The Mist

[Guest Tosh]

I read this Steven King short story years ago and even remember thinking how great a movie it could be if they stuck to the story, King's movie adaptions have a tendency to suck badly apart from a few, so I was surprised to see a guy on chud compare it to Shawshank Redemption. I can never realize why they take the good parts of any book and change the story for film(it works for The Shining, but look who directed it), they nailed every scene from the book and then some (with an ending that changed from the book but ends like a classic King short story would).

I got to see a screening last week and I have to say it's one of the best horror movies ever made, and I'm serious, for once a hollywood movie that does not disappoint.

[Guest venomsfreak]

Thanks for the info Tosh, I was wondering how good this one was. I'm a huge Stephen King fan, and The Mist is one of my favorite stories. Like you said most of the movies based on his books don't usually turn out to well, I thought 1408 was a big dissapointment among others. I'll have to check this one out.

[Sifu]

I left the theater so depressed though! I don't wanna reveal too much but, WHYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!

I did enjoy the storyline, it made you wanna watch. The effects were very ominous in the mist, and the finale was awe-inspiring. I just felt that when they got close, they looked kinda fake. That was the only factor that disappointed me.

[Guest D_Davis]

In short, I loved it.

At length,

A strange, unearthly mist envelopes a small town, and a group of strangers and acquaintances find themselves trapped in a grocery store, fighting for their lives and sanity against a terrible onslaught of creepy-crawlies. Frank Darabont and Stephen King have teamed up before with spectacular results, but this film marks their first excursion together into the realms of true horror; at its core, The Mist is a superior monster movie, an midnight-style genre film filtered through A-class execution.

There is something innately mysterious and frightening about a dense fog, while at the same time it can birth intensely romantic moments. A thick fog plays tricks on the mind, the inner world becomes smaller, almost claustrophobic, while the outer world grows to an almost unfathomable size; things near become more intimate, while things in the distance seem worlds away. There is something almost supernatural about fog and mist, phantasmagoric natural occurrences that trigger within us feelings of instinctual fear and wonder. The Mist expertly captures all of these atmospheric elements.

Most of the film is small and modest, but at certain points vistas are revealed and we are allowed a glimpse into the great and wild unknown. During these moments, the film opens a window into a Lovecraftian world. While I have yet to read King's original story, I wouldn't be surprised to find it dedicated to the great master of murky, unnameable horror - did I see Cthulhu? These shifting moments, from small and personal to grand and spectacular, are handled with great skill. To strengthen the intensity of the intimate and personal sequences, Darabont uses documentary-style techniques that lend a television news-like appearance to the situations, and, conversely, when the moments become bigger and more epic, he relaxes the camera and lets things happen within the frame with little manipulation.

Many lesser examples in the genre rely upon the film's ability to manipulate the audience. All too often we know exactly what to feel because of the pervasive music. But in a stroke of brilliance, The Mist is almost totally devoid of a soundtrack. Yes there are a few musical cues. However, these moments are used as punctuation, and are not used to dictate emotions in an over-saturation of choral cacophony. The sparse music lends the film an eerie and natural organic atmosphere.

Also adding to this natural atmosphere are the actors. Rather than use larger-than-life stars to fill the roles, The Mist's cast is made up of bit-players and character actors; a lack of big names limits the amount of security given to the characters. Thomas Jane is excellent as David Drayton, the film's “hero,†and Andre Braugher is equally impressive as Brent Norton, Drayton's somewhat hard-headed neighbor. My two favorite performances are given by Toby Jones and Marcia Gay Harden. Jones plays the lovable grocery store clerk, Ollie, and utilizes his awkwardness to great effect. Harden plays Mrs. Carmody, a religious zealot taking advantage of the rampant fear and using it to to lure people into her psychosis. It is so rare to mention great actors and characters when discussing a horror film, and The Mist only makes me realize how terrible most of the others are in this department.

The Mist is gross, wet and sticky; the humidity of the lingering moisture can almost be felt, and the nastiness of the twisted invasion is pervasive and unrelenting. It truly is a superior horror film and deftly captures the things that make Stephen King's stories so endearing. King's horror almost always works on two levels - the physical and the spiritual - and here we get to see both in expert fashion. The decent into hell is both frightening and strangely compelling, and as I was drawn into the murky midst, I couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder, even while I cringed at the horrible situations, and experienced true empathy for the characters and their plight. The Mist is a gripping experience, and thanks to its brave ending, it is one that will not quickly be forgotten.

[Tosh]

I left the theater so depressed though! I don't wanna reveal too much but, WHYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!

I'm going to try to discuss this without giving away anything either, though I'm sure most people(who care) already know the spoilers...

The ending for me was one of the worst horrors you could be faced with, it's something few horror films do nowadays, if you've ever read any of King's older short stories he liked to end things on the - why? - it's because true horror isn't suppose to be clean, and if you walk out of the theater/book with a sense of dread then it did it's job at being horror. I guess that's why I like my Samurai/KF movies, things don't always end on such a great note, such is life.

Mr Davis I think your spot on with Lovecraft(the first master to end his stories with "why"), I think it was King's intention, how the horrible unseen creatures in the Mist become secondary to the horrors humans commit to themselves. I'm really saddend that this hasn't done good in the US, total dreck like Saw makes millions, I give up:rolleyes:

[daisho2004]

OK I got to watch this movie tonight, and for the most part I really enjoyed it, it really made you think what would you do. There were a lot of moments in the movie that a few people would've been shot or just threw out of the store and that Crazy Bitch would've been the 1st. one. You just knew she was going to start a lot of stuff so she would've been bye,bye. But what gets me is the Lawyer Dude was he that Stupid to think that they were just making things up or what? But what really Blew my Mind away was the Ending , all I'm gonna say was WOW!!! I knew something like that was gonna happen, it was a tuff choice he made and being a Parent he didn't want to see anything happen to his Son. But I was still in shock as I'm still now writing this review.

[venoms5]

I bought the DVD of this recently. Will probably check it out tonight. Heard it's a downer of a movie.