MacReady relies on the flamethrower to protect him. the majority of the movie. Many scenes show Linus holding a gun, much like he hugged his beloved blue blanket from the “Peanuts” cartoons. The gun is used in many scenes in the movie, but one of the most iconic moments is, MacReady is forcing everyone to take a blood test To distinguish who among them is the impostor. Using both flamethrowers And With a gun, MacReady nervously tests blood samples, revealing Palmer is definitely the Thing. Panicked and in survival mode, MacReady burns Palmer like icing, and the men watch his burning body fall into the snow and die. A memorable scene for so many reasons, one of them being the fact that it’s hard to understand how Russell didn’t completely burn the entire set while swinging that flamethrower.
Inside 2016 interview for LA Weeklymanager John the carpenter He talked a bit about his concerns about the safety of the flamethrower on set. He said, “We […] we held our breath every time players used it [flamethrowers],” “these things ignite gasoline and burn!” No, John! We know! Carpenter said, “These are actors. You just don’t know. They might turn around and ask you a question and burn you.” Honestly, it sounds absolutely awful. But thankfully, no actual cast or crew members were accidentally burned during the making of “The Thing,” so we can all enjoy watching the flames go off in peace.