The Mist
November 25, 2007
Rated: R Runtime: 125 min Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
There are multiple types of horror movies. There’s the type that goes BOO! all the time trying to make you jump out of your seat, there’s the type that saw people apart and show you their innards, and there’s the type that reaches down into your soul and tickles that part of your being which has identified with the characters on screen.. tickles it and leaves you speechless as you come to grips with the horror you have witnessed. The Mist is in that glorious third group, the true rarity that horrifies you. True, there are a number of BOO! moments, and there’s plenty of blood thrown around and bodies pulled apart, but the true testament to this movie is what happens when the credits roll, as you witness the audience sit in silence for the first few minutes of the credits while the true horror sinks in.
The Mist doesn’t take long to get started. During the opening credits a violent thunderstorm moves into a small Maine town, causing massive damage and sending most of the townsfolk shopping to get supplies. In the aftermath of the storm, a strange mist rolls in from the mountains. While getting groceries with his son and ornery neighbor, David Drayton (Thomas Jane) and a whole store full of people see a man running out of the mist, face bloodied screaming “there’s something in the mist!” While they don’t see anything, the mist is creepily thick and they lock the store doors after letting him in.
Due to the storm phones are working, the radio station is off the air, and there’s no TV. These people are 100% isolated from the outside world, and now they can’t see more than a couple feet past the plate glass windows that line the front of the store. You’re now 10 minutes into the movie, told ya it started quickly.
While looking for a blanket to cover up his son who got quite frightened by the screaming guy, David notices that the generator in the storeroom area is leaking exhaust into the store. He quickly shuts it off and is left in the dark, and hears something pushing up against the loading bay doors. Rushing back to the store he tells a few guys what he heard, and they think he’s just hearing things. Next, they do the logical thing.. put together a hasty plan to open the loading bay door enough for a stockboy to run out and remove whatever is blocking the exhaust so they can get the generator back on. Yeah, there really is something in the mist and they’re about to learn this the hard way.
What follows is a lesson in group dynamics, with the people branching off into 3 groups. The first group believes (and some know) that there’s something in the mist, the second group thinks it’s hogwash and are putting together a plan to leave, and the third (initially just one lady played brilliantly by Marcia Gay Harden) believes is the end of the world as told in the Bible. Eventually we get down to the 2 groups as it’s painfully obvious there are things in the mist, those who don’t know what the things are but just want to survive, and those who believe it’s the end of days and are trying to appease an angry God in hopes to saving their asses. The interplay between all of these people is brilliant, it’s not at all difficult to believe that this is how the situation could unfold if such a thing were to happen on this side of the screen. As the religious camp gets larger, their leader becomes more and more sure of herself and her position as that of a prophet, and some of her followers get fanatical while most just stand around and watch it happen while hoping for the best. Brilliant and accurate portrayal of human nature, sad as it might be.
While a good portion of this movie is a simple setting in a grocery store, the creature effects are quite good. Without going into detail so that I won’t ruin the surprise, it’s gonna hit on many peoples phobias. Any reader of Kings books will immediately recognize how accurately these creatures have been yanked from those pages, and Mr. King has one hell of an imagination when it comes to this sort of thing. If the whimpering guy sitting in the row in front of me is any indication, there are some seriously scary moments here.
For me however, the horror wasn’t with the creatures, or the blood, it was the story itself. The interplay between characters and the decisions that they found themselves forced to make, and the conclusions those decisions caused. Is this a 5 star movie because it just HAS to be seen on the big screen? No, but it is a 5 star movie based on the fact that if you manage to see it without someone giving you too many details, you will have experienced what a true master of horror is capable of.
Seen it? How many stars do you give it?
(5 votes, average: 4.2 out of 5)
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Last night I watched the DVD of THE MIST. I’d read Stephen King’s 1980 novella (reprinted in his 1985 short story collection SKELETON CREW). This is a very good adaptation, an A-movie with the trappings of a B-movie, great performances, and good icky monsters.
The ending of the movie is far different (and more horrifying) than King’s original ending. Some purists will probably bemoan the change from the King story, but it works.
There’s a 2-DVD Collector’s Edition set, but I just saw the 1-DVD version. Extras on the one disk include a commentary by director Frank Darabont (This is his third Stephen King movie; he also directed THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and THE GREEN MILE). Other extras are deleted scenes, three short “Making Of” webisodes, trailers, and a tribute to movie poster artist Drew Struzan.
I have to recommend the audio play that was made of Stephen King’s novella. It first came out in 1986 on audio cassette from Simon & Schuster Audio. In 1993 it came out on CD. Then in 2007 it was re-released to coincide with the movie, THE MIST MOVIE TIE-IN: IN 3 D SOUND.
More than a book on tape, it’s a dramatization of the novella like an old time radio show. Different actors play the various parts, and there are elaborate sound effects. It’s recorded in “Kunstkopf” binaural 3-D sound. If you listen to it, try it through headphones, the effect is incredible. I’m usually fairly indifferent to sound quality, but this recording (originally released 22 years ago) is outstanding.