The Thing, treated as canon by many, had neither character infected.
The Thing, released on June 25, 1982, is based on John W. Campbell Jr.'s 1938 novella Who Goes There? and is a remake of the 1951 film The Thing from Another World.
Quick answers
What did John Carpenter say about The Thing's ending?
He said none of the fan theories about the ending is correct, that he knows the right answer, and that a big clue is in the movie but no one has guessed it.
When was The Thing released?
The Thing was released on June 25, 1982.
Who plays MacReady and Childs in The Thing?
Kurt Russell plays R.J. MacReady and Keith David plays Childs.