Frank Darabont, The Mist

by Chris Flippo
11/21/2007

The end credits for Frank Darabont’s The Mist came up, and I walked out of the theater and out to my car. No, that’s not right. I lumbered out of the theater and toward my car. It was like a cloud was hanging over me, but then, a strange thing happened: I smiled. No, not 'cause The Mist left me happy, but because of the gamble Darabont took and how well he pulled it off.

One night, a thunderstorm hits a small Maine town. The next day, as the town’s citizens begin to pick up the pieces, the titular mist descends upon the town. Frightened, David Drayton (Thomas Jane) and his son take refuge in the nearby supermarket. However, they soon find out that something lies in the mist. I’ll give you a hint: its monsters.

As of right now, the story has not done anything spectacular. However, that is only the set-up for the real story. What Darabont and writer Stephen King are really interested in is the clash of personality types. How far will people go when they believe that death surrounds them? According to The Mist, the answer is “pretty far.” At one point, Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden) begins convincing the stranded citizens that this is God’s will and that a sacrifice is in order. I guess the monsters are not only in the mist.

I’ve admitted before to having a bias for good genre films. There are so many bad films made each year that call themselves “horror” films that I celebrate each successful entry. The Mist is frightening alright, and in ways all the Saw and Hostel films can only dream about. It gets more mileage from some fog and a few creepy noises than those films can from gallons of fake blood. Sure, there is gore, but it’s not the main attraction. The Mist is all about claustrophobia and the fear of the unknown.

To go any further with plot synopsis would be to spoil the fun (if that’s indeed the right word), and you, Dear Reader, deserve to walk into this one cold. I wouldn’t dare reveal the ending, but I will tell you how I felt about it. The Mist ends in an uncompromising, bloody fashion. Its one of the most shocking endings I’ve seen in the past year. It worked for me. Will it work for you? Maybe, maybe not. However, you’ll be thinking about it all the way home. You may not like the ending, but I doubt you’ll be able to shake it.

That being said, this film and 1408 have made 2007 a banner year for King adaptations. With From A Buick 8 (a great book) being adapted next year, I hope that this streak will continue. There is something about King that translates well on screen (most of the time). He is one of our most cinematic writers.

After I finished the film, I went online to see what other critics were saying about the film. Some liked it, others didn’t (that ending really isn’t for everybody). However, I like what critic Colin Covert said about the film: “The Mist gave me the feeling I was being scalped with an icicle.” Yes, you read that right, and yes, that’s a positive review. Never mind how Covert knows this because, frankly, I don’t want to know. However, if I had to guess what that’s like, then I’d probably use The Mist as a reference, too. If you’re a genre fan, then, by all means, go see The Mist. But just be warned, there will be a cloud hanging over you after seeing it.

Hopefully, not literally.