The Mist

In the 1970s I saw a book on the shelf at the local drugstore. It had a fascinating black cover, embossed with the face of a child with fangs. I asked my mother to purchase it, and that evening started reading Stephen King's SALEM'S LOT. I was soon consuming each King book immediately after publication - "The Shining," "The Dead Zone," "The Stand."

If nothing else, King was prolific (the man loves to write). I fell behind his massive publications, branching off to new authors and genres, some inspired by King's fine nonfiction work Stephen King's Danse Macabre. Somewhere along the way, King wrote the novella "The Mist," which director Frank Darabont made into a film this past year. Television previews were horrible, resembling a low-budget variation of John Carpenter's near-classic horror tale The Fog (Special Edition) (1980), which had a notoriously poor remake itself in 2005.

I have been beaten down over the years by increasingly degenerate horror films, breeding a level of cynicism for the genre I love. I felt exploited by the remakes of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Hills Have Eyes. "Saw" was unusually offensive. Each film spawned sequels of decreasing quality.

I picked up the DVD case to "The Mist" at the rental store. I was surprised it was directed by Darabont, whose The Shawshank Redemption (Single Disc Edition) and "The Green Mile" were respectable, if not extraordinary, works. He was a talent with an established track record, unusual for today's horror offerings. Sold by his name (rather than King's), I rented the film with the hope of quality and cheap thrills.

Much to my shock, I discovered one of the great horror films of the modern era, complete with crisp dialogue, tense atmosphere and earnest peformances by recognizable character actors. Arguably, it's one of the great monster movies of all time, with the horror deriving from human characters turning on one another as the apocalyptic tension increases.

Several aspects of "The Mist" will remind viewers of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (Collector's Edition) (1963) and George Romero's Night of the Living Dead (Millennium Edition) (1968), or for those versed in "The Twilight Zone," the 1960 episode "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street." You have characters from different cultural backgrounds thrown together against an unknown menace. Birds, zombies or slithering creatures, no matter, the fascination of these films is how humans react to having their worlds permanently changed within a matter of minutes.

I suppose the key to any monster film is the monster. Steven Spielberg's Jaws (30th Anniversary Edition) (1975) set a standard by not showing the creature until more than one hour into the film. Curse of the Demon / Night of the Demon (1957) had the audacity to not reveal the monster until the final scene. But this is the modern world, and Darabont is forced to reveal pieces of his creatures as "The Mist" progresses. When they do make an appearance, they are not creatures we have seen before. They fly, bite, swarm and slither. Some are big. Once the monsters are shown, specifically one evening as they crash into the store windows, the suspense remains. Like cockroaches, these creatures move too fast for comfort, and so dangerous that there is little hope.

Following an especially violent thunderstorm, a mist pours into a small Maine town and a father and son find themselves trapped with 30-40 people at the local grocery store. Preceded by the terrifying wail of an emergency siren, the fog surrounds the store as a resident, covered in blood, rushes past the glass doors announcing "There's something in the mist!" Cell phones stop working, the electricity goes out and the trapped survivors, noshing on the store's potato chips and sports drinks, stare at the mist in frozen silence.

Thomas Jane plays the father David Drayton, a local artist hunk who attempts to keep the residents calm while caring for his terrified son. Drayton's not a native, plus he's fairly well-to-do, and as the hours grind on he uncomfortably realizes that the locals are rallying around Bible-thumper Mrs. Carmody (Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden, in grand saliva-spitting form). In Jim Jones tradition, she announces the apocalypse, and the need to appease the Gods with sacrifice. Drayton's son is blonde and innocent and, well, it doesn't take Einstein to figure out who might be the first offering.

Over the course of an agonizing hour, characters are established, tentacles slither through a loading dock, and an especially brave Hells Angels-type volunteers to walk into the mist with a rope around his waist. While I will not reveal his outcome, the screams of the store's inhabitants are traumatic and real. Multiple times I found myself imagining what I would do if trapped in the same situation. The brilliance of "The Mist," and I believe this was intentional strategy by Darabont (who also wrote the screenplay), is the choices made were exactly what I considered.

There's multiple American analogies one can apply to "The Mist," as it dabbles in race and religious prejudices and lynch mob mentality. The Lovecraftian creepy crawlies throw everyone into a state of rabid panic and there's a genuine feeling of doom pervading the drama as it takes on Lord of the Flies (50th Anniversary Edition) dynamics.

As the final action unfolds, Drayton is forced to make a unimaginably difficult decision. Viewers will find themselves wondering if they could have committed the same act, a choice that will provoke conversation long after the haunting final credits.

Mr. King's imagination has once again captured mine, and I've been reminded of an old, childhood friend, as comfortable as a black and white Rod Serling. Welcome back Mr. King, and thank you Mr. Darabont for having the bravery to fulfill a thoughtfully nightmarish vision.

If you read... If you like your movies based on books to resemble the book it was based on...

If you have any humanity whatsoever...

DO NOT PAY TO SEE THIS.

This "movie" (and i do use the term sarcastically) takes a wonderful short story by Stephen King into the back room of an underground club, does unspeakable things to it, then tells it to put the lotion in the basket.

The "screenwriter" (and i do use the term sarcastically... YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED!) has killed a good story. He has killed it, and done bad things to the body...

When David Drayton(Thomas Jane) takes a trip to town with his son. They soon find themselves barricaded in a supermarket to escape a mist that appeared out of nowhere. The mist seems to be concealing something that snatches people into it.

The Mist was a very surprising horror film. The film begins as just another monster themed movie that tries hard to be scary. But comes off being more funny than anything else. Later on it changes pace and actually takes a darker turn. Using the characters supported by very solid acting to work its horror edge.

The Mists biggest strength for me has to be the acting. I'm mostly moved by characters that trigger some type of emotion in me. Whether it's compassion or a deep dislike. Marcia Gay Harden as Mrs. Carmody delivered an outstanding and very believeable performance. Her character as the sadistic religious nut even seemed too believable at times. And the funny thing is, I actually know people like this. I even recently had a fallout with a long time friend that has this same complex.

I love the writing to this film. One thing I noticed immediately is The Mist doesn't rely on cheap scares such as the shadowy figure running in the background or someone creeping up from behind for the flimsiest of reasons. The sudden shocks do happen out of nowhere but I found them to be done with some actual creativity.

Alot of thought was put into this film. The monsters are very well designed and well used. The gore is pretty well done also. It could have been a little more over the top but I'm happy with this.

Alot of people seem to hate this movie simply because of the ending. Well I loved the ending. Why? Because it's a horror movie and it's suppose to end horrible. I take my hat off for anyone who chooses to over step bounds and go too far. I don't want happy endings in my horror.

I can list reasons all night on why I love this film. But that would require massive spoilers. And I hate that. I think this film is worth watching. Just be warned, the ending really is a shock. And the bible thumper can really grate on your nerves if you hate hearing someone constantly preach.

Stephen King is usually overhyped garbage but this movie was fun and pretty well made. Granted perhaps time hasnt be kind to the Shining, and It seems downright goofy ("Hey! It's Seth Green!") but come on. Maximum Overdrive. However the Mist taps into something primal and for that it works.

Fear of the unknown is powerful, as is fear of what you can't see. As such naturally the characters slowly turn to someone who seems to know whats going on. Granted she's a nut but some of her ramblings start to sync up and thats more than enough for those with fear.

Some have complained about that crazy Christian lady as being unrealistic, but I'm not sure I can agree. Well known religious leaders have blamed 9-11 or Katrina on all sorts of stuff, many of which the crazy lady parallels. Remember, just because a character might represent certain Christians, they arent a stand in for all Christians.

Also the ending was pretty good and something worth seeing. It will certainly rub many the wrong way but don't let the thought of some bad ending dissuade you from seeing the movie.

I had read Stephen King's novella "The Mist" years ago and forgotten most of it. I remembered the book's basic premise and that was about all. Since this movie never played locally (don't ask me why--ask Chaeker's Theaters), I anxiously awaited its release to DVD.

Although I have been quite harsh on other King's novels (turned into movies), I was surprised at how good director Frank Darabont did with his actors, dialogue, and effects. Darabont also directed "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Green Mile,"--two other Stephen King novels-turned-into-movies. Here, he puts several townspeople in a claustrophic atmosphere/apocalyptic end-of-times scenario, and then hurls everything he can at them. What the audience views is just how quickly man will turn on man.

Marcia Gay Harding, as the bible-thumper know-it-all, managed to make her performance very believable, as she was an actual character and NOT a caricature. Thomas Jane was also very believable as the father who tries to keep his wits in order for him and his son to survive the madness.

The movie isn't without its problems, which I will not go into here because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who has not seen the film. Run time is 126 minutes, and it is rated R for language and violence. I recommend it for viewing--but not on a foggy night...