20 Things You Didn't Know About The Thing
2. Universal Agreed To The Ambiguous Ending On ONE Condition
The Thing boasts one of the most ingeniously bleak endings of all time, as an exhausted MacReady and Childs sit amid the fiery remains of the research station, sharing a drink while unsure whether the other might in fact be the Thing.
Unsurprisingly the ending received pushback from the studio, with executive Ned Tanen only agreeing to Carpenter's ambiguous finale if he included a hint that the Thing may have been killed by the explosion.
And so, when the station is blown up, an added bestial scream was added to imply its death - even if most fans today assume the Thing indeed survived.
Ultimately numerous endings were either shot or considered, such as one where MacReady is rescued while Childs dies, another where Childs wanders off into the snowy abyss, and one more where both men are rescued by a chopper. Few, however, will argue with Carpenter's final decision.