10 Last-Minute Changes That Saved Horror Movies

John Carpenter's The Thing deserves all the praise in the world for its flawless visuals, its focus on atmosphere, and the cast's stellar performances. But another element that makes this remake work is the ambiguity. 

Since the eponymous alien can mimic any creature's appearance and personality, it's impossible to tell who it's impersonating on a first watch. Even on repeated viewings, it's still debatable when the shapeshifting extra-terrestrial replaces certain characters.

Then there's the ending. Since the two leads, MacReady (Kurt Russell) and Childs (Keith David), get split up during the climax, it's unclear if the Thing has impersonated one of them when they reunite. And then, the movie ends abruptly, never revealing if either character has been assimilated.

However, we almost had a definitive answer.

Although multiple endings were considered, two alternatives were filmed and tested - in one version, the screen cuts to black shortly after MacReady defeats the galactic parasite, in the other MacReady is rescued by a helicopter - with neither ending indicating the Thing was still alive, nor had it taken over MacReady.

Carpenter thought these scenes were cheesy, encouraging him to put together a more ambiguous finale. There's no doubt the director's decision paid off, since The Thing's final scene is still being discussed and dissected over 40 years after the movie premiered.