Was Childs Human In The Movie’s Ending?

By the end of John Carpenter’s The Thing, only MacReady (Kurt Russell) and Childs (Keith David) are left standing. For decades, audiences have wondered whether or not Childs was human in the movie’s ending, but it is not certain that either one of them is human. The film tells the story of twelve people stationed at an Antarctic research station who make contact with a malicious alien creature that they call the Thing. It has the ability to perfectly imitate organisms after killing and assimilating them. This leaves the open question of was Childs the Thing in the final moments of the movie.

Though The Thing received poor reviews initially, it is now regarded as one of the greatest horror movies of all time. The chilling ending is part of the reason why. The movie’s ending is filled with a palpable uncertainty about who is human, which had been masterfully built up throughout the film. More than four decades since the movie’s release, fans have highlighted clues, theories, and opinions about the truth behind the ending. Though there may never be an answer to the question, wondering was Child’s the Thing in the end has added to the lasting legacy of The Thing.

The Missing Persons And Change Of Clothes Theories

The missing persons theory states that Childs disappeared while MacReady and the others went to place explosives around the camp. This certainly looks bad for Childs. MacReady also goes missing long enough to be assimilated by the creature, but with one main difference: he later passes The Thing’s famous blood test. The test exonerates him, but Childs, who disappeared after passing the blood test, has a lot of explaining to do.

The change of clothes theory states that Childs appears to be wearing a new set of clothes at the end of the film, evidence that he has been assimilated. However, it is not clear that he has actually changed clothes since his coat is covered in frost at the end. MacReady’s shredded clothing is found by Fuchs and Nauls, but the blood test exonerates MacReady on this count as well.

The Childs’ Breath And The Whiskey Bottle Theories

The Childs’ breath theory states that since Childs’ breath is not visible in the cold air in the movie’s ending, he must have been assimilated. This theory doesn’t hold water because Childs’ breath is visible. Additionally, Bennings’ breath was visible after he was assimilated. Furthermore, after the Thing kills, it perfectly imitates its victims, meaning its breath would be just as visible as a human’s.

The whiskey bottle theory states that the bottle MacReady passes to Childs was filled with gasoline. When Childs drinks it without realizing it’s not whiskey, it proves he was not human. This is pure speculation based on the assumption that MacReady had filled his Molotov cocktails with gasoline. There is no evidence of what is in those bottles. A Molotov cocktail can also be made with whiskey.

The Eye Light Theory And Carpenter’s Claim

The eye light theory states that humans were marked with a light in their eyes by the film’s director of photography, Dean Cundey. At the end of the film, Childs does not have the eye light, and MacReady does. However, Cundey stated that this technique was used early on in the film, but was abandoned at the end at the direction of John Carpenter, who wanted to keep it vague. Carpenter has said that one of them has been assimilated. But the only real certainty in The Thing is that both MacReady’s and Childs’ fates have been sealed.

The Thing’s John Childs Actor Has His Own Theory

Fans might assume one actor who might be able to answer was Childs the Thing is Keith David himself. The Thing was David’s big break, and he went on to collaborate with Carpenter again in They Live. When asked about The Thing‘s ending (via: Coming Soon) David maintained that there was no happy ending in store for the remaining characters. He suggests that the most likely outcome is that Childs and MacReady froze to death. However, he adds that “I can say for sure that if one of them was the thing… it wasn’t me!” David offers no evidence to back that up, so whether it is something he was told on set or just defending his character, the mystery of The Thing‘s ending remains unresolved.