Check Out the Trailer

Director Frank Darabont previously made two good adaptations from Stephen King stories, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and THE GREEN MILE. Now he makes it a third, however this is the first time he tackles a King horror story. Like many of King’s more haunting tales, this film doesn’t force us into pleasant messages about humanity. This is horror done darkly, but not sadistically like recent torture porn where gore is the main subject. Like a great B-movie, Darabont taps into primordial human fears, allowing the real monsters to be the humans.

David Drayton (Thomas Jane, THE PUNISHER) paints movie posters in a small New England town. After a storm destroys parts of his house, he heads into town for supplies with his young son Billy (Nathan Gamble, BABEL) and his next-door neighbor Brent Norton (Andre Braugher, FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER), who he hasn’t gotten along with previously. While they’re at the supermarket, a strange fog rolls in from which Dan Miller (Jeffrey DeMunn, THE MAJESTIC) comes running, screaming that there is something in the mist. When David sees something push against the loading dock doors, he gets frightened, but hick Jim (William Sadler, SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION) doesn’t believe until it’s too late. As things gets worse, Bible-thumping Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden, MYSTIC RIVER) starts stirring up fire and brimstone. This makes the situation even more dangerous for the non-true-believers like David, his son, Dan, school teacher Amanda Dumfries (Laurie Holden, SILENT HILL), sure-shot grocery clerk Ollie Weeks (Toby Jones, THE PAINTED VEIL), sassy senior citizen Irene Reppler (Frances Sternhagen, MISERY), pretty check-out girl Sally (Alexa Davalos, THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK) and army private Jessup (Sam Witwer, TV’s BATTLESTAR GALACTICA).

Outside forces ratchet up the scares, but it’s the character dynamics that forge the real tension. David fears for the safety of his wife back at home while wanting to protect his child. Like many similar tales, tension arises between the various points of view on how to deal with the events. But King finds new dynamics that are interesting. Brent is an out-of-towner who vacations across from David. When the attacks start happening, Brent is skeptical that he’s getting played for a sap. Braugher wonderfully brings the right defensive attitude to his character, an overly educated snob who resents feeling like an outcast. Harden’s Mrs. Carmody is a hate-monger than an audience can easily hate, but she is also an opportunist. She sees the situation as her moment to shine. As more creatures emerge from the mist, the more converts she gets to her paranoid and bloodthirsty way of thinking.

Like many great horror films, dark moral choices play key roles. King loves them and provides us with several challenging decisions. The painfully ironic ending has come into debate. Some will like it and some will not. It’s a bold move, which adds to the overall horrifying experience. The ending will leave you thinking, which is probably better than a traditional ending that would be easily forgotten. As for overall themes, the film reminded me of Darabont’s SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, which told us to never lose hope.

Support the Site

Buy “The Mist” Here!