Every once in a while you discover a horror film that makes you wrestle with the ending for days afterward. It seeps into you and causes restless sleep, and not just because it's scary. Based on the Stephen King novella of the same name, The Mist mixes the unimaginable with the all-too-familiar and may very well make you feel uncomfortable and unnerved. And like so many of Stephen King's works, this film takes you somewhere you think of as safe -- in this case, the grocery store -- and makes it the creepiest place around.
The incredible cast (including Thomas Jane and Andre Braugher playing neighbors pitted against each other) couldn’t have done a better job...though maybe Marcia Gay Harden might have toned it down JUST a tad. She plays a religious fanatic the way it’s been played in countless horror films before (think Piper Laurie in Carrie, but slightly less bitter). I love it though, when a man she’s trying to preach to responds with: "I do believe in God, I just don’t think He’s the vengeful, bloodthirsty (replace curse word with family friendly word here) you make him out to be."
Whereas I don’t remember the book being so deep...the movie really captures the current cultural divide and the absolutes people cling to so desperately, often causing them to lash out at others who politely disagree.
I won’t ruin the ending, but let’s just say it blindsides you. It throws out so much that really gets to you: nail-biting suspense...humanity...inhumanity (a lot of the people are far worse than the supernatural creatures they battle inside the grocery store), emotions...tough, protective women...sensitive, protective men...
The Mist is an intense experience and never quite the film you're expecting, a combination making it a cut above (way above!) all the other horror films you've seen until now. The only complaint I have? Someone needs to teach Thomas Jane (who otherwise is amazing in this!) how to properly cry.
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