The Thing’s Eye Gleam Theory Explained: How It Reveals Who’s Infected

The Thing’s eye gleam theory can supposedly reveal which characters are alien imitations, but how effective is this method in practice? The original The Thing from Another World is one of John Carpenter’s favorite movies, which is why he was reluctant to helm a remake when first approached. However, the original movie dropped the imitation element that was present in the original short story Who Goes There? in favor of a more generic alien monster. Carpenter decided the alien shapeshifter concept was the perfect way to reinvent the concept, and was determined the monster itself would rarely, if ever, be depicted onscreen as a man in a creature costume.