Goofs for
The Thing (1982) More at IMDbPro »

• Continuity: The chess moves spoken by the computer don't match the ones on the screen; also screens are shown from different games.
  
  
• Continuity: There is more ice in the glass when MacCready pours his drink into the computer than in previous scenes.
  
  
• Continuity: Norwegian pulls the same grenade out of the box twice.
  
  

• Crew or equipment visible: When the helicopter is chasing the dog, you can see two shadows that are not from the dog.
  
  
• Continuity: When Blair is being put into the tool shed, the window is seen boarded up when viewed from the outside, but not boarded up when viewed from the inside.
  
  
• Continuity: Macready's bottle of whisky is completely covered in snow when he leaps into the snowdrift as the chopper explodes, but when he runs to help Bennings in the very next shot, it is totally free of snow.
  
  
• Crew or equipment visible: On a pull-in through a door to the dog sitting under a table (just before it gets up) the shadow of the camera/cameraman can be seen moving on the wall/door frame.
  
  
• Continuity: When MacReady goes to check the helicopter after he sees Blair, he is wearing a protective hood. After he hears the gun shot and runs out of the helicopter, his hood has disappeared.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: During the opening sequence where "The Thing" is being burnt onto the screen, a rod is visible in the "T" of "the", which is being used to burn the garbage bag used in the special effect.
  
  
• Continuity: Childs breaks down the door with an ax, doing extensive damage to it, but several scenes later, the door is intact except for one ax hole.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: When they have the Norwegian in the US base on the medical table, you can see the "dead" man blink once.
  
  
• Continuity: When one of the characters turn into the thing, they fly upward onto the ceiling, causing the panel to break apart. But in the next shot the panel is undamaged.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: While they are looking at the ice block in the Norwegian base, several of the icicles can be seen swinging.
  
  
• Continuity: When Macready and the doctor go off to check the Norwegian base, it is said they should only take about an hour to get there, and it is light when they leave. However, there is a night-time scene set at the American base in-between the time it takes for Mac to arrive at the Norwegian base, even though it is daylight when he arrives there.
  
  
• Continuity: When McReady and two others go to take a peek at the blown up spacecraft, they exit the chopper and move off camera right carrying nothing. A soft cut takes us to the next scene where there are standing at the edge of the cliff looking at the spaceship. They bend down and pick up ropes... lots of ropes to rappel down the wall.
  
  
• Continuity: When the Doctor goes to hit Norris with the defibrillator the second time, his hands change position as the camera cuts from one angle to another. As he starts the move the paddles are coming down side-by-side on the man's chest, just like the previous time. The camera cuts to a close up, an effects shot where the chest cavity opens up as a sort of mouth and swallows Dr. Copper's arms. This time the paddles are coming down laterally aligned with Norris' sternum, rather than side by side, as they started.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: When the Norwegian is firing on the American scientists at the beginning of the movie, we clearly see that Childs has already jumped into the snow in previews tries of the scene. We can see a shape on the snow.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: At one point they are looking out the window at the thermometer which reads well below zero. There sure is a lot of moisture and water drops out there for being so cold.
  
  
• Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When MacReady is making the tape recording, he mentions that "Windows found some shredded long johns." It was actually Nauls who found the shredded clothing.
  
  
• Crew or equipment visible: As the camera pans through the empty camp, after Bennings calls Nauls on the intercom, it casts a shadow next to the blood storage.
  
  
• Continuity: When Mac is in the tool shed talking with Blair the bottle of vodka from which he drinks mysteriously spins 180 degrees. He sets it down with the label facing the camera but in the following shots the label now suddenly faces away.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: When Fuchs goes outside following the mysterious figure outside the lab, there is already snow on his knees as he drops to pick up Mac's shredded clothing.
  
  
• Boom mic visible: When Mac yells to Norris in the rec room, "Any of them move you fry 'em," a shadow cast by the crew's boom mic can be seen on the wall above Clark, Copper, and Garry on the couch.
  
  
• Continuity: In the scene where Nauls is let back inside and the men question him, there are multiple continuity goofs with where Palmer is standing and how he is holding the flamethrower.
  
  
• Continuity: As Mac comes out of the supply room with the flare and dynamite, the TNT sticks he is holding are almost falling apart and he is holding them by one stick. In the following shots of Mac the TNT sticks are suddenly wrapped tightly with black tape again and he holds all the sticks.
  
  
• Continuity: The jaws in Norris' chest cavity instantly change from small white shark-like teeth to huge gray colored dinosaur-like teeth. Also, Copper's metal bracelets disappear from each wrist as his arms plunge into Norris' chest. As well, Copper's sleeves suddenly roll up when Norris' jaws clamp down on his forearms, and his arms sever and tear away above where the jaws clamp down on them.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: Obvious stunt double for Palmer when he has a hold of Windows. Denim vest and white long-sleeve shirt change to just a green t-shirt.
  
  
• Crew or equipment visible: As the men come down the stairs into the generator room, Nauls and Garry head down a second flight of stairs as Mac holds up a flare. The shadow of a crew member is clearly visible on the floor holding a boom mic. The shadow even moves as the men walk away from the camera.
  
  
• Crew or equipment visible: When Norris and Mac climb down into the crater and are walking towards the open hatch in the center, look on the far right hand side of the screen and you will see the head and arm of somebody come into shot and then disappear again.
  
  
• Continuity: Between the time Fuchs talks to Mac about Blair's notes, calling the snowcat 'the Thiokol' (another brand of snowcat) the logo and model changes from a Skidozer 301, with its model name between the headlights, to a 302, with the Bombardier lettering between the headlights and the model name lower down to the left side (screen right). When they take Blair out to be locked up, the snowcat is again a 301 (you can see the blue model-plate between the headlights, not the black-on-yellow of the 302's Bombardier lettering).
  
  
• Continuity: Right after MacReady and Copper bring the burned body from the Norweigian base. When they uncover the body on the table you see Blair and Norris standing directly in front of a series of cabinets on the wall. In the next shot, you can see there is an entire room behind them.
  
  
• Continuity: At the Norwegian base, when Mac and the doctor enter the room with the ax in the door, you see the door closing in the background, but in a later camera shot, you see the door still wide open.
  
  
• Crew or equipment visible: Right after Fuchs yells on the intercom to turn the music down and we see his request ignored by Nauls in the kitchen, the following scene that slowly dollies from right to left in the empty medical room, the moving wheels of the dolly and a man in a light blue shirt pushing the dolly are clearly seen in the reflection of bottom and top pane of glass of the stainless steel and glass medical cabinet. Especially visible on the Blu-ray version.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: In the opening scene, when the alien ship enters the Earth's atmosphere, it just suddenly disappears, instead of continuing downwards.
  
  
• Continuity: When Mac Ready plays Chess Wizard, he spill his drink into the circuit board and we see one big ice cube. The problem is he had taken only 3 small ice cubes for his drink and also they almost fully thawed right before he spill the drink.
  
  
• Continuity: When the helicopter explodes there are almost no parts near it. Later while it is getting extinguished, there are many small parts burned near it. Also the whole main propeller is missing. It was on the helicopter just after the explosion.
  
  
• Continuity: While the armed Norwegian exits the chopper, he isn't carrying his sniper rifle. He throws the grenade and in the next shot he is with his sniper rifle.
  
  
• Continuity: The Norwegian has binoculars attached to his equipment just after he exits the chopper. He don't have binoculars after he get up from the snow.
  
  
• Continuity: In the scene where the men are gathered around the dead Norwegian, Fuchs is seen standing among the group and Palmer is also there offering Copper a ride. In the very next scene, Copper is walking towards the helicopter wreck telling Mac to get his things on and Fuchs and Palmer are already standing by the wreck dressed in their snow parkas.
  
  
• Continuity: When Macready visits Fuchs in his room and Fuchs mentions preparing their own food etc there is a beaker of dark brown, liquid on his desk. When the lamp flickers we get a close-up of the beaker and it now contains clear liquid.
  
  
• Factual errors: Copper and MacReady find several empty cans labeled "karosin" outside the Norwegian camp. The Norwegian word for kerosene is actually "parafin".
  
  
• Incorrectly regarded as goofs: After the opening the caption reads, "Antarctica, Winter". It's also stated that the movie begins on the "first day of winter". Winter in Antarctica is famously completely dark, but the darkness comes on gradually, and initially can include a day-night cycle depending on the exact latitude. The movie is consistent with this.
  
  

• Crew or equipment visible: SPOILER: When Windows is being eaten and mauled by Palmer a brief shot reveals a man holding him above his head in a green tank top.
  
  
• Plot holes: SPOILER: At the conclusion of the movie, MacReady finally comes in contact with Childs, whom they all previously believed had either died or been infected and transformed. This happens AFTER the camp had been destroyed and the remnants left burning. Since it had been established earlier in the film that the transforming creature tears through clothing, why is it that MacReady is suspicious of whether or not this is the real Childs as he is still wearing the same outfit that he was last seen in before disappearing?
  
  

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