Writer-director Frank Darabont, who showcased the softer side of Stephen King in his film adaptations of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, turns to darker material for The Mist, his latest King adaptation about a group of ordinary townspeople trapped in a supermarket by a mysterious fogbank. Thomas Jane is top-billed as a Maine illustrator who attempts to calm the frightened shoppers, but his job is cut out for him from the get-go, first by the discovery of malevolent creatures lurking in the mist, and then by the mad mutterings of Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden), a local eccentric who calls for Old Testament-style sacrifices to appease the supernatural forces. Darabont delivers monster movie thrills and understated social commentary with equal skill, and he's well supported by his cast (which includes Andre Braugher, Toby Jones, William Sadler and Jeffrey DeMunn) and the vivid special effects by KNB EFX, which effectively mix CGI with models and stop-motion animation (the terrific monsters were designed by legendary comic book artist Bernie Wrightson). And for those curious about how the novella's downbeat ending has translated to film, suffice it to say that Darabont's conclusion is at once different and more unsettling than King's. --Paul Gaita

A mysterious mist, thick with blood-thirsty creatures, descends on a small town, where a group of people holes up in a grocery store to fight for their lives.

There are many reviews available .Cutting through the great acting, and special effects, all top notch.The ending of this movie, makes it one of the 5 best horror /Si Fi movies ever made.Oh Did I Mention The Ending.

I usually stay away from hyperboles. But, the Mist may be the Hamlet of monsters movies. It succeeds on two levels. It is first and foremost a monster movie that is truly horrific. Darabont's realistic direction fleshed out King's story and characters, and made the Lovercraftian horrors much more tangible and immediate. Secondly, the movie is a careful study of the psychology of fear, or how fear operates in group dynamics. It shows that fear makes people do what they otherwise would not, and makes them believe in things that they otherwise would not.

There is much controversy surrounding the ending. It works fine for me both dramatically and emotionally. I would also like to point out that King clearly alluded to it in his novella:

"I checked the gun and then put it into the glove compartment. Ollie had reloaded it after the expedition to the drugstore. The rest of the shells had disappeared with him, but that was all right. He had fired at Mrs. Carmody, he had fired once at the clawed thing, and the gun had discharged once when it hit the ground. There were four of us in the Scout, but if push came right down to shove, I'd find some other way out for myself."

The allusion renders the movie ending much legitimacy. An enthusiastic reader can even speculate that such an ending may be what King himself would have wanted it on a deep subconscious level. We would probably never know for sure. What we do have is this wonderful piece of movie making!

Easy for films of this nature to go over the top with special effects, The Mist is mostly successful here. Not a philosophical film per say, but makes an existential thrust that the horror is as much inside as outside. Your call on which creatures are scarier.

An easy resolution is not offered, and there is an arresting, realistic portrayal of the evangelical temperament. The story does not lose its focus; good acting and production values are sustained.

A new suspense genre seems to be emerging, with eco-dysfunction as the driver. The Happening and Last Winter also are in this mold.

Effective.

It is incumbent upon me to post a review about this movie. How tame and idyllic it began, with beautiful scenery and a generic storm and it's aftermath of destruction. How quickly things can depart from the norm. In the course of mere minutes, a very disturbing, yet believable presentation of horrror, both of monster and of man in his baser mindset, splattered across the surface of my HDTV. This cinematic effort has indeed been a reminder of all that is creative and chilling about Stephen King. This is the stuff that true nightmares are made of!
I say well done to those who made "The Mist" a reality!
Respectfully,
Rodney Kase Tyrone (a.k.a. the Warlock)
12-28-2008
5:20P.M.

This is a definite A+ film & by far one of the best horror films I've seen in quite sometime. I believe this one gave the horror film genre a nice shot of creativity in the arm. Personally The Mist ranks right up their w/ other classics such as Prince of Darkness, The Exorcist, & The Shining.