1. The Thing (1982)
Possibly the greatest sci-fi horror movie ever made, John Carpenter’s The Thing is memorable in the best way. It follows a team of researchers working at a remote station in Antarctica as they are attacked by a predatory alien entity capable of completely replicating other life forms. It assimilates the researchers one by one as they grow increasingly paranoid. They’re all unable to tell if someone is themselves or if they are part of the Thing.
Having destroyed their research station to stop the Thing spreading or reaching the outside world, only two survivors remain: Childs and MacReady. Stranded in the snow without shelter, the pair sit in total distrust of one another, unsure if the other is the Thing or not. Acknowledging the futility of the situation, they sit and share a drink, waiting to freeze to death.
The Thing‘s ending is undoubtedly one of the best movie endings ever written. There’s no way of knowing who is who and whether the characters can be trusted, so the audience are left feeling as though they’re also sat there in the snow. It’s a testament to how well the film was written and made that this ending still has audiences scratching their heads over 40 years later, and that’s why it deserves its place at the top of this list.
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