THE THING film analysis (update) "Was Childs infected?" part 1/2

A study of hidden plot details and thematic use of costumes in John Carpenter's The Thing. Written and narrated by Rob Ager.

For more film analysis subscribe and visit
http://www.collativelearning.com/

Also check out my most recent video
Mulholland Drive analysis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NinKN3n1uK0

Category:

Education

Tags:

• the
• thing
• film
• analysis
• john
• carpenter
• rob
• ager

[robag88]

@harizotoh7 You seeing it that way probably says more about you. I was illustrating the point from personal experience that some directors encode lots of subliminals and hidden messages.

[MrBlueSky1978]

Hey Rob, will you be reviewing The Thing Prequel? I would be interested to know what you think of it.

[Thejakebak]

@AVerySillySausage very true but maybe he added it just to make it suspicious that was the theme of the movie!

[HitchcockJohn]

I was always more under the impression that Childs was human, but you do raise some interesting points. However in regards to your point at 4:47 I do have an argument against it. While under normal circumstances Childs might not be foolish enough to run out into the snow, he like all the men was sleep-deprived and probably not thinking clearly. He was also told to torch Blair if he saw him without the others, and therefore would have been following orders.

[SmoothHourglass]

@SmoothHourglass Also, in regards to the yellow shirt, he probably removed it in the evening as he would be "winding down" so to speak.

[SmoothHourglass]

I disagree with the notion that Blair destroyed the communications array post-infection. The Thing would want someone to pick him up so it could expose the world to it. By stopping rescuers, it is essentially confining itself and preventing its "infect humans" agenda.

I believe that Blair understood the implications of the creature and took the moral high road. This seems appropriate because he is probably the most intelligent of them all.

[iniche]

@rehzon Yeah, but he meant if Blair got back to the base without them. He didn't say to go after him out in the cold.

[rehzon]

@iniche

So its possible he did see Blair.

[iniche]

@57worldwide Yeah, that is plausible... except we really don't know what its true intentions are. Even on the DVD commentary, Kurt and Carpenter discuss how it's doing anything it can to survive on a foreign planet (just like a human would in such a situation) and possibly escape. Though there is enough evidence that suggests Blaire was already infected at that point, there's also enough that he could have been infected in the shed.

[iniche]

@frozenpinky Although there is indeed no need to assume such a thing, you can't necessarily rely on any subtitles of any version. There are a lot of mistakes in all versions.

[iniche]

@rehzon He said to burn Blair if he got back without Mac and crew.

[iniche]

@robag88 Well, that itself is also questionable. The Thing can take advantage of the warning system to get into civilization. It would have been easier that way.