The Thing's ending: the clues that suggest Childs may have been the creature

Was Childs the Thing in the final scene of John Carpenter's The Thing? I don't think we'll ever have concrete answers, but from the bottle he drinks from to the coats left behind when he vanishes, I think it's likely that Childs may have been intended to be the creature.

The Thing is one of my favorite films of all time, and I feel like it's the gold standard in science fiction horror. It has an incredible cast and, I'm going to say it, the best practical effects in film. They completely outshine a lot of modern CG and look way better than what came in its prequel almost 30 years later. There have probably been some out there that are better, but there are just so many amazing scenes and transformations. Beyond that, the movie is laced with paranoia, and that extends to the audience too. We're all left asking who the Thing is, and that's what I want to dig into here.

MacReady's chess game foreshadows the entire plot of The Thing

The voice of MacReady's chess computer is performed by Adrienne Barbeau, Carpenter's wife at the time. Hers is the only female voice we hear in the movie, and it comes from a machine. So it's mimicking being human, which plays into the idea of the Thing. The computer then pulls off an impossible move to win, and MacReady accuses it of cheating.

This is very much foreshadowing the entire plot of the film. The computer represents the Thing because it's trying to appear and act like a human would, but it cheats and changes the game purely so it can win. On the other side is MacReady, who's willing to burn it all down just to come out on top. The first time I saw this movie, I remember thinking the guy had just completely destroyed that computer and what an idiot he was. But MacReady simply doesn't care, because he's willing to destroy it all just to stop it from winning.

That plays into them destroying the base at the end, which they know is a one way trip, but he thinks it's the best thing to do. The Thing also cheats by imitating humans and hiding in the shadows, and isn't really playing fair. In other words, it's a cheater too.

The J&B bottle is something MacReady has when he learns something about an opponent

Another big part of that opening scene is the bottle of J&B that MacReady is sitting with. The bottle appears throughout the movie. We see him give it to Bennings after he's shot, and Bennings is the first person exposed as a Thing, which is when they learn something about the creature. It also appears in the scene where MacReady talks about the torn clothing. That's where he learns that ripped clothing can potentially give away someone's identity. This is of course manipulated by the Thing, but it's the first big thing they learn about its attacks.

The bottle comes around once more at the end, in a very crucial scene: the final interaction where Childs and MacReady sit down for a drink. As Childs lifts it, you can pause the frame and see that it is indeed that bottle of J&B. He takes a sip, and MacReady lets out a laugh.

Going back to the computer scene, I think that moment is very significant. MacReady tips his glass into the computer to break it, and symbolically, this is him catching it out. The J&B appearing in the final scene shows MacReady catching out the Thing too. Just as he gave it to the computer, he's now giving it to Childs as a way to determine the truth. This bottle is something he has when he learns something about an opponent, so I think its usage is crucial to what Carpenter is saying. It appears during MacReady's introduction, so our eyes are drawn to it when it finally appears at the end. This is MacReady beating both his opponents and catching them cheating when they try to outsmart him.

Childs sharing a drink is out of character for anyone who knows the rules

Does this prove that Childs is the Thing? I don't think we'll ever have concrete answers, but it is quite out of character. Throughout the film, the camp has it constantly hammered into their heads that they shouldn't be sharing food or drink. They know for a fact that this is a way the Thing can spread, and that if you share a drink, it can take over your body. But just like with Palmer, I don't think the Thing cares, because the Thing knows it's a Thing.

There is of course the possibility that Childs has accepted they aren't making it out of there and simply decides to have one last drink. However, what is the point of the entire fight if they just give up at the last minute, all to get a taste of J&B? I don't know. Maybe J&B tastes that good.

Carpenter's alternate endings hint that the Thing was meant to escape

We do know the film had lots of alternate endings. Originally, it was going to cut to the next day and show the smoke stacks rising from the base. The dog from the start would then be seen running through the snow, and it would turn around and look back. Then it would cut back to the base and fade out as the smoke rose into the sky.

There was also a version where both men were the Thing, got rescued in the spring and asked if they could get a hot meal. Another had only MacReady survive: the rescue team showed up and he got a blood test that proved he was human. But those latter ones were never shot, and all we have is the dog one.

However, I do think that shows Carpenter's original intention, which was to have the Thing escape the base. With all the dogs being dead, it's clear it wasn't hiding out as one. Instead, I think it's likely that Childs may have been intended to be the Thing, and that's why he sipped from the bottle. MacReady then laughed because it's clearly breaking the rules and he knows he caught it, at least to me.

I don't buy the theory that the bottle was full of petrol

A theory that has persisted is that the bottle was actually filled with petrol, since MacReady had been making Molotov cocktails throughout the movie. It argues that because Childs is a Thing and doesn't know what alcohol tastes like, he would have drunk it without questioning it.

I don't think that's the case. I think if you take on someone's memories, you'd also understand what taste is. And the J&B appears so often that it is most likely alcohol.

Bill Lancaster and John Carpenter have given different answers about Childs

Screenwriter Bill Lancaster said he intended for both of them to be human, and there were versions of the script where the pair would turn on each other. Carpenter has also given conflicting reports, deliberately saying one thing one time and another thing another.

In 2013 on Reddit, Carpenter said there should be no confusion and that the breath made it glaringly obvious that Childs is the Thing. He also said on Twitter at one point that one character in the final scene is in fact a Thing, but he has kind of walked that back as well. I think he's done this to keep things confusing, and it must work, because we're still here discussing it.

Another theory says MacReady is laughing because he's actually the Thing, has contaminated the bottle, and has now got Childs. Personally, I don't know about that. I think Childs's disappearance suggests something is off, and then there's what happens in the coat room.

The coat room suggests the creature ambushed Childs

We get two shots of the coat room: one with Childs standing there and one after he's left. Rob Ager pointed out that the coats are on completely different hangers from where they were when we first saw Childs. Placing the shots side by side, you can also see they're laid out in a completely different way. Just before that shot, the camera pans down to the basement door, which is where the generator is located. So Blair would have had to go past Childs to get to it.

In the movie, we discover that the Thing rips through your clothes in order to kill you. My theory is that the creature ambushed Childs at this point and there was a struggle. That caused some of the coats to fall off the pegs, and in the hurry, the Thing grabbed one to wear and put the others back up so it didn't look like there'd been an attack. The door is wide open, but you might not notice that the door on the right is also open. That shows something has passed through here, coming in and out.

Childs's coat in that scene is navy blue, and when he comes to meet MacReady at the end, it appears to be a creamy white color. That may be due to the snow, and several people have argued the coat is still blue and we just can't see it. Either way, I think the peg position is a lot more telling, and the coats have possibly been arranged to spell out what's going on.

This may be a continuity error. But it's important to bear in mind that the production schedule was delayed heavily due to weather conditions, which gave Carpenter months on end to plan out minute details. That's why the script is so tight.

Do you think Childs was the Thing in that final scene, or were both men still human?