The Thing

The Thing is a 1982 American science fiction horror film directed by John Carpenter.

The Thing is a 1982 American science fiction horror film directed by John Carpenter. Set at a remote Antarctic research station, it follows a group of scientists and support staff who are hunted by an alien life-form that can assimilate and perfectly imitate other organisms. The film is based on the 1938 novella Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell Jr.

Plot

The story follows American researchers at an Antarctic outpost after they encounter an alien organism that can take on the appearance of its victims. As the creature spreads, the team becomes increasingly paranoid and isolated.

Production and source material

The film was directed by John Carpenter from a screenplay by Bill Lancaster. It adapts Who Goes There? and is commonly identified as a remake of the 1951 film The Thing from Another World.

Cast

Kurt Russell leads the cast as R.J. MacReady. Supporting roles are played by A. Wilford Brimley, T. K. Carter, David Clennon, Keith David, Richard Dysart, Charles Hallahan, Peter Maloney, Richard Masur, Donald Moffat, Joel Polis, and Thomas G. Waites.

Ending

The film ends with MacReady and Childs sitting amid the burning remains of the station, both exhausted and suspicious of each other. The final scene is deliberately ambiguous and does not confirm which, if either, of them is human.