The Being (1983) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The creature was mutated by prolonged exposure to radioactive materials from a nuclear dump site. Pottsville sits atop one of 2,000 nuclear dump sites in the United States, and repeated exposure to these materials transformed the creature into a highly radioactive, intelligent but psychotic monster.

Foreshadowing: The green slime found at each crime scene hinted at the unnatural, chemical nature of the threat from the beginning.

• nuclear waste
• mutation
• radiation
• toxic dump
• creature origin

The film implies that the creature is indeed Michael Smith, the young boy who was the first to disappear. Garson Jones reveals that the mutated entity is likely Michael Smith, transformed by the radioactive exposure into the murderous creature.

Foreshadowing: Michael Smith's disappearance as the first victim established him as the likely source of the monster.

• michael smith
• missing boy
• creature identity
• mutation

The creature is sensitive to light and becomes inactive during the day. This vulnerability is a key weakness that the investigators discover after Jones reveals the creature's nature, though the exact scientific reason is not detailed in the film.

Foreshadowing: The creature only attacked at night, which foreshadowed its light sensitivity.

• light sensitivity
• daylight
• creature weakness
• nighttime attacks

The poison gas had no effect on the creature because it is highly radioactive and apparently resistant to conventional weapons. Despite Lutz wearing a gas mask and filling the warehouse with poison gas, the creature was unfazed and continued its attack.

• poison gas
• weapon failure
• creature immunity
• Lutz attack

The ending shows a new mutation bursting from the ground, suggesting that the nuclear contamination has created ongoing, evolving dangers beyond the defeated creature. This implies the threat is not over, more mutations could emerge to threaten the town or even the entire country.

Foreshadowing: Jones mentioned that Pottsville sits atop one of 2,000 nuclear dump sites, hinting at a widespread problem.

• new mutation
• ending
• sequel
• nuclear contamination
• future threat

Jones was a seasoned chemical safety engineer hired by the mayor to investigate the incidents. He initially concealed the truth but eventually admitted he knew a highly radioactive creature was responsible, likely because he understood the nuclear dump site's dangers and had access to information the police did not.

• garron jones
• investigator
• chemical engineer
• cover-up

The green slime was the creature's biological residue, left behind as it moved through the town. Each murder and disappearance site featured this slick green substance, which became the primary physical evidence linking all the incidents to the same unnatural threat.

Foreshadowing: The recurring slime at each scene from the beginning indicated a single, consistent source.

• green slime
• evidence
• crime scene
• creature trail

The creature attacks out of hunger and instinct, though it is depicted as intelligent and psychotic. As a mutated being born from radiation, it hunts and kills residents of Pottsville, possibly driven by both primal hunger and the violent transformation it underwent.

• attacks
• murders
• hunger
• motive
• killings

The film does not explicitly explain how the creature escaped the freezer where Lutz and Laurie trapped it. When Mayor Lane arrives at the diner, the creature has vanished, leaving only the slime as evidence of its presence.

Foreshadowing: The creature's intelligence allowed it to escape confinement despite Lutz and Laurie sealing it inside.

• diner
• freezer
• escape
• trapped
• creature

Mayor Gordon Lane was worried that publicity about the disappearances and murders would ruin Pottsville's reputation and damage its potato-based economy. This is why he secretly hired Jones to investigate rather than alerting federal authorities, prioritizing the town's financial interests over public safety.

• potato economy
• mayor
• town reputation
• cover-up

The creature attacked and disemboweled Jones inside the warehouse, killing him brutally. This violent death occurred because the creature, despite its intelligence, is psychotic and driven by hunger. Jones was simply another victim in the creature's path during the confrontation.

Foreshadowing: The creature's previous attacks had all been brutal and lethal, setting the tone for Jones's fate.

• jones death
• disembowelment
• violent attack
• warehouse

Laurie, Lutz's waitress girlfriend, survived the diner attack. She and Lutz barricaded themselves in the freezer to escape the creature and then notified Mayor Lane. She does not appear again after this scene, suggesting she was not harmed in the subsequent warehouse confrontation.

Foreshadowing: The diner attack established Laurie as a potential victim, but trapping herself in the freezer saved her.

• laurie
• girlfriend
• survival
• diner attack