MacReady was The Thing - John Carpenter's The Thing (1982) Part 1
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 พ.ค. 2022
- Part 2 responding to your feedback can be found here • MacReady was The Thing...
To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of John Carpenter's classic, we review R.J. MacReady's leadership skills.
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mucho-mojo-risin-2.creator-sp... - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
Part 2? Recorded on Halloween to help bide the time until something a little more coherent can be provided. I suggest checking out the video’s description
th-cam.com/video/EyIepUjJcDI/w-d-xo.html
Nobody noticed mcready was always drinking but never got drunk
Childs took the flask from MacReady without hesitation, from which MacReady drank in front of his eyes, and it was already clear to everyone how it was transmitted, and according to you MacReady was the Thing?
Macready chuckled just before the end because it was clear to him that Childs was the thing. Because of that.
Childs wasn't an idiot, and he certainly wouldn't have taken that flask and drank from it if he were still himself.
Everyone understands how the organism works without anyone having to explain it to them - Macready's blood didn't react.
In fact, MacReady behaved like a man all the time, right up to the end. Like a man who knows he's up against something he has to beat.
@@dacsus How was it clear to everyone?
@@muchomojorisin1759 Because it was explained to them by Blair at the beginning when he was dissecting the dog thing.
And when they caught Bennings.
Did you watched the movie?
@@muchomojorisin1759 I, as a 12 year old child, understood it from what has been shown so far, and that was what they were familiar with as well, we were still Czechoslovakia, and I saw it on the Austrian ORF, in German language, and I didn't understand German at the time.
One interesting aspect of the film thats never really discussed is whether each think was its own entity. Was it competing for survival with each other thing? In which case perhaps macready was the thing from very early on and was trying to get rid of the competition.
I've always believed that it shares the same memories. Each cell has its own will to survival, but acting as one when found and if it's discovered.
Who could hate this film? It is a masterpiece!
Jewish people.
They hate THEY LIVE too.😅
Back in 82 not many films had gory creatures and the excessive gory turned off the critics . I saw it at the theater and people slowed down eating population popcorn . I know the guy who was assimilated by the dog was the guy whose chest opened up with teeth and bit the doctors arms off .
Movie sucks
My friends dad said he hates it because he grew up with the movies from the fifties and sixties. He loved the original thing from outer space that the thing 80s was a remake of. I love the carpenter movie and think the old one sucks. Lol
That was fun...but the not knowing is the point, and the fact that we're still debating it 40 years later is a testament to the movie's genius.
Absolutely agreed. Mac isn't Thing nor is Childs. There is no clue beyond where were you Childs?
It's just a testament to how much most people hate ambiguity and not knowing the unknowable.
@@derkeheath5172 a lot of people can't take the ending of that and Phantasm because of ambiguity
@@LoneWolf_Cub_Ogami_Ittomy response goes into detail about the where were you child’s line. One of Kurt Russell’s favorite lines btw ;)
In the comic which c9ntinues the movie child's was confirmed the thing. Then it went on a romance tangent. It got iffy
There is far too many things wrong with this theory to be a thing.
You're right, it's not a.......thing.......
But there's also quite a few that are right.
We followed him killing things. He wouldn't sit down tired when he thought all humans are dead if he is the thing. Doc quickly built a spaceship we can expect if he is a thing he would do something similar. Also clearly the crew didnt share the food. Just because you don't see the info about not sharing food shared on screen it is clear they followed that advice because they were alive for a while.. so even if Mac wouldnt share the info the guy who came up with it would have done that. You can even see Blair eats from a can.
Also Mac leave walking away towards the right and the thing that shows up near Fuchs comes from the left side.
Mac shares his drink and Charles fell for it because a thing would be less concerned getting infected so it is not on its mind to assume it is a test.
Windows clearly dropped the key if you actually pay attention you can hear the key dropped and hit the ground. Also there is a comic book that picks up the story where it was left and Charles is a thing and Mac is human in it. @@polreamonn
Cant even name one. Lousy af.
@@asodalis695 The Comic is NOT cannon but the Game is!
I've never heard anyone talk about the part of the Thing that got away through the roof of the dog cage. As big as it was i'm certain they all saw it but it was never mentioned throughout the movie. That's likely what could have got some of the others.
I agree and always refer to them as the prince of darkness arms ;) I’ve discussed it on fb groups and people keep insisting it’s the part that falls back down after burning. I’ve never bought that
The Thing was killed at the end...both of those men came to peace with the fact they "survived" it only to end up dying together as a result. They both "won" despite fighting each other along with the Thing as well...that's why the laughter at the end. Laughing in the face of death. My view of it since I first saw it back in '82.
Not according to the director -
He has no clue,” Carpenter said about the Cundey's explanation of the ending. “Yes, I know. I know who's the Thing and who's not in the very end.” According to Carpenter, he's the only person who knows the real answer about “The Thing's” ending - “Nope.
In one version of the ending a dog is shown running away from the scene in daylight. This was the version that I saw the first time I saw the picture. The obvious implication is that the thing is escaping in the form of the dog, just as it was introduced to the camp in the first place. That scene is omitted in every other version I've seen.
Stevie Wonder's "Suspicion" was absolutely perfect.
Google the name of that song again....
Very super-spicion
Writing’s on the wall…
Superstitious not Suspicion
Suspicious minds by elvis.
It’s “Superstitious”, not suspicious.
Thanks so much for giving me yet another reason to rewatch this film.
Im chilling out now waiting for another hour on FX that the Thing will air
The chess match could be foreshadowing the ending. At first MacReady is playing one side, and then the chess game cheats so he plays the other side, and when he’s down, he uses alcohol to defeat it.
This could easily be seen as a metaphor for MacReady playing as a human, turning into the Thing and playing the other side, and then using alcohol to defeat Childs.
Wow - that's fucking _good..._ 😮
This is like putting on the glasses from They Live. Great vid and compelling case, some people just choose not to see!
During the blood test, when Mack held the petri dish which was inches from his face, and the blood burst up, blood particles could have gotten into Mack's eyes and beard. 🤔
Yep,people forget that mcready was alone with both Norris and palmer at the crash site. Mcready is also the one who left Blair with an opened bottle of whiskey when he locks Blair up
The scene at 7:20, when Mac is recording. If you watch closely, the door behind him moves slightly, as if someone was watching him. It does not show in the TH-cam video, but watch the movie, and you will see it. I feel like this is when Mac was taken.
Exactly...and mac was saying he and everyone else were very tired plus hs was drinking alcohol. My guess is that he nodded off. He was wearing the green cover alls with no jacket. The end of that scene shows mac with his back to the camera.. it snuck up behind him and assimilated him ripped his green coverallls in the process. Then immediately after the assimilation was complete went to hide the torn clothing in his shack. Spotted fuchs working in the lab.. found out that fuchs was close to finding out how to safeguard the crew against their food supply being infected and decided fuchs knew too much. Blew the fuse. Followed fuchs outside and threw the clothing down on the ground so fuchs would find it and in fuchs moment of distraction while he was examing the clothing, burned him. Then took the clothes and stashed them with intent to burn them in his oil furnace in his shack...
Mcready was turned into the thing already when he went to the crash site with both Norris and Palmer. Mcready also turned Blair when he gave him and open bottle of vodka when they locked him up.
You lost me at the Norris Head part. Palmer was infected at that point, actually long before that. Palmer was the one doing the manipulation.
I agree. He was a pawn
Mac was in the chopper with Norris and Palmer to see the ship. If they were both assimilated there is no excuse why they wouldn't either murder him or assimilate him. They wouldn't just let him go because he's really the biggest threat to The Thing over everybody else, and Thing isn't above just murdering him without assimilation. So... why? Blood test was after that. I don't necessarily agree, Mac being Thing. At the end of the day John and Dead shot this as ambiguous as possible. The answer ultimately is irrelevant because the distrust and paranoia live after they freeze.
@@LoneWolf_Cub_Ogami_Itto pretty sure he was on the chopper with Norris and Captain. Or copper I can't remember. I don't think Norris was a thing yet.
@@LoneWolf_Cub_Ogami_Itto , was on the helicopter with the Doc and the Captain - both of which were human.
@@HR-yd5ibwas on the helicopter with Norris and Palmer to see the spaceship. Was with the doctor to see the Norweigen camp.
At the time of the blood test, Macready had to be human.
Otherwise, he simply would have assimilated Windows while the others were all tied up.
There would be absolutely no need to fake the test to gain trust. That's completely unnecessary.
Also, Mac didn't delay the others from putting out Norris to allow the "head" to escape.
He was clearly trying to allow the fire to burn as long as possible to be sure it's dead.
The blood test was necessary and he absolutely had to gain their trust back because before the Norris head incident he was having to hold a lit flare and dynamite to keep everyone at bay.
He was clearly waiting for the fire to burn and make sure it was dead?? From the moment he prevents them from reentering the room to extinguish the flames it literally only cuts between him and Norris's head and as soon as the head is out of sight he lets them back in.
@@muchomojorisin1759
No, he doesn't need their trust. They're helpless. He simply takes out Windows and it's game over. You're overthinking it.
@@indyspotes3310 excellent strategy
@@muchomojorisin1759he couldn't see the head. You're definitely overthinking.
Also...if Childs was the thing he would have just cremated Macready at the end...it was Mac 👍
That name tag clothing would've arguably burned with Fuchs.
This is definitely a different theory. The only needle that I can see that may pop your balloon is the fact that just before Child appears at the end, McCready is about to take another drink. Why would that be IF he was the thing? Why would it matter, considering that it was going to freeze again in order for the rescue team to discover it the next day?
Honestly, that's probably a literal way to establish him having the bottle in the scene following the explosion before offering it to Childs for continuity so it doesn't seem to suddenly appear out of nowhere.
That's a great question for the ones who subscribe to the notion the bottle was full of gasoline instead of scotch.
Macready being the thing will not try to kill the thing.
There are some theories that the creature may not even know it is unlike the creatures it is imitating if the imitation is complete and perfect. Or, may hide within bodies and take over neurologically when it needs to, like fungus does to its victims. There is some evidence they did this at least in the prequel, but the theory predates.
As long as a Thing is undetected it will attempt to be a perfect imitation of its victim, therefore if MacReady was a Thing-Killing-Machine then so would a MacReady-Thing and would have no hesitation in torching another Thing.
But that's when there are non-Thing observers present, which was the case up until the final confrontation in the tunnel.
At that point there were just the two of them left: MacReady and the Blair-monster.
It's at THAT point that a MacReady-Thing would cut the pretense (after all, who is it trying to fool at that point?) and simply joing Garry and (presumably) Nauls as extra biomass for the Blair-Monster.
So yeah, the climax of the movie disproves this youtube theory.
Note also that this applies to the last scene with Childs and MacReady - there are NO other onlookers at that point, so there is no point for a Childs-Thing (or a MacReady-Thing) to maintain its disguise.
A Childs-Thing should do exactly what every other Thing did when it cornered a lone human: drop its disguise and assimilate its victim.
@@johnreynolds7996 I think the point of MacReady thing is it was assimilating people by passing bottles of JD to people.
@@johnreynolds7996I cover this in my follow up ;)
The thing will kill it's own,it only cares about it's own survival
I love going through the characters actions and motivations it's really interesting, great video!
Best analysis so far 👏
I feel like although this is an interesting theory, it has some flaws, for example, he had to have been human during the blood test because there’s no point in faking that entire test instead of just assimilated windows and then everybody else on the spot. Also, we see MacReady for a majority of the movie as well and alongside that, he did indeed fight the final form of the thing. If he was a thing, I doubt he would’ve killed their fellow alien and besides, he could’ve killed Gary and Niles on the spot instead of letting them help him blow up the facility. Also, if Mac wasn’t infected, why wouldn’t he just infect Child’s in the end, also, in the end, Mac seems to act the same way he did in the start of the movie, and a common way to find out who is a thing is by their change of personality. And finally, in the end scene, he seemed to be breathing a lot of frost while Childs wasn’t, and Mac was going to take a swig of his drink before Childs arrived anyways. And finally, why would he destroy the spaceship? The thing had the upper hand and if he was a thing, he would’ve helped it instead. I think Childs is a thing instead
When R.J Macready did the blood test he tested negative and when he tested Palmer transformed into a thing alien monster logically if Macready was the thing just as Palmer is he and Palmer could have assimilated the remaining humans with them tied up.
Yes, but my stance was that The Thing didn't automatically react to the blood test as suggested, instead intentionally reacting positive or negative on command. It's after the test and seeing Palmer outed in this manner that Childs begins to fall in line, as well as Gary who wanted everyone to rush MacReady before being tied up.
Do we see macready draw his blood tho and hes the one who thinks of the test he could have gotten blood from anywhere stored it ahead of time.
@@WerewolfReapereven then, with some slight of hand and a hidden direct connection to the blood, could MacThingy not have controlled the bloods reaction to the hot wire?
@@helmetfire5973Just blew my mind. You might be on to something.
@@muchomojorisin1759but at that point aren't all threats to the thing neutralized if Mac, Palmer and ... Wilfred Brimly are things and the rest of the guys are tied up couldn't it assimilate everyone then?
The whole point of the film especially the ending is your not supposed too know that’s what makes it so good
You decide 👍
Excellent , well broken down , Am for watching it again.
I disagree but you made a lot of great points. Good video!
Bingo! Accurate explanation of the ending.
Back in '76, R.P. McMurphy was the Thing.
Nope. He wasn't. It's been confirmed by Kurt Russel. Also there's a spin off comic run that has both McCreedy and Childs escaping the base and chasing the Thing through other parts of the region and world.
Yeah but I’d imagine the comic is completely separate from Carpenter’s story.
It's surprising how many people have not read the comics or played the PS2 game which answers these questions except Childs is the only inconsistent one. As he dies in the game but is alive in the comics. That's why I combine all of them and Childs would be a realistic candidate to be the thing or he froze to death.
How were they out there for 45 minutes? What did they do that would’ve taken that long? Seems like an oversight but it’s not
The game is canon, like it or not. The issue is already answered.
I played the game. For all I know, the frozen Childs' corpse could be the thing waiting to be unfrozen. And MacReady helping you beat the boss at the end of the game could be just another sacrifice of a pawn, just like the battle with the Blair-thing. The game didn't resolve anything.
That's exactly what someone who IS the thing would want us to believe. Where's my flamethrower?
I was ahead of my time when this movie came out. I loved it from the word go.
I love theories on The Thing & The Shining.
Great video
❤❤❤❤"is she right"❤❤❤❤
Every one forgets that the Thing was originally frozen in a block of ice for over 200,000 years - so obviously it does not die from freezing, so if MacReady was a Thing at the end its only option left was to freeze and wait to be discovered again makes a lot of since?
Hence why hes the one who suggested blowing the camp up. Everyone dies except for him. All he has to do is freeze and wait for the rescue team
I wonder, does one person-the thing feel that another person is also the thing? Did Macready know that Palmer was the same?
One thing I've never seen mentioned (so it might just be me) is that the way Childs takes that swig from the bottle seems oddly slow and self-conscious, a bit like when the dog-thing was entering the kennel.
Your theory would have to explain why Mcready not only killed several of the Things but also helped destroy the device that was built underground. Why do that when the things already had the upper hand?
Because he is wrong.
Because each cell (or colony organism) is out for its own survival: its a major point of the blood test scene. If they'll split the colony organism to escape danger then who's to say they could not have differing motivations that might bring them into conflict? And it doesn't particularly matter because if one them wins against the humans: all of them do.
Mac-thing had to fight Blair-thing for the same reason he had to torch Bennings, humans were/could be watching.
As for why destroy the saucer, good question. Could be explained by these differing motives, maybe Mac-thing had more confidence in sneaking back to civilization with the recovery team than in the homemade spaceship Blair-thing made out of junk at the settlement workbench.
@@IRL_Lore None of the Things openly tried to harm another Thing. It was always about mutating further and spreading. Similar to a virus, germs, bacteria, etc.
@coffee_drinker2912 not true, a bunch of the things participated in killing other things while they were masquerading as humans. Think about it: one of them had to have helped kill at least Bennings-thing, as part of the role they were playing. It's no different with Mac-thing.
@@IRL_Lore The movie doesn't explain the timeline, at least not well. You don't know when these, "Things" were infected in comparison to the other, "Things".
“It’s Marshal Lucky!”… Nice call-back.
If someone cuts the line on you... do you knock on the door to let them know you made it back???? No you don't trust them and try to get back and slap the ....heck out of them.
One thing about the blood test. The all used the same scalpel. I think one guy wiped it off with his pants.
I’m assuming once the thing has the blood it can impersonate anyone if that’s all their blood in the fridge. It only needs a cell from each to become them.
Why would the Thing attack McReady when he was alone in the generator room? I'm not convinced.
There’s a part 2 up where I address that
I recently had a thought that just because there may be more than one Thing in the picture at one time, doesn't mean that they like each other or have allegiance to each other. That would explain why MacReady killed the Blair Thing at the end, as well as exposing Palmer. Also, I now think that MacReady may have turned Blair by drinking his vodka. I don't think Blair was turned at that point. Blair said that he "heard things". Those things were the Thing building a ship beneath where Blair was being held captive. The Blair Thing and the dog Thing could have clashed with one taking the other out. Maybe the dog Thing beat the MacReady/Blair thing and that's why MacReady Thing blew up the dog Thing at the end.
Man, this is a real head spinner. As much as I, upon first watching (as a kid), thought Childs and MacReady were both human at the end, it doesn't appear to be the case. Also, as much as I want MacReady to be human at the end, I no longer think that he was. I really feel bad for Childs now, lol. Looking back, Childs was the strongest, most level headed character through the film.
Excellent points. I think you're spot on about when Blair got infected. I think he was of mind, although a bit drunk, when he sabotaged the helicopter and radio equipment, but that was for safety reasons to try and prevent the Thing from reaching civilization. But after they lock him up Mac does take a sip of his vodka and there is that final lingering shot of Blair staring at the bottle before the scene ends. Between that time and when they return and Blair states that he "hears things" is when he got infected. During that shot a noose is visible hanging in the background. I think he was going to kill himself before being assimilated from the Vodka. Excellent observation. The Vodka, and even Childs drinking at the end, were all set up perfectly by Fuchs warning of only eating from canned goods and preparing one's owns meals, vital information Mac never shared ;)
The irony is that Fuchs, not Mac, was the one who brought the vodka to Blair in the shed, although this was before his findings from studying Blairs journals
No proof that Mcready passed on cells of infection to Blair in either the novel or the film. We only know that Mcready has insight now from his conversation with Fuchs.
If McReady faked the blood test somehow and was the thing, then he could have just attacked everyone right there because they're all tied up, he's clearly not infected. He also possibly would have attacked Nauls after Garry disappeared.
sorry for my bad english, guys...)
i think, the key is poster on the wall "they aren't labeled, chum", when McReady make a blood test.
at the beginning of film McReady playing the chess, computer have a woman voice. on the poster also is woman.
PS: i agree, McReady was the thing.
I'm not sure about this as for a few reasons. We've seen individual parts of the thing tend to fend for itself. Palmer was likely already assimilated at the point of alarming the remaining crew to the spider head escaping, when he could have easily let it escape. I also think that there was ample time for MacReady to assimilate Nauls outside once they were alone, before he discovered the garment with MacReady's name on it. The hallway scene also shows the figure coming from the direction opposite of which MacReady walked away. Alot of different theories surround the ending but if you assume that MacReady relayed Fuch's food contamination warning tonthe rest of the crew, he may have been testing Child's by handing him the bottle. At the end of the day some of the points do stand and it all adds to the ambiguity of the ending, i did enjoy the video i like looking at this film from different perspectives
Excellent points. There is a part 2 up where I discuss the ending and even add Mac might have been testing him
@muchomojorisin1759 right on I will gladly watch that later
next time i watch this movie (i watch it about 0nce a decade or half decade I guess) I will look at it from a whole new perspective. Childs is the new focus. I love it.
SICK REFERENCE with ALIEN STORM on Sega Genesis..... subscribed
Classic
Kurt Russell’s greatest role!
I'd be dismissed if I didn't mention Jack Burton ;)
@@muchomojorisin1759 Bodhi in Point Break
Tombstone: Wyatt Earp
Love to see passionate fans but we have to keep in mind this movie wasn’t made with the intent of it being analyzed and studied for over 40 years. When Mac does the blood test he was suspect number one so why would he do a blood test to prove who was the Thing. The only way the works is if everyone see’s the blood coming from the person being tested, especially Mac who had everyone watching him like a hawk at that point. If they hadn’t seen him deposit a sample of his blood Child’s would have called him on it immediately
Simply put, it's like Gary said, this is pure nonsense. It didn't prove anything. In my video I explain where Mac got the idea for the blood test, how Palmer was used as a pawn, and the blood test ultimately convinced the humans to earn back his trust
I agree.
Maccready is a veteran helicopter pilot and NOT a sleight of hand magician.
Maccready is definitely NOT the thing.
@@muchomojorisin1759 he didn't need their trust he was literally in complete control and could have killed them all, jumped in the snowcat to another base and infected the world.
Your assumptions need so many planets to line up it's not plausible.
I can't believe this is not on TV tonight being Halloween 🎃 😁 👹 💀
Oh yeah an organism like that would play the long game.
The best theory ive ever heard is that childs and macready are both the thing at the end but each still think the other is human and the paranoia has now spread from the humans to the thing/things. The humans have now infected the thing with a sense of paranoia, something its probably never dealt with before.
I thought It weird at the end when Macready said...
"Lets just wait here and see what happens"
Well what's gonna happen is him and Childs are gonna freeze, just like the The Thing wants to freeze...
Always struck me as strange...
YES! Man i went full "murder wall/rabbit hole2 a year or so ago when i just did the thought experiment, "What if Macready is the thing" and everything just fits.
You didn't mention how macready gave blair a bottle after swigging from it. Also how we see everyone cut their thumb in the blood test apart from Macready.
Much obliged. I snuck in a shot of Blair looking at the bottle in the ending montage;)
How come mac never shares the information Fuchs told him about eating from their own meals? Mac was the last person with Fuchs then the lights go out? Come on don’t be stupid. Then after Fuchs dies knowing what Fuchs told mac he tries to get nauls the cook to come with him put it together nauls being the cook Mac just found out about eating their own meals he was gonna infect nauls. Then earlier mac sees the noose in Blair’s shed and never tells the other guys about it? Mac is definitely the thing.
Ya got me with that ending
I think for every movie in the apocalypse trilogy, the main character is the one that actually brings the apocalypse
When Mac is alone with the final thing beast he fights and kills it. You cannot explain that away
Actually making a new video this weekend discussing that
@@muchomojorisin1759 I look forward too it. But I'm not convinced haha love this kinda stuff though anything and everything "The thing" related
If you're off to conquer the world through assimilation, you don't want anyone seeing that monster. It would have stood out and ruined the surprise.
@@muchomojorisin1759 also i gotta point out that Mac has the entire crew tied up at one point except windows. it was clear they couldnt get out of the situation given that palmer transforms and they cant escape. at that point if Mac was a thing hes won. he could attack windows, in front of everyone, then systematically attack everyone else whose tied up
@@muchomojorisin1759 There are actually a lot of times in the movie when MacReady shares drinks with people and then they turn. Surprised you didn't add them with this theory.
I'm skeptical based on his overall behavior and strategy. MacReady had the upper-hand at one point and could have shot or fried them all.
But what would Mac "the thing" have learned if he had just fried them? If the thing is going to conquer humanity through assimilation, then it would want to know as much as human behaviour as possible.
None didn't he still had windows as a threat and just because there were 4 other humans tied up doesn't mean they were helpless
@@DerrickDeitz Uh...he had a flamethrower.
Man. Childs, being a black man, and MacReady, being a white man, in a conflict. In the end, the white man "wins" by "cheating". Sounds familiar? Yes, the chess scene from the beginning...
The whole idea of the movie is that its not supposed to have an answer. Fans who are 100% confident they have solved it are wrong. The entire premise at the end is that even the viewer is not supposed to know who is human. Its the paranoia and distrust that is our society.
So,
Can assume that THE THING didn't crashland on purpose?
That it had no interest on planetary domaination?
Was this the first time THE THING had encountered other lifeforms?
Would this explain that THE THING didn't try to communicate with the humans on both research stations?
Excelent video I like your humor
Ok so watching the two movies I'm confused... Does the "thing" take over a body, or does it replicate the body it comes in contact with?
Both. You'll find all kinds of theories regarding the physical and mental effects, but ultimately nothing concrete is given and it's all speculation
I've always presumed that The Thing literally and completely takes over its host. Essentially, "possessing" the entire organism.
very well done!
Much obliged
I SEE YOUR POINT that mac could have been infected by drinking from blair's bottle in the tool shed. i hadnt considered that before.
Well, without power, everyone would die except the thing, it would preserve its survival for a later time if it was found which it would have once help came because they haven't heard from the outpost.
Blair got infected from touching the pencil eraser against his lips
I think Carpenter confirmed that was unintentional and was just Brimley on the day.
@@muchomojorisin1759 Agreed. Those infections were unintentional. Since they had very little on how the virus worked
@@muchomojorisin1759 I have to say this new theory opens up a new world in this movie. Happens to be one of my favorites since I’m a kid
@@vincenta1074 The fact it's still being debated 40 years later really says something about the film's lasting power.
A lot of these ideas came after rewatching the film around the time the gasoline theory started floating around and during that viewing things started standing out and had the overall opposite effect on me.
I think Blair got infected from the vodka left behind with him after being locked up. I believe he was human when he figured out the rate of infection, realized the danger of the thing reaching the mainland, sabotaged everything to prevent such, got drunk along the way, and then locked up. I think those actions, plus the fact he tied a noose to kill himself, suggest he was human until being taken over and makeshift UFOs were introduced.
That does not happen, either. Look more closely at the scene and the eraser never actually touches the dog Thing.
I fear no man but THAT THING scares me.
- The Thing
Lol, Childs is the one who drank the carosene at the end.
If this is what you think, when and where was MacReady assimilated?
At the crash site when he goes with both Norris and Palmer
We know at least Norris was assimilated by then and I suspect Norris infected Palmer off screen before going to the crash site with mac
great analysis. I've watched countless analysis of this movie on TH-cam... this was a great to watch.
Thanks, I really appreciate that. Most get very defensive at such a notion.
What gets me is that people think the second one they made many years later was a remake when it's actually a prequel.
Great video, but if Macready was The Thing, how did he pass the blood test?
Great question. I wanted to elaborate more than I did in the video and this is a good opportunity.
My notion of the blood testing being fake basically means applying heat to the blood does nothing, instead The Thing (Palmer) reacts intentionally, therefore justifying the blood test. Going back to the chess analogy, Palmer was essentially a pawn being sacrificed, and in this case to gain trust of the remaining humans. Before his outburst the others were questioning the authenticity of the blood test claiming it was nonsense or just a crock of shit heh
At one point I stated whether it mattered if Clark was infected or not when they tested his blood after he was shot. If he were infected and the blood could react willingly, the blood intentionally not reacting reflects him as human and reenforces the blood test results, macs stance as leader, and provokes Childs to taunt Mac.
But Clark is a fuzzy subject and the red herring as far as who could have been infected. Again, with the pawn analogy, he could have staged the attack and willingly got shot premeditated. That's a stretch, but the fact before he attacks Mac he states that Mac wasted Norris pretty quick is ridiculous considering what transpired. I'd say the next time you watch the film pay close attention to how Mac reacts to not letting the other reenter the room to extinguish the flames he torched Norris in, how he stalls for Norris's second head to take cover, and how Palmer spotted it and not Mac, and finally how that interaction is how he states he got the idea for the blood test.
I should have stressed this more during the ending of the vid, but with Mac being so tech savvy thinking of the blood test on the fly, he still never shared that vital info he got from Fuchs before he went missing, and if he had I doubt Childs would have taken that sip of J&B ;)
How did Childs pass the test then?
@@muchomojorisin1759 IT'S A HORRIBLE VIDEO, YOU JUST COMPLIMENTED THE IDIOT THAN BLEW THE DUMBASS REVIEW AWAY ????
@@ricomajestic Childs passed because he was human. The notion of the blood test being fake basically means heating the blood caused no reaction, instead the Thing(s) intentionally reacted to it. While Mac thought of and passed the blood test , having Palmer intentionally out himself added credibility to the idea and in return Mac's leadership. It really helps to follow the notion of Palmer being considered a sacrificial pawn with the chess analogy as a play to sell the whole idea
@@muchomojorisin1759 So both Childs and Mac are human in the end
I don't know if 35mm theatrical print had Superstition in it, the Laserdisc version its a completely different song, its been 25 years since I've watched VHS to say. But Superstition MAY, i do not know, may not be in the original theatrical print, or it was changed JUST for Laserdisc.
Good catch. Superstition is the original and was in the theatrical release. For a time licensing issues prevented it from being used on home video releases and it was replaced with One Chain Don't Make No Prison by The Four Tops
@@muchomojorisin1759 ok fair enough. Superstition is a better song. I watched it on LD maybe back in 2016 or so, it threw me off
I noticed that, as well.@@LoneWolf_Cub_Ogami_Itto
At what point did Blair have the time to dig an underground lair without anyone noticing? That's a ton of ice and snow to move alone. When did he have the time to construct a mini-UFO? And also, if he did get the mini-UFO to actually work, how did he expect to get it out?
Maybe Norris or Palmer or both were building it long before Blair is put in the shed
@@DerrickDeitz That seems a bit implausible considering everything going on. There would be a huge pile of snow and ice from digging it out that would be noticeable to someone. That's a lot of snow to displace.
How did Mac know to use the flamethrower in the first place?
"Mac wants the flamethrower. Mac wants the WHAT?"
@@muchomojorisin1759 So, I wondered if Mac could be a Thing a few weeks ago. I noticed Mac drinking from Blair’s bottle, as well as handing Childs a bottle he had just drank from. I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s thought this.
Many reasons. In the novelization of the film Mac is stated to have been a Vietnam vet. He would have had information about explosives, napalm, dynamite, etc.
Maybe he got the idea from seeing how the Norwegian base dealt with it as well
At the end neither child's or McCready can be the thing.
Throughout the whole saga whenever the thing is close to being detected it assimilates...
Now at the end if either of them were the thing one of them would have assimilated!
The thing is able to survive in the cold and would probably wait until both had died from exposure to the bold and Kay dormant until new life appeared!
What if the real Thing was the friends we made along the way?
Interesting point however I believe the blood test was viable and that both MacReady and Childs are human. I fully expect Blair in his T shirt to pop up from behind a wall for a split second before the credits role. Now that would have been a shock ending!
If the movie had been junk, no one would have been talking about it a week later, let alone 40 years later.
There's too many variables to know for sure. Or, at least, I've yet to see definitive proof. But I'll buy its fairly plausible. The moment that first has me questioning mcready is when he first gets the nationality of the other camp correct first time. Prior to that he called them swedes twice and abd was corrected both times. Its not enough but its enough to raise my suspicion. Equally likely that childs is a thing too though. He shares a joint with palmer early in the film, feasibly after palmer is turned; i believe its either norris or palmer that is visited in their quarters by the dog thing.
Im fine not knowing. But i find it interesting that its entirely possible there's no humans left at the end of the film. Its possible there's multiple things trying to achieve conflicting things. For example blair thing clearly wants to leave, and Macready, if he is a thing, wants to go to ground, presumably with the premise of infiltrating the rescue team. There are multiple feasible scenarios to be honest.
MacReady never shared Fuch's vital information? What do you think the whole "every part is a separate creature that won't obey" scene was all about? I really think you're stretching a lot of the points here, but if it's the interpretation of the movie that makes most sense to you, go for it!
I don’t see how that relates as a warning to avoid ingesting a small particle. There is a part 2 up now
@@muchomojorisin1759 Okay, so he doesn't explicitly state it, but it should be obvious that every little bit of this creature is dangerous.
Ambiguity in film really drives some people a bit wacky doesn't it?
Another problem with your theories is you keep saying the people that we know are effected can be trusted. Are you the Thing. Only the Thing would think backwards like this.
I have a different theory. They BOTH were. McReady offered the drink to infect him if he wasn't. But he smiled and accepted it. They spoke without speaking, and will lay in wait for someone to find them.
I think youre completely wrong, and making leaps, but....who really knows?
Appreciate your totally different take on it, and adding an even deeper level of nihilistic horror.
👍😉
Follow the alcohol throughout the entire movie. The 2nd scene with the dog, it licks the glove, and the glove grabs the J&B bottle which macready drinks.
wrong hand for that
That's not when mcready is turned,mac gets turned into the thing when he went to the crash site with both Norris and Palmer
Although you're correct about the alcohol but only with Blair. Mac turned Blair when he gave him the open bottle of vodka when they locked him in the shed
The problem with the blood test is it would have affected everyone infected... it's all one lifeform...
This video is great fun, but the ONLY conclusion at the end, is they're both human!
Both know they're the last two survivors...
If one was human and one the Thing, the Thing would instantly attack the human!
If both were the Thing, they would 'combine', join forces for a better chance of survival!
Both human is the ONLY conclusion!!!
Nope. The Director said that 1 of them is The Thing and it's McReady. McReady was laughing in the End because he infected Childs
My feeling is that any clues about who the thing is should not be trusted(besides the blood test fail or anything that is later confirmed). And this is because the entire idea of the movie is that you don’t know who the thing is. If anything the clues are red herrings intended to lead you in the wrong direction and create paranoia. If these clues were indeed reliable the entire point of the movie is undermined. But even if I didn’t hold this opinion I wouldn’t find this argument the least bit convincing. The same clues can be interpreted differently and so they are not actually sufficient evidence of anything. Plus it requires us to ignore a number of events that contradict this hypothesis or make up imaginary motivations to dismiss them. This hypothesis is filled with flaws and is diametrically opposed to the intent of the movie.
Edit: the chess theory is a great example of this. Because he lost a chess game as a human the thing that is supposedly imitating him is now some kind of chess player like strategist? He’s a pilot that lost at chess not a devious mastermind but him losing at chess means the thing is?
Appreciate this post and edit. I can see how I fell into the same trap people do regarding the chess analogy. I went a little overboard setting up the Blazing Saddles reference in the end, but ultimately my chess analogy has nothing to do with Mac playing against the computer in the beginning. My overall stance from Chess is regarding the blood test and pawns being sacrificed
I believe that MacReady did share the info with the others. When you see them talking to Blair you see canned food. While I do think there is room to believe MacReady was a thing, I don't believe not sharing about the food and drink is the proof.
I think seeing Blair eating out of cans is a stretch to validate Mac having shared that info with the group. As soon as Fuchs shared the info with Mac the lights went out. Following this encounter we see Mac asking the group "Has anyone seen Fuchs?" It obviously wasn't mentioned then and implying it was previously or afterwards off screen is kind of reaching.
I think if it would have been shared with the group Childs would have been more hesitant to take that final drink. And while I don't fixate on how and when each member got infected, the one I lean towards the most is Blair via the booze left behind with him in the shack.
@@muchomojorisin1759 Unless Childs was a thing as well and didn't care. TBH Childs should have already been a thing since he shared a joint with Palmer.
Very good analysis 👍 👌 👏 😀
Much obliged
@@muchomojorisin1759 You're welcome.
I love this movie, and this is a good argument but I have 1 question that i really have never seen anyone bring up. The alcohol, it's essentially poison to the human body. Could the Thing even ingest it knowing it was harmful? Also alcohol cleans or is used for sanitation, could Mac drinking all the time stop the Thing from infecting him?
alcoholics still get the flu/sick lol just because you drink doesnt mean all bacteria, germs, viruses, die inside of you
What about his blood test?
Will have to do another video focusing on that and only that. In the meantime checkout @BlueCadet7 comment because I just left a reply discussing that
Theyre all the thing .
Naw. All these “Mac was a thing” theories all fall apart at the blood test. You don’t really supply any good evidence as to why the test would be fake.
Regardless, I liked the video. You put effort into it and I commend that.
Appreciate that. I did a follow up going into more detail regarding the blood test, but I realize I was focusing more on how Mac thought of the idea for his test, instead of properly explaining how it could be fake. Definitely plan on doing another focusing on just the test itself
Great observation on the chess game. Also, I think we have such a trust that alcohol is an antiseptic that kills all germs except this one.
the book makes it very clear he is not
I think you and many discount how little sleep he and they all have had.