10 Scariest Final Shots In Horror Movie History

9. The Thing

The Thing
Universal

John Carpenter's The Thing hasn't only gone down in history for being home to some of the best practical effects ever seen in the horror genre, but for raising an ever-raging question in its final scene: have either Childs or MacReady become The Thing?

As their camp burns down in the middle of Alaska, the two heroes share a swig from a bottle in the full knowledge that if one of them isn't who they say they are, then the other soon wouldn't be either. It probably doesn't matter in the long run though, as by the time the flames die down the two would almost certainly freeze to death, alien or not.

It's that uncertainty that makes the final shot of the burning camp so effective though, knowing the embers of the flames will eventually be extinguished and the two characters will be forced to face the harshness of the cold night next to someone who could theoretically eat their face off at a moment's notice.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.