Readers who are old enough to remember growing up terrified by Ridley Scott's Alien are most likely also familiar with John Carpenter's The Thing - its creature designs by Rob Bottin are among some of the most gut-churning and terrifying ever committed to film, and still look a damn sight better than the CGI monsters found in the 2011 prequel/remake. Dozens of pages and several short films have been made analysing the great ambiguous ending to The Thing, in which survivors MacReady (Kurt Russell) and Childs (Keith David) sit amongst the burning remains of their scientific research outpost. With many theories as to who is infected (most people conclude it must be Childs) the uncertainty makes the film all the more chilling, with many eagerly anticipating a sequel which wasn't to be. One scene - left out of the final cut - removes this ambiguity altogether, showing a dog running away from the burning camp at the end of the film. Most people agree that leaving this out was a very wise decision on the part of Carpenter - not knowing whether or not the alien had survived made this downbeat ending work so much better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xu2cFljkPw What other deleted scenes would have ruined their movies? Let us know in the comments below.
