Thing, The (1982) Movie Script
Your move: bishop to knight four:
My move: knight to rook three:
Poor baby, you're startin'
to lose it, aren't ya ?
Your move: king to rook one:
My move: rook to knight six:
Checkmate: Checkmate:
You cheatin'bitch:
Childs, what's he doin' ?
Circlin'the camp:
Who is he ?
- George, are you okay ?
- Yeah, yeah, l'm okay:
Yeah: What's goin'on
down there ?
Watch it!
Easy:
Easy: Easy:
Easy: Yes:
First goddamn week
of winter:
Oh, come on: Four stitches:
Barely grazed ya:
What were they doing
flying that low,
- shooting at a dog, at us ?
- Hmm, stir-crazy,
cabin fever, who knows ?
U:S: Number 31, calling McMurdo:
Come in, over:
U:S: Number 31, calling McMurdo,
urgent! Come in, over:
Great:
- Come on, come on:
- Nobody!
Nobody: Get ahold of somebody: Get ahold
of anybody! We gotta report this mess !
Look, l haven't been able
to reach shit in two weeks !
l doubt if anybody's talked to anybody
on this entire continent,
and you want me
to reach somebody!
Maybe we at war with Norway:
l was wondering when El Capitan was
gonna get a chance to use his popgun:
- How long they been stationed there ?
- lt says here only eight weeks:
- That's not long
enough for guys to go bonkers:
- Bullshit, Bwana:
Five minutes is enough
to put a man over down here:
- Damn straight:
- l mean, look at Palmer:
He been the way he is
since the first day:
- How many in their party ?
- They started with ten:
- There'd be eight others left:
- How do we know ?
Guys as crazy as that could have
done a lot of damage to their
own before they got to us:
- Nothing we can do:
- Oh, yes there is: l want to go up:
- ln this weather ?
- Bennings ?
- Winds are gonna let up a tad
next couple of hours.
- A tad ?
Can't condone it much myself,
but it is a short haul.
An hour there,
an hour back.
- Shit, Doc, l'll give you
the lift. No problem.
- Forget it, Palmer.
Thanks for thinkin'
about it though.
Loaded with kerosene.
l count 15 cans.
- MacReady!
- Mac, get your gear on.
- lt may not clear up for a week,
and we're the closest to 'em.
- lt's all right by me, Doc.
- l'm just letting you know
we're taking a chance.
- Quit griping, MacReady.
lf we get caught in a white-out, you can
scratch one doctor and one pilot.
This is real thin. lt'll clear
as soon as you get up.
lt's up to you, Mac.
lf you don't wanna fly,
we don't fly.
- You really wanna save
those crazy Swedes, huh ?
- Norwegians.
- Which way, Doc ?
- Southwest.
You have to read the map
'cause l'm gonna be busy.
Mac's really taking it up, huh ?
He knows what he's doing.
Nauls, will you turn that crap down ?
l'm trying to get some sleep.
l was shot today.
- Oui, Bwana. Will do.
- ? Very superstitious ?
? Writing's on the wall?
? Very superstitious ?
Anybody there ?
Hey, Sweden ?
They're not Swedish, Mac,
they're Norwegian.
Mac !
My God! What the hell
happened here ?
Come on, Doc.
Portable video unit.
- Anything ?
- lt's all in Norwegian.
- What are ya doin' Doc ?
- lt could be important work.
l wanna take it back with us.
lt's gettin'late.
Let's hurry it up.
l'll check out
the last few rooms.
Hey, Copper, come here !
Maybe they found a fossil, the remains
of some animal buried in the ice,
- and they chopped it out.
- But where is it ? Look at this.
What is that ?
ls that a man
in there or something ?
Whatever it is,
they burned it up in a hurry.
Help me find a shovel, Doc.
- We found this.
- Jesus Christ!
Blair, l'd like you
to start an autopsy right away.
- Did you reach anybody yet ?
- Reach anybody ?
We're a thousand miles
from nowhere, man,
and it's gonna get a hell of
a lot worse before it gets any better!
Well, stick to it,
Windows, stick to it.
Nothin' wrong with this Norwegian,
physiologically anyway.
- No drugs, no alcohol, nothin'.
- Hmm.
Well, what we got here
is what appears to be, anyway,
a normal set of internal organs.
Heart,
lungs, kidneys, liver,
intestines.
Seem to be normal.
...one, door number two
and door number three.
l think that Dawn Screen here
has got the most to trade in.
l went to you first.
You brought your friend, Anna.
You've been consulting Anna
all through the show.
- You may as well consult her
one more time.
- l know how this one ends.
Clark, will you put this mutt
with the others where it belongs ?
Yeah, okay.
Go ahead.
Go ahead.
What are you waiting for ?
l don't know
what the hell's in there.
- lt's weird and pissed off,
whatever it is.
- Bennings, go get Childs.
What is this ? What's goin'on ?
- Hey, Palmer, what is this ?
- l don't know.
Childs !
Mac wants the flamethrower!
- Mac wants the what ?
- That's what he said!
- Now, move !
- Damn it!
- Stand back.
- Mac, what is it ?
No ! No ! God!
- Don't! Don't! No !
- Get back ! Get back !
Get your ass over here ! Burn it!
Damn it, Childs,
torch it!
Oh, my God.
Oh ! Ohh !
Look. Son of a bitch.
What we're talking
about here is an organism...
that imitates other life-forms,
and it imitates them perfectly.
When this thing
attacked our dogs,
it tried to digest 'em,
absorb them.
And in the process shape
its own cells to imitate them.
This, for instance.
That's not dog.
lt's imitation.
We got to it before
it had time to finish.
Finish what ?
Finish imitating these dogs.
Easy. Easy. Good.
Easy. Easy.
- Clark ?
- Yeah ?
Did you notice anything strange
about the dog, anything at all?
Strange ? No.
What was the dog doing
in the rec room ?
l don't know.
He was just wandering
around camp all day.
Are you sayin'to me the dog wasn't
put in the kennel until last night ?
-Right.
-How long were you alone with that dog ?
l don't know, an hour,
hour and a half maybe.
What the hell you lookin'
at me like that for ?
- l don't know.
- What ?
l don't know.
lt's probably nothin'.
lt's nothin'at all.
How much more
of this crap is there ?
- Oh, nine hours l'd say.
- We can't learn anything from this.
Guess not.
Where'd they take
these shots ?
Seems like they were spending
a lot of their time...
in a little place northeast of
their camp about five or six miles.
What's that ?
lt looks like something
buried under the ice.
And look at that,
they're planting thermite charges.
Whatever it was, it was bigger
than the block of ice you found.
Here.
This is it, the place where
they were spending most of their time.
- Pretty nasty out. 35 knots.
- Screw it. l'm gonna go up anyway.
Half a mile due east.
Jesus ! How long you figure
this has been in the ice ?
Well, the backscatter effect's
been bringin'things up...
from way down around here
for a long time.
l'd say-- l'd say
the ice it's buried in...
is 100,000 years old
at least.
- And those Norwegians blew it up.
- Yeah.
l don't know.
Thousands of years ago
it crashes and this thing...
gets thrown out or crawls out
and it ends up freezing in the ice.
- l just cannot believe
any of this voodoo bullshit.
- Childs,
happens all the time, man.
They're fallin'
out of the skies like flies.
Government knows all about it.
Right, Mac ?
- Do you believe any of this
voodoo bullshit, Blair ?
- Childs ?
Childs, Chariots Of The Gods, man.
They practically
own South America.
l mean, they taught the lncas
everything they know.
So, come on now, MacReady.
The Norwegians
get ahold of this...
- and they dig it up out of the ice.
- Yes, Garry, they dig it up,
they cart it back,
it gets thawed out,
wakes up, probably not
in the best of moods.
- l don't know--
- Which one of you disrespectful men...
been tossin'his dirty drawers
in the kitchen trash can, huh ?
From now on, l want my kitchen clean,
all right ? Germ free !
Now, how's this motherfucker wake up
after thousands of years in the ice ?
- And how can it look like a dog ?
- l don't know how.
'Cause it's different
than us, see.
'Cause it's from outer space.
What do you want from me ? Ask him.
You buy any of this, Blair ?
Mac, we're movin'those things
out of the lab into the storeroom.
Can you come
get your stuff?
Be there in a minute, Doc.
Through the door.
Right over there.
Right over there.
Sorry, Mac. You have
to move your stuff--
Doc says we gotta stash 'em
in here and lock 'em up.
- l have to talk to you.
- l'm tired of talking, Fuchs.
l just want to get up
to my shack and get drunk.
- Mac, it's important.
- What is it ?
- Outside.
- lt's 40 below outside.
ln the Thiokol.
Please, Mac.
We ought to just burn these things.
Can't burn the find
of the century.
That's gonna win somebody
the Nobel Prize.
You got the keys ?
Get 'em from Garry.
l want to get some stuff out of here.
There's something wrong
with Blair.
He's locked in his room
and won't answer the door.
''lt could have imitated a million
life-forms on a million planets.
lt could change into any one
of them at any time.
- Now it wants life-forms on Earth--''
- lt's gettin'cold,
- and l haven't slept in two days.
- Wait a minute, Mac.
''lt needs to be alone
and in close proximity with
the life-form to be absorbed.
- The chameleon strikes in the dark. ''
- ls Blair cracking up ?
Damn it, MacReady.
''There's still cellular activity
in these burned remains.
They're not dead yet. ''
Let's go, Bennings.
l gotta get some sleep.
Holy shit.
Go get the doc.
- l'll get Garry.
We'll meet in Blair's room.
- All right.
lt's Bennings !
Bennings was right there,
Mac ! l swear it had ahold of him !
- Windows, get back !
Keep away from him !
- Don't touch him !
Get back !
Stay back !
lt isn't Bennings !
- My God! What was happening to him ?
- lf it had time to finish,
it would have looked and sounded
and acted just like Bennings !
- l don't know what you're saying.
- That was one of those things,
trying to imitate him, Garry.
- Come on.
- MacReady, l've known Bennings
for ten years.
He's my friend.
We gotta burn
the rest of them.
All right, step back.
You sure that's
all of 'em ?
We cleaned out
the storehouse, the lab.
There is nothing left.
Where's Blair ?
l can't find Blair.
Where's everybody else ?
Windows is in the radio room
still trying to get through.
Everyone else is
in the rec room.
You go on.
l'll be in in a minute.
Blair ?
Blair ?
Don't come in here !
l got a gun ! l got an ax!
Don't, you son of a bitch !
Don't come in here ! You understand me ?
- He's got a gun, Mac !
- Anybody interferes, l'll kill 'im !
Jesus !
He smashed up some
of the chopper pretty good.
Childs, go see
if he got to the tractor.
Nobody gets in
and out of here ! Nobody!
You guys think l'm crazy!
Well, that's fine !
Most of ya don't know
what's going on around here !
But l'm damn well sure
some of you do !
Christ!
Garry, wait a minute !
Wait a minute !
All right, Childs,
go around to the map room door,
- talk to him.
- Okay.
Go on.
Norris, get a table from the lab.
Do you think that thing
wanted to be an animal?
No dogs make it a thousand
miles through the cold.
No, you don't understand!
That thing wanted to be us !
A cell gets out, it could imitate
everything on the face of the earth !
- And nothing could stop it!
- Okay, Blair.
Come on now, you don't want
to hurt anybody.
l'll kill you !
Good shot, MacReady.
Excuse me.
- All right, bring him up. Lift him up.
- Yeah.
Okay. Okay.
Come on, Blair.
We'll lock him
in the toolshed.
Why am l in here ?
For your own protection,
Blair... and ours.
How you doin' old boy ?
l don't know who to trust.
l know what you mean, Blair.
Trust is a tough thing
to come by these days.
Tell you what ? Why don't you just
trust in the Lord ?
Watch Clark.
What ?
l said, ''Watch Clark. ''
And watch him close,
do you hear me ?
Now the radio's gone.
- So are the choppers.
- We're completely cut off.
All we can do now is hole up 'til
spring and wait for the rescue team.
No, we don't wait. Somebody in
this camp ain't what he appears.
Right now that may be one or two of us.
By spring it could be all of us.
So how do we know
who's human ?
lf l was an imitation--
a perfect imitation--
how would you know
if it was really me ?
ls there some kind
of test, Doc ?
Well, yeah... possibly.
- l've been thinking
about a blood serum test.
- What's that ?
We could take a sample
of each person's blood.
We could mix it
with uncontaminated blood.
l suppose if there's a reaction,
we'd know who isn't human.
We've got whole blood
in storage.
Here, start working on it.
Keep an eye on Clark.
He was close to that dog.
Yeah. Yeah.
Mac, we need Blair's help.
He's the only one...
- who knows what this
organism is capable of.
- He's too far gone, Fuchs.
But get the rest of his notebooks
and start going through them.
Garry! Hey, you guys, come here !
What ?
- Somebody got to the blood!
- What ?
- Where's Clark ?
- Right here.
Wait a minute, wait a minute.
Was this broken into ?
No, the lock is undamaged.
- Somebody opened it,
closed it, then locked it.
- Great.
Who's got access to it ?
l guess l'm the only one.
And l got the only key.
Would that test
have worked, Doc ?
- Oh, l think so, yes.
- Somebody else sure as hell thought so.
Well, who else could
have used that key ?
Nobody! l just give it
to Copper whenever he needs it!
- Could anybody have gotten
it from you, Doc ?
- l don't see how.
As soon as l'm finished,
l return it right away.
Great.
- When was the last time you used it ?
- A day or so ago.
l suppose somebody could
have lifted it off me--
Oh, come on ! That key ring
is always hooked to your belt.
Accusing everybody--
Stop it now! lt ain't worth it!
- Copper's the only one
who's got any business with it.
- Wait a minute !
- You've been in here
on several occasions !
- Doc thought of the test.
- That clears him ? Bullshit!
- Why would he take--
- Shut up, man !
- Windows !
- Windows !
Put that down.
- No.
- l'll put this right through your head.
You guys gonna listen to Garry,
let him give the orders ?
He could be
one of those things !
Windows, wait a minute.
Just take it easy.
Put the gun down.
Put it down.
- Garry, you don't want to hurt anybody.
- Get back.
On the floor.
lt's on the floor.
l don't know about Copper,
but l give you my word,
l did not go near that blood.
But l guess you'll all
feel a little easier...
Norris, l can't see
anybody objecting to you.
l'm sorry, fellas,
but l-l-l'm not up to it.
- l'll take it.
- Like hell you will.
lt should be somebody a little
more even-tempered, Childs.
All right.
l know l'm human.
And if you were all these things,
then you'd just attack me right now.
So some of you
are still human.
This thing doesn't want
to show itself.
lt wants to hide
inside an imitation.
lt'll fight if it has to,
but it's vulnerable out in the open.
lf it takes us over,
then it has no more enemies,
nobody left to kill it.
And then it's won.
There's a storm
hitting us in six hours.
We're gonna find out
who's who.
All right, Doc, Garry and Clark move
over there away from the others.
Norris, you and Childs shoot 'em up with
morphine. Tie 'em down and watch 'em.
-Fuchs, you start workin'on a new test.
-l need Doc's help.
Yeah, you don't want
to drug me.
Mac, l'm not a prisoner!
Here, let me do it. You're gonna
break the needle in my arm.
No, Doc. He's doin'a real fine job.
l'm gonna hide this tape
when l'm finished.
lf none of us make it, at least
there'll be some kind of record.
Storm's been hitting us
hard now for 48 hours.
We still have
nothing to go on.
One other thing.
l think it rips through your clothes
when it takes you over.
Windows found some shredded long johns,
but the name tag was missing.
They could be anybody's.
Nobody--
Nobody trusts anybody now.
And we're all very tired.
Nobody trusts anybody now.
There's nothing else l can do.
Just wait.
R.J. MacReady, helicopter pilot,
U.S. Outpost Number 31.
You come up
with anything yet ?
One or two ideas.
But, MacReady,
l've been thinking.
lf a small particle of this thing is
enough to take over an entire organism,
then everyone should
prepare their own meals.
l suggest we only
eat out of cans.
All right.
Who's that ?
Anybody see Fuchs ?
Somebody blew out
a fuse in the lab.
Lights were out for an hour.
Any one of us could have gotten to him.
All right,
we gotta find him.
Nauls, why don't you
come with me and we'll look outside.
Palmer, you and Windows
check the inside.
l ain't goin' with Windows.
l ain't goin' with him.
l'll go with Childs.
- Hey, fuck you, Palmer!
- l ain't goin' with you !
- Who says l want you goin' with me ?
- All right, cut the bullshit!
Windows, you come with us.
Norris, you stay here.
Any of them move, you fry 'em.
You hear anything at all,
you cut loose on the sirens.
We all meet back here
in 20 minutes, regardless !
And everybody watch
whoever you're with,
real close.
Hey, Blair!
Blair, have you seen Fuchs ?
l don't want to stay out here anymore.
l want to come back inside.
Funny things.
l hear funny things out here.
- Have you come across Fuchs ?
- lt ain't Fuchs.
lt ain't Fuchs.
l'm not gonna harm anybody,
and there's nothing wrong with me.
And if there was,
l'm all better now.
l'd like to come back inside.
You got my promise.
We'll see.
Hey, wait a minute.
Wait a minute, man.
l want to come back inside.
Don't you understand ?
l'm all right. l'm much better.
l won't harm anybody.
You gotta let me
come back inside.
Hold it!
ls it Fuchs ?
Yeah.
Why would it burn him ?
Flare. Maybe he tried
to burn it.
Maybe he burned himself...
before it could get to him.
Great! Now what are we
gonna do ?
You go inside.
Tell the others we found Fuchs.
We'll be in
as soon as we can.
- Where are we goin' ?
- Up to my shack.
- What the hell for ?
- 'Cause when l left,
l turned the lights off.
How long have they
been out there ?
Forty, forty-five minutes.
We better start closing off
the outside doors.
Hey! All of you come here !
Open up ! Open up this door!
Open up ! Open up !
Close that door.
Where's MacReady ?
- l cut him loose of the line
up by his shack.
- Cut him loose ?
Yeah. We were up
checkin'around his place.
l found this.
Look.
lt was stashed
in his own oil furnace.
Wind must have dislodged it,
but l don't think he saw me find it.
l made sure l got ahead
of him on the towline on the way back.
l cut him loose.
- MacReady ?
- He's one of them.
- When did it get to him ?
- l don't know.
lt could have been
anytime, anywhere.
- lf it did get to him.
- Look, Childs, come on !
- When the lights went out!
- That would have been the perfect time.
Right! You said guys were missing.
And, Windows, where were you ?
Palmer, l told you
to shut the fuck up !
Where were you
when the lights when out ?
That's what it wants.;
to pit us against each other!
Guys ! lt's MacReady.
Shh !
- Let's open it.
- Hell no !
- Do you think he's changed
into one of those things ?
- He's had plenty of time.
- Nothing human could have made it
back here without a guideline.
- Let's open it now!
- Why are you so damn anxious
to let him in here ?
- 'Cause it's so close !
- May be our best chance
to blow it away!
- No !
- Just let him freeze to death outside.
- What if we're wrong about him?
Why, then we're wrong !
Supply window!
All right, all right.
We got no choice now!
Damn it!
He's got the keys !
What's goin'on ? The towline snapped.
That's bullshit, Childs.
He knows damn well l cut it.
You're a dead man, MacReady!
Or a dead
whatever the hell you are !
Anyone messes with me
and the whole camp goes.
Come on, Childs, burn me.
Put those torches
on the floor and back off.
Back off. Way off.
- You asshole.
- You'd have done the same thing.
Don't argue with him.
Where's the rest ?
So help me, l mean it!
lt's cool, MacReady.
lt's cool, man ! Come on !
Yeah, yeah, man.
Just relax.
Anybody touches me,
and we go.
He's not breathin'!
Go untie the doc.
Get him in here.
And bring the others.
From now on, nobody
gets out of my sight.
Lay him there.
So you sweethearts...
were about to have yourselves
a little lynching party, huh ?
l might just have to put an end
to you on general principles, Childs.
Did it occur to the jury that
anybody could have stuck some
of my clothes up the furnace ?
We ain't buyin'that.
Quit that bickering over there !
Windows, wheel that
defibrillator over here !
Put some gel
on those paddles !
You're gonna have
to sleep sometime, MacReady.
l'm a real
light sleeper, Childs.
lf anyone tries
to wake me--
Clear!
- Clear!
- Clear.
- We're on fire, MacReady!
- Get back ! Just wait!
- We're on fire !
- Just wait!
All right, go !
Windows !
Windows, get in here !
You gotta be fuckin'kidding.
- What do you got in mind, MacReady ?
- A little test.
Windows, you and Palmer
tie everybody down real tight.
- What for ?
- For your health.
Let's rush him !
He's not gonna blow us all up !
No, no, wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
Let's do what Mac says.
l mean, he wasted Norris
pretty quick, didn't he ?
That's close enough, Clark.
- He ain't tyin'me up.
- Then l'll have to kill you.
Then kill me.
l mean it.
l guess you do.
- This is bullshit, Mac !
- Finish it, Palmer.
They're dead, Mac !
- Windows ?
- Yo ?
You tie up Palmer over here.
We're gonna draw a little bit
of everybody's blood.
'Cause we're gonna find out
who's the thing.
Watching Norris in there
gave me the idea that...
maybe every part of him
was a whole.
Every little piece
was an individual animal...
with a built-in desire
to protect its own life.
You see, when a man bleeds,
it's just tissue.
But blood from one of you things
won't obey when it's attacked.
lt'll try and survive;
crawl away
from a hot needle, say.
Now you.
That's good.
All right, move back.
Over there.
l guess you're okay.
All right, put that on
and watch them.
Now l'll show you
what l already know.
That's a crock of shit.
Let's try the Doc and Clark.
Now Clark.
Then Clark was human, huh ?
Which makes you
a murderer, don't it ?
Palmer now.
This is pure nonsense.
lt doesn't prove a thing.
l thought you'd
feel that way, Garry.
You were the only one that
could have got to that blood.
We'll do you last.
Get away from me !
MacReady, burn it!
What is it ?
Get him, get him ! Just shoot!
MacReady, shoot!
- Get it, Mac !
- Get it!
Windows ! Blast him !
Get me outta here !
Windows !
Damn ! Get me outta here !
MacReady!
- Get in here !
- Quick, come on ! Hurry up !
lt's coming back ! Burn it!
Burn it, for God's sake !
- Burn it! Burn it!
- Hurry up, MacReady!
Let's do it.
Get me outta here ! Cut me loose !
Cut me the hell--
Come on, get me outta here !
Come on, get me outta here !
Cut me loose, damn it!
l know you gentlemen
have been through a lot,
but when you find the time,
l'd rather not spend
the rest of this winter...
tied to this fucking couch !
Childs...
we're goin'out
to give Blair the test.
lf he tries to make it back
and we're not with him,
burn him.
Mac, the door is open.
How'd he get out ?
The door was bolted from the outside.
Blair ?
Hey, Blair! You down there ?
We got something for ya !
Blair's been busy
out here all by himself.
- What is it ?
- Something he's been making.
lt's a ship of some kind.
He stole the parts
from the helicopter.
Smart s.o.b. He put it together
piece by piece.
Where was he
tryin'to go ?
Anyplace but here.
Hey, you guys, come here.
Come here.
l think l saw Childs outside
the main entrance of the camp.
- What's he doing outside ?
- l don't know.
Got a flare ?
He got back inside
and blew the generator.
ln six hours,
it'll be 100 below in here.
Well, that's suicide !
Not for that thing.
lt wants to freeze now.
lt's got no way outta here.
lt just wants to go to sleep
until the rescue team finds it.
What can we do ?
What can we do ?
Whether we make it or not,
we can't let that thing freeze again.
Maybe we'll just warm things up
a little around here.
We're not gettin'
outta here alive...
but neither
is that thing.
Generator room.
Generator's gone.
Any way we can fix it ?
lt's gone, MacReady.
All right. We gotta bring this
whole place right down into the ice.
Garry, plant yours
in the old storage room.
Nails, down by the generator.
Oh, God.
How's it comin'in there ?
l said, ''How's it--''
Yeah, fuck you too !
You the only one who made it ?
Not the only one.
Where were you, Childs ?
Thought l saw Blair.
l went out after him...
and got lost in the storm.
Fires got the temperature up
all over the camp.
Won't last long though.
Neither will we.
How will we make it ?
Maybe we shouldn't.
lf you're worried about me--
lf we've got any surprises
for each other,
l don't think we're in much shape
to do anything about it.
Well... what do we do ?
Why don't we just...
wait here
for a little while,
see what happens.
Yeah.
My move: knight to rook three:
Poor baby, you're startin'
to lose it, aren't ya ?
Your move: king to rook one:
My move: rook to knight six:
Checkmate: Checkmate:
You cheatin'bitch:
Childs, what's he doin' ?
Circlin'the camp:
Who is he ?
- George, are you okay ?
- Yeah, yeah, l'm okay:
Yeah: What's goin'on
down there ?
Watch it!
Easy:
Easy: Easy:
Easy: Yes:
First goddamn week
of winter:
Oh, come on: Four stitches:
Barely grazed ya:
What were they doing
flying that low,
- shooting at a dog, at us ?
- Hmm, stir-crazy,
cabin fever, who knows ?
U:S: Number 31, calling McMurdo:
Come in, over:
U:S: Number 31, calling McMurdo,
urgent! Come in, over:
Great:
- Come on, come on:
- Nobody!
Nobody: Get ahold of somebody: Get ahold
of anybody! We gotta report this mess !
Look, l haven't been able
to reach shit in two weeks !
l doubt if anybody's talked to anybody
on this entire continent,
and you want me
to reach somebody!
Maybe we at war with Norway:
l was wondering when El Capitan was
gonna get a chance to use his popgun:
- How long they been stationed there ?
- lt says here only eight weeks:
- That's not long
enough for guys to go bonkers:
- Bullshit, Bwana:
Five minutes is enough
to put a man over down here:
- Damn straight:
- l mean, look at Palmer:
He been the way he is
since the first day:
- How many in their party ?
- They started with ten:
- There'd be eight others left:
- How do we know ?
Guys as crazy as that could have
done a lot of damage to their
own before they got to us:
- Nothing we can do:
- Oh, yes there is: l want to go up:
- ln this weather ?
- Bennings ?
- Winds are gonna let up a tad
next couple of hours.
- A tad ?
Can't condone it much myself,
but it is a short haul.
An hour there,
an hour back.
- Shit, Doc, l'll give you
the lift. No problem.
- Forget it, Palmer.
Thanks for thinkin'
about it though.
Loaded with kerosene.
l count 15 cans.
- MacReady!
- Mac, get your gear on.
- lt may not clear up for a week,
and we're the closest to 'em.
- lt's all right by me, Doc.
- l'm just letting you know
we're taking a chance.
- Quit griping, MacReady.
lf we get caught in a white-out, you can
scratch one doctor and one pilot.
This is real thin. lt'll clear
as soon as you get up.
lt's up to you, Mac.
lf you don't wanna fly,
we don't fly.
- You really wanna save
those crazy Swedes, huh ?
- Norwegians.
- Which way, Doc ?
- Southwest.
You have to read the map
'cause l'm gonna be busy.
Mac's really taking it up, huh ?
He knows what he's doing.
Nauls, will you turn that crap down ?
l'm trying to get some sleep.
l was shot today.
- Oui, Bwana. Will do.
- ? Very superstitious ?
? Writing's on the wall?
? Very superstitious ?
Anybody there ?
Hey, Sweden ?
They're not Swedish, Mac,
they're Norwegian.
Mac !
My God! What the hell
happened here ?
Come on, Doc.
Portable video unit.
- Anything ?
- lt's all in Norwegian.
- What are ya doin' Doc ?
- lt could be important work.
l wanna take it back with us.
lt's gettin'late.
Let's hurry it up.
l'll check out
the last few rooms.
Hey, Copper, come here !
Maybe they found a fossil, the remains
of some animal buried in the ice,
- and they chopped it out.
- But where is it ? Look at this.
What is that ?
ls that a man
in there or something ?
Whatever it is,
they burned it up in a hurry.
Help me find a shovel, Doc.
- We found this.
- Jesus Christ!
Blair, l'd like you
to start an autopsy right away.
- Did you reach anybody yet ?
- Reach anybody ?
We're a thousand miles
from nowhere, man,
and it's gonna get a hell of
a lot worse before it gets any better!
Well, stick to it,
Windows, stick to it.
Nothin' wrong with this Norwegian,
physiologically anyway.
- No drugs, no alcohol, nothin'.
- Hmm.
Well, what we got here
is what appears to be, anyway,
a normal set of internal organs.
Heart,
lungs, kidneys, liver,
intestines.
Seem to be normal.
...one, door number two
and door number three.
l think that Dawn Screen here
has got the most to trade in.
l went to you first.
You brought your friend, Anna.
You've been consulting Anna
all through the show.
- You may as well consult her
one more time.
- l know how this one ends.
Clark, will you put this mutt
with the others where it belongs ?
Yeah, okay.
Go ahead.
Go ahead.
What are you waiting for ?
l don't know
what the hell's in there.
- lt's weird and pissed off,
whatever it is.
- Bennings, go get Childs.
What is this ? What's goin'on ?
- Hey, Palmer, what is this ?
- l don't know.
Childs !
Mac wants the flamethrower!
- Mac wants the what ?
- That's what he said!
- Now, move !
- Damn it!
- Stand back.
- Mac, what is it ?
No ! No ! God!
- Don't! Don't! No !
- Get back ! Get back !
Get your ass over here ! Burn it!
Damn it, Childs,
torch it!
Oh, my God.
Oh ! Ohh !
Look. Son of a bitch.
What we're talking
about here is an organism...
that imitates other life-forms,
and it imitates them perfectly.
When this thing
attacked our dogs,
it tried to digest 'em,
absorb them.
And in the process shape
its own cells to imitate them.
This, for instance.
That's not dog.
lt's imitation.
We got to it before
it had time to finish.
Finish what ?
Finish imitating these dogs.
Easy. Easy. Good.
Easy. Easy.
- Clark ?
- Yeah ?
Did you notice anything strange
about the dog, anything at all?
Strange ? No.
What was the dog doing
in the rec room ?
l don't know.
He was just wandering
around camp all day.
Are you sayin'to me the dog wasn't
put in the kennel until last night ?
-Right.
-How long were you alone with that dog ?
l don't know, an hour,
hour and a half maybe.
What the hell you lookin'
at me like that for ?
- l don't know.
- What ?
l don't know.
lt's probably nothin'.
lt's nothin'at all.
How much more
of this crap is there ?
- Oh, nine hours l'd say.
- We can't learn anything from this.
Guess not.
Where'd they take
these shots ?
Seems like they were spending
a lot of their time...
in a little place northeast of
their camp about five or six miles.
What's that ?
lt looks like something
buried under the ice.
And look at that,
they're planting thermite charges.
Whatever it was, it was bigger
than the block of ice you found.
Here.
This is it, the place where
they were spending most of their time.
- Pretty nasty out. 35 knots.
- Screw it. l'm gonna go up anyway.
Half a mile due east.
Jesus ! How long you figure
this has been in the ice ?
Well, the backscatter effect's
been bringin'things up...
from way down around here
for a long time.
l'd say-- l'd say
the ice it's buried in...
is 100,000 years old
at least.
- And those Norwegians blew it up.
- Yeah.
l don't know.
Thousands of years ago
it crashes and this thing...
gets thrown out or crawls out
and it ends up freezing in the ice.
- l just cannot believe
any of this voodoo bullshit.
- Childs,
happens all the time, man.
They're fallin'
out of the skies like flies.
Government knows all about it.
Right, Mac ?
- Do you believe any of this
voodoo bullshit, Blair ?
- Childs ?
Childs, Chariots Of The Gods, man.
They practically
own South America.
l mean, they taught the lncas
everything they know.
So, come on now, MacReady.
The Norwegians
get ahold of this...
- and they dig it up out of the ice.
- Yes, Garry, they dig it up,
they cart it back,
it gets thawed out,
wakes up, probably not
in the best of moods.
- l don't know--
- Which one of you disrespectful men...
been tossin'his dirty drawers
in the kitchen trash can, huh ?
From now on, l want my kitchen clean,
all right ? Germ free !
Now, how's this motherfucker wake up
after thousands of years in the ice ?
- And how can it look like a dog ?
- l don't know how.
'Cause it's different
than us, see.
'Cause it's from outer space.
What do you want from me ? Ask him.
You buy any of this, Blair ?
Mac, we're movin'those things
out of the lab into the storeroom.
Can you come
get your stuff?
Be there in a minute, Doc.
Through the door.
Right over there.
Right over there.
Sorry, Mac. You have
to move your stuff--
Doc says we gotta stash 'em
in here and lock 'em up.
- l have to talk to you.
- l'm tired of talking, Fuchs.
l just want to get up
to my shack and get drunk.
- Mac, it's important.
- What is it ?
- Outside.
- lt's 40 below outside.
ln the Thiokol.
Please, Mac.
We ought to just burn these things.
Can't burn the find
of the century.
That's gonna win somebody
the Nobel Prize.
You got the keys ?
Get 'em from Garry.
l want to get some stuff out of here.
There's something wrong
with Blair.
He's locked in his room
and won't answer the door.
''lt could have imitated a million
life-forms on a million planets.
lt could change into any one
of them at any time.
- Now it wants life-forms on Earth--''
- lt's gettin'cold,
- and l haven't slept in two days.
- Wait a minute, Mac.
''lt needs to be alone
and in close proximity with
the life-form to be absorbed.
- The chameleon strikes in the dark. ''
- ls Blair cracking up ?
Damn it, MacReady.
''There's still cellular activity
in these burned remains.
They're not dead yet. ''
Let's go, Bennings.
l gotta get some sleep.
Holy shit.
Go get the doc.
- l'll get Garry.
We'll meet in Blair's room.
- All right.
lt's Bennings !
Bennings was right there,
Mac ! l swear it had ahold of him !
- Windows, get back !
Keep away from him !
- Don't touch him !
Get back !
Stay back !
lt isn't Bennings !
- My God! What was happening to him ?
- lf it had time to finish,
it would have looked and sounded
and acted just like Bennings !
- l don't know what you're saying.
- That was one of those things,
trying to imitate him, Garry.
- Come on.
- MacReady, l've known Bennings
for ten years.
He's my friend.
We gotta burn
the rest of them.
All right, step back.
You sure that's
all of 'em ?
We cleaned out
the storehouse, the lab.
There is nothing left.
Where's Blair ?
l can't find Blair.
Where's everybody else ?
Windows is in the radio room
still trying to get through.
Everyone else is
in the rec room.
You go on.
l'll be in in a minute.
Blair ?
Blair ?
Don't come in here !
l got a gun ! l got an ax!
Don't, you son of a bitch !
Don't come in here ! You understand me ?
- He's got a gun, Mac !
- Anybody interferes, l'll kill 'im !
Jesus !
He smashed up some
of the chopper pretty good.
Childs, go see
if he got to the tractor.
Nobody gets in
and out of here ! Nobody!
You guys think l'm crazy!
Well, that's fine !
Most of ya don't know
what's going on around here !
But l'm damn well sure
some of you do !
Christ!
Garry, wait a minute !
Wait a minute !
All right, Childs,
go around to the map room door,
- talk to him.
- Okay.
Go on.
Norris, get a table from the lab.
Do you think that thing
wanted to be an animal?
No dogs make it a thousand
miles through the cold.
No, you don't understand!
That thing wanted to be us !
A cell gets out, it could imitate
everything on the face of the earth !
- And nothing could stop it!
- Okay, Blair.
Come on now, you don't want
to hurt anybody.
l'll kill you !
Good shot, MacReady.
Excuse me.
- All right, bring him up. Lift him up.
- Yeah.
Okay. Okay.
Come on, Blair.
We'll lock him
in the toolshed.
Why am l in here ?
For your own protection,
Blair... and ours.
How you doin' old boy ?
l don't know who to trust.
l know what you mean, Blair.
Trust is a tough thing
to come by these days.
Tell you what ? Why don't you just
trust in the Lord ?
Watch Clark.
What ?
l said, ''Watch Clark. ''
And watch him close,
do you hear me ?
Now the radio's gone.
- So are the choppers.
- We're completely cut off.
All we can do now is hole up 'til
spring and wait for the rescue team.
No, we don't wait. Somebody in
this camp ain't what he appears.
Right now that may be one or two of us.
By spring it could be all of us.
So how do we know
who's human ?
lf l was an imitation--
a perfect imitation--
how would you know
if it was really me ?
ls there some kind
of test, Doc ?
Well, yeah... possibly.
- l've been thinking
about a blood serum test.
- What's that ?
We could take a sample
of each person's blood.
We could mix it
with uncontaminated blood.
l suppose if there's a reaction,
we'd know who isn't human.
We've got whole blood
in storage.
Here, start working on it.
Keep an eye on Clark.
He was close to that dog.
Yeah. Yeah.
Mac, we need Blair's help.
He's the only one...
- who knows what this
organism is capable of.
- He's too far gone, Fuchs.
But get the rest of his notebooks
and start going through them.
Garry! Hey, you guys, come here !
What ?
- Somebody got to the blood!
- What ?
- Where's Clark ?
- Right here.
Wait a minute, wait a minute.
Was this broken into ?
No, the lock is undamaged.
- Somebody opened it,
closed it, then locked it.
- Great.
Who's got access to it ?
l guess l'm the only one.
And l got the only key.
Would that test
have worked, Doc ?
- Oh, l think so, yes.
- Somebody else sure as hell thought so.
Well, who else could
have used that key ?
Nobody! l just give it
to Copper whenever he needs it!
- Could anybody have gotten
it from you, Doc ?
- l don't see how.
As soon as l'm finished,
l return it right away.
Great.
- When was the last time you used it ?
- A day or so ago.
l suppose somebody could
have lifted it off me--
Oh, come on ! That key ring
is always hooked to your belt.
Accusing everybody--
Stop it now! lt ain't worth it!
- Copper's the only one
who's got any business with it.
- Wait a minute !
- You've been in here
on several occasions !
- Doc thought of the test.
- That clears him ? Bullshit!
- Why would he take--
- Shut up, man !
- Windows !
- Windows !
Put that down.
- No.
- l'll put this right through your head.
You guys gonna listen to Garry,
let him give the orders ?
He could be
one of those things !
Windows, wait a minute.
Just take it easy.
Put the gun down.
Put it down.
- Garry, you don't want to hurt anybody.
- Get back.
On the floor.
lt's on the floor.
l don't know about Copper,
but l give you my word,
l did not go near that blood.
But l guess you'll all
feel a little easier...
Norris, l can't see
anybody objecting to you.
l'm sorry, fellas,
but l-l-l'm not up to it.
- l'll take it.
- Like hell you will.
lt should be somebody a little
more even-tempered, Childs.
All right.
l know l'm human.
And if you were all these things,
then you'd just attack me right now.
So some of you
are still human.
This thing doesn't want
to show itself.
lt wants to hide
inside an imitation.
lt'll fight if it has to,
but it's vulnerable out in the open.
lf it takes us over,
then it has no more enemies,
nobody left to kill it.
And then it's won.
There's a storm
hitting us in six hours.
We're gonna find out
who's who.
All right, Doc, Garry and Clark move
over there away from the others.
Norris, you and Childs shoot 'em up with
morphine. Tie 'em down and watch 'em.
-Fuchs, you start workin'on a new test.
-l need Doc's help.
Yeah, you don't want
to drug me.
Mac, l'm not a prisoner!
Here, let me do it. You're gonna
break the needle in my arm.
No, Doc. He's doin'a real fine job.
l'm gonna hide this tape
when l'm finished.
lf none of us make it, at least
there'll be some kind of record.
Storm's been hitting us
hard now for 48 hours.
We still have
nothing to go on.
One other thing.
l think it rips through your clothes
when it takes you over.
Windows found some shredded long johns,
but the name tag was missing.
They could be anybody's.
Nobody--
Nobody trusts anybody now.
And we're all very tired.
Nobody trusts anybody now.
There's nothing else l can do.
Just wait.
R.J. MacReady, helicopter pilot,
U.S. Outpost Number 31.
You come up
with anything yet ?
One or two ideas.
But, MacReady,
l've been thinking.
lf a small particle of this thing is
enough to take over an entire organism,
then everyone should
prepare their own meals.
l suggest we only
eat out of cans.
All right.
Who's that ?
Anybody see Fuchs ?
Somebody blew out
a fuse in the lab.
Lights were out for an hour.
Any one of us could have gotten to him.
All right,
we gotta find him.
Nauls, why don't you
come with me and we'll look outside.
Palmer, you and Windows
check the inside.
l ain't goin' with Windows.
l ain't goin' with him.
l'll go with Childs.
- Hey, fuck you, Palmer!
- l ain't goin' with you !
- Who says l want you goin' with me ?
- All right, cut the bullshit!
Windows, you come with us.
Norris, you stay here.
Any of them move, you fry 'em.
You hear anything at all,
you cut loose on the sirens.
We all meet back here
in 20 minutes, regardless !
And everybody watch
whoever you're with,
real close.
Hey, Blair!
Blair, have you seen Fuchs ?
l don't want to stay out here anymore.
l want to come back inside.
Funny things.
l hear funny things out here.
- Have you come across Fuchs ?
- lt ain't Fuchs.
lt ain't Fuchs.
l'm not gonna harm anybody,
and there's nothing wrong with me.
And if there was,
l'm all better now.
l'd like to come back inside.
You got my promise.
We'll see.
Hey, wait a minute.
Wait a minute, man.
l want to come back inside.
Don't you understand ?
l'm all right. l'm much better.
l won't harm anybody.
You gotta let me
come back inside.
Hold it!
ls it Fuchs ?
Yeah.
Why would it burn him ?
Flare. Maybe he tried
to burn it.
Maybe he burned himself...
before it could get to him.
Great! Now what are we
gonna do ?
You go inside.
Tell the others we found Fuchs.
We'll be in
as soon as we can.
- Where are we goin' ?
- Up to my shack.
- What the hell for ?
- 'Cause when l left,
l turned the lights off.
How long have they
been out there ?
Forty, forty-five minutes.
We better start closing off
the outside doors.
Hey! All of you come here !
Open up ! Open up this door!
Open up ! Open up !
Close that door.
Where's MacReady ?
- l cut him loose of the line
up by his shack.
- Cut him loose ?
Yeah. We were up
checkin'around his place.
l found this.
Look.
lt was stashed
in his own oil furnace.
Wind must have dislodged it,
but l don't think he saw me find it.
l made sure l got ahead
of him on the towline on the way back.
l cut him loose.
- MacReady ?
- He's one of them.
- When did it get to him ?
- l don't know.
lt could have been
anytime, anywhere.
- lf it did get to him.
- Look, Childs, come on !
- When the lights went out!
- That would have been the perfect time.
Right! You said guys were missing.
And, Windows, where were you ?
Palmer, l told you
to shut the fuck up !
Where were you
when the lights when out ?
That's what it wants.;
to pit us against each other!
Guys ! lt's MacReady.
Shh !
- Let's open it.
- Hell no !
- Do you think he's changed
into one of those things ?
- He's had plenty of time.
- Nothing human could have made it
back here without a guideline.
- Let's open it now!
- Why are you so damn anxious
to let him in here ?
- 'Cause it's so close !
- May be our best chance
to blow it away!
- No !
- Just let him freeze to death outside.
- What if we're wrong about him?
Why, then we're wrong !
Supply window!
All right, all right.
We got no choice now!
Damn it!
He's got the keys !
What's goin'on ? The towline snapped.
That's bullshit, Childs.
He knows damn well l cut it.
You're a dead man, MacReady!
Or a dead
whatever the hell you are !
Anyone messes with me
and the whole camp goes.
Come on, Childs, burn me.
Put those torches
on the floor and back off.
Back off. Way off.
- You asshole.
- You'd have done the same thing.
Don't argue with him.
Where's the rest ?
So help me, l mean it!
lt's cool, MacReady.
lt's cool, man ! Come on !
Yeah, yeah, man.
Just relax.
Anybody touches me,
and we go.
He's not breathin'!
Go untie the doc.
Get him in here.
And bring the others.
From now on, nobody
gets out of my sight.
Lay him there.
So you sweethearts...
were about to have yourselves
a little lynching party, huh ?
l might just have to put an end
to you on general principles, Childs.
Did it occur to the jury that
anybody could have stuck some
of my clothes up the furnace ?
We ain't buyin'that.
Quit that bickering over there !
Windows, wheel that
defibrillator over here !
Put some gel
on those paddles !
You're gonna have
to sleep sometime, MacReady.
l'm a real
light sleeper, Childs.
lf anyone tries
to wake me--
Clear!
- Clear!
- Clear.
- We're on fire, MacReady!
- Get back ! Just wait!
- We're on fire !
- Just wait!
All right, go !
Windows !
Windows, get in here !
You gotta be fuckin'kidding.
- What do you got in mind, MacReady ?
- A little test.
Windows, you and Palmer
tie everybody down real tight.
- What for ?
- For your health.
Let's rush him !
He's not gonna blow us all up !
No, no, wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
Let's do what Mac says.
l mean, he wasted Norris
pretty quick, didn't he ?
That's close enough, Clark.
- He ain't tyin'me up.
- Then l'll have to kill you.
Then kill me.
l mean it.
l guess you do.
- This is bullshit, Mac !
- Finish it, Palmer.
They're dead, Mac !
- Windows ?
- Yo ?
You tie up Palmer over here.
We're gonna draw a little bit
of everybody's blood.
'Cause we're gonna find out
who's the thing.
Watching Norris in there
gave me the idea that...
maybe every part of him
was a whole.
Every little piece
was an individual animal...
with a built-in desire
to protect its own life.
You see, when a man bleeds,
it's just tissue.
But blood from one of you things
won't obey when it's attacked.
lt'll try and survive;
crawl away
from a hot needle, say.
Now you.
That's good.
All right, move back.
Over there.
l guess you're okay.
All right, put that on
and watch them.
Now l'll show you
what l already know.
That's a crock of shit.
Let's try the Doc and Clark.
Now Clark.
Then Clark was human, huh ?
Which makes you
a murderer, don't it ?
Palmer now.
This is pure nonsense.
lt doesn't prove a thing.
l thought you'd
feel that way, Garry.
You were the only one that
could have got to that blood.
We'll do you last.
Get away from me !
MacReady, burn it!
What is it ?
Get him, get him ! Just shoot!
MacReady, shoot!
- Get it, Mac !
- Get it!
Windows ! Blast him !
Get me outta here !
Windows !
Damn ! Get me outta here !
MacReady!
- Get in here !
- Quick, come on ! Hurry up !
lt's coming back ! Burn it!
Burn it, for God's sake !
- Burn it! Burn it!
- Hurry up, MacReady!
Let's do it.
Get me outta here ! Cut me loose !
Cut me the hell--
Come on, get me outta here !
Come on, get me outta here !
Cut me loose, damn it!
l know you gentlemen
have been through a lot,
but when you find the time,
l'd rather not spend
the rest of this winter...
tied to this fucking couch !
Childs...
we're goin'out
to give Blair the test.
lf he tries to make it back
and we're not with him,
burn him.
Mac, the door is open.
How'd he get out ?
The door was bolted from the outside.
Blair ?
Hey, Blair! You down there ?
We got something for ya !
Blair's been busy
out here all by himself.
- What is it ?
- Something he's been making.
lt's a ship of some kind.
He stole the parts
from the helicopter.
Smart s.o.b. He put it together
piece by piece.
Where was he
tryin'to go ?
Anyplace but here.
Hey, you guys, come here.
Come here.
l think l saw Childs outside
the main entrance of the camp.
- What's he doing outside ?
- l don't know.
Got a flare ?
He got back inside
and blew the generator.
ln six hours,
it'll be 100 below in here.
Well, that's suicide !
Not for that thing.
lt wants to freeze now.
lt's got no way outta here.
lt just wants to go to sleep
until the rescue team finds it.
What can we do ?
What can we do ?
Whether we make it or not,
we can't let that thing freeze again.
Maybe we'll just warm things up
a little around here.
We're not gettin'
outta here alive...
but neither
is that thing.
Generator room.
Generator's gone.
Any way we can fix it ?
lt's gone, MacReady.
All right. We gotta bring this
whole place right down into the ice.
Garry, plant yours
in the old storage room.
Nails, down by the generator.
Oh, God.
How's it comin'in there ?
l said, ''How's it--''
Yeah, fuck you too !
You the only one who made it ?
Not the only one.
Where were you, Childs ?
Thought l saw Blair.
l went out after him...
and got lost in the storm.
Fires got the temperature up
all over the camp.
Won't last long though.
Neither will we.
How will we make it ?
Maybe we shouldn't.
lf you're worried about me--
lf we've got any surprises
for each other,
l don't think we're in much shape
to do anything about it.
Well... what do we do ?
Why don't we just...
wait here
for a little while,
see what happens.
Yeah.