Deliberate mistake: When the Norwegian starts shooting at the dog, Childs jumps into the snow and you can see the shape before he jumps in where he's had to do this before on different takes. (00:08:40)
The Thing (1982)
1 deliberate mistake - chronological order
Directed by: John Carpenter
Starring: Kurt Russell, Keith David, Wilford Brimley, David Clennon, T.K. Carter
Character mistake: The last time Doc tries the defibrillator on Norris, he uses it on the abdomen instead of on the chest. He also positions the pads incorrectly. They should be placed diagonal, with the heart in the middle, not horizontal.
Clark: I dunno what the hell's in there, but it's weird and pissed off, whatever it is.
Trivia: In the scene after Macready visits the Norwegian base, he is explaining what he saw to everyone. Childs questions what he says calling it voodoo, while Palmer says "Chariots of the Gods, man. They practically taught the Mayans everything they knew." This is in reference to Eric Von Daniken's 1968 book Chariot of the Gods, about ancient aliens being the catalyst for our modern world. (00:39:30 - 00:40:30)
Question: Was any member of the team aware that they were infected by the creature, or did they not know they were until they began changing?
Answer: The death of Fuchs is probably the best answer to this question, as it appeared that Fuchs burned himself alive before the Thing could assimilate him. It's also possible that Norris suspected he was infected before he transformed. There is a scene in which we see Norris, who is alone, suddenly wince in pain, surprised, and grab at his chest, but he continues functioning normally thereafter. Following the altercation with Mac, Norris collapses and becomes unresponsive, until his chest cracks wide open and bites off Copper's arms. Also, in the blood test scene, Palmer's facial expressions appear to betray his secret, but he was already fully transformed at that point.
Charles Austin Miller