The flamethrower is one of the most delightfully unhinged lethal weapons because it, well, throws flames. And if you're a fan of them, you most likely recall instances in pop culture where they have turned up. Not too long ago, Elon Musk sold 20,000 of them (though, if you ask Musk, they're "not-a-flamethrowers") through his Boring Store to extremely high demand. And the decision to do so was largely based on the scene in "Spaceballs" where Yogurt shows off all the merchandise for the film, including a flamethrower marketed as "a children's toy." Quentin Tarantino's 2019 "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" includes an exceptional flamethrower scene towards the end where a surprised Leonardo DiCaprio incinerates one of the Manson girls in his swimming pool. But the flamethrower in all of its chaotic glory is truly the weapon of the horror genre.

"Phantasm II" features the weapon in a few choice scenes (take that Tall Man!), and the fiery accoutrement sets many a creature ablaze in "Night of the Creeps" and both "Alien" and its sequel, "Aliens." However, while all of those movie moments burn as considerably memorable, there is one particular film that really does wonders for that hunk of blazing metal: John Carpenter's "The Thing."

Largely utilized by R.J. MacReady (Kurt Russell) in the 1982 sci-fi horror film featuring a mutating alien and a whole lot of paranoia, the flamethrower in "The Thing" is as iconic as the film's spine-chilling special effects and sub-zero temperatures. However, using the weapon on set was a dangerous thing to do, and Carpenter was nervous about filming with it.

Never Trust An Actor To Throw A Flame

MacReady relies on the flamethrower to protect him for the majority of the film. Many scenes show him clinging to the weapon like Linus clings to his beloved blue blanket in the "Peanuts" cartoons. The weapon is used throughout many scenes in the movie, but one of the most iconic moments is when MacReady forces everyone to submit to a blood test in order to discern who among them is an imposter. Wielding both the flamethrower and a gun, MacReady nervously tests the blood samples only to reveal that Palmer is most definitely the Thing. Panic-stricken and in survival mode, MacReady torches Palmer like he's sugar on a crème brûlée, and the men watch as his burning body stumbles out into the snow and dies. It's a memorable scene for many reasons, one of which is the fact that it's hard to wrap your head around how Russell didn't absolutely burn down the entire set while swinging that flamethrower around.

In a 2016 interview for LA Weekly, director John Carpenter talked a bit about his concerns over the safety of the flamethrower on set. He said, "We […] held our breath every time the actors used [flamethrowers]," noting that "these things shoot gasoline and are on fire!" No duh, John! We know! Carpenter went on to say, "These are actors. You just don't know. They might turn around to ask you a question and burn you up." Which, honestly, sounds absolutely terrifying. But thankfully, no real actors or crew members were accidentally torched in the making of "The Thing," so we can all enjoy watching flames get thrown in peace.

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