Just found out The Thing (1982) had an alternate ending where MacReady survives alone

I was scrolling through YouTube last night and came across this old interview with John Carpenter where he talked about it. Apparently they shot a scene where MacReady is sitting in the ruins by himself, waiting to die, and the camera slowly zooms in on his face. It would have completely changed the tone of the movie! Has anyone else seen this version on a special edition Blu-ray or something?

3 comments

3 Comments

simonh7410d ago

Heard a mate say he found that ending on some rare bootleg DVD and it left him feeling properly empty.

the_charlie10d ago

Hang on, what if the whole reason they cut it was because it made MacReady look too heroic and that clashed with the whole "the monster spreads by trust" thing? Like @kelly385 said, the ambiguous stare down is better, but a slow zoom on a dying hero almost makes him a martyr, which is totally wrong for that movie's message.

kelly38510d ago

Dont bother tracking down that bootleg, it was never officially released for a good reason. The whole POINT of the movie is that paranoia and mistrust dont stop even if one guy makes it out. That alternate ending makes it just another bleak survival story where the monster wins by default. The real ending where Childs and MacReady stare each other down is SO much more powerful because you NEVER know who is actually human. It forces you to keep guessing. That ambiguity is what makes The Thing a masterpiece, not some sad slow zoom on a dying hero.