To begin with, I must first state the overall thematic overtones the movie decides to follow. Anyone who grew up watching episodes of The Twilight Zone may recall one of the higher profile classic episodes entitled The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street. In the aforementioned story, we have ordinary people faced with a perceived extraordinary force outside of the walls that seem to protect them. What you learn throughout the episode is that the true threat being faced is from within, both the walls keeping the monsters out, and in and of ourselves. WE are the true monsters, and a much more horrifying threat than what may or may not be out there. Once left to our base and primal devices, we revert back into survivalists, acting out with the basic instincts of self preservation. When you take away civility and the shroud of a well-behaved society, your trust in safety falls prey to pure anarchy.

The Mist takes a similar 50's B sci-fi approach, and director Darabont went as far as to include a special black and white version on the second disc of the DVD release, to give you the full effect of tuning into an old episode of a beloved melodrama from The Golden Age of Television. The cinematography team was handpicked after working on a Darabont-directed episode of The Shield. There are erratic zooms, hand held closeups, etc. These are not done in a shaky motion sickness style, rather intimate and unrehearsed. It adds to the shared feeling of chaos, so that you can feel as if you are with the actors, knowing that danger is around every corner. This visual motif is unsettling and gripping, and a complete 180° from the Roger Deakins fluidity and pristine shot composition seen in The Shawshank Redemption, another Frank Darabont/Stephen King picture. The same can be said about the magical and glistening palate previously seen in The Green Mile. This polish is stripped away in The Mist. You're in on the erratic chaos shown onscreen. Anything can happen.

The film's rough-hewn and personal viewpoint is personally something I was very appreciative to see. The previous two Darabont/King films were more drama than horror. This was a step back in time to the type of work seen in the first of their film collaborations: The Woman in the Room. That film was more about dark and unsettling tones, keeping within the horror theme. Everything about The Mist stays true to the indie low budget ethic. Made on a measly (by modern Hollywood standards) $18 million, there was no time for "fucking around" and taking time on a shot by shot basis. Instead, the director took a not-so-blind leap of faith, trusting in these things to make it work:

-A great and well-written concept
-One heck of a cast
-Competence in the production/crew and a controlled environment

The story first and foremost made production a bit easier. Most of the movie takes place within a grocery store. Once production found their location for filming in Shreveport, LA, a grocery store was replicated on a soundstage to the last detail, surrounded by a giant blown up photograph of the exterior. This allowed for shooting without many obstacles conceivably faced if shot in a real grocery store. Outdoor noise, daylight, store hours, etc. could all be avoided.

The cast, to put it bluntly, is simply outstanding. The performances given are so solid, that the viewer undeniably becomes in and of themselves a veritable volcano of emotion, meeting eruption at the film's jaw-dropping climax. I keep bringing that up, but with good reason. The first time I saw the film in theaters, the friends I brought along were still talking about The Mist a couple weeks later. Again, more on that ending in a bit.

On top of clever and fast camera work, you're treated to the effects magic of KNB EFX Group. You've loved their work in the Evil Dead movies, From Dusk Till Dawn, and everything in between. Seriously, I am cheating them by not listing their entire filmography. A lot of the movies they've worked on are in fact King adaptations as well. See for yourself a sampling of their immense body of work in special effects makeup and creatures. Oh yea, and the demo reel is well worth a look at as well:

KNB Filmography

I know, I know. I've set this thing up and not even discussed the movie itself yet! There are so many things left to say about the film, and now is as good a time as any to get into the plot and story...

David Drayton (Thomas Jane) is a commercial artist, seen preparing a movie poster in his home studio in Maine, when a great storm hits, causing much damage to the property he shares with his wife and young son. Fans of Stephen King should immediately catch what fictional movie he is creating a poster for. Hint, this Gunslinger has yet to see his feature debut, but it's a much-anticipated 7-part epic. This moment gives the non-casual King fan a chill, because you know the movie is in the hands of someone who KNOWS that we know.

After assessing the damage, David and his son venture into town for supplies, bringing with them their next door neighbor (Andre Braugher) whose unseen but hinted at personal grudge against the Draytons pays off during a later altercation. For now, all that you know is tensions have potential to flare once provoked with an unfamiliar and desperate circumstance. With the entire area devoid of power, the Food Store grocery is packed with nearly all of the denizens of this small Maine town, which is located near a military base, and not much else. It's desolate and simple. The local folk are stocking up for an oncoming storm, preceded by a strange mist slowly working its way into town. All Hell is about to break loose, it seems, as a local man (played by Darabont regular Jeffrey DeMunn) runs frantically to the front of the store, begging and yelling for everyone to stay in the grocery, for there is "something in the mist!"

From this point on, we are taken on a complex and detailed dive into the human psyche, conquering such quandaries one would face if truly stuck in the situation the ensemble trapped within the store must endure throughout the film's duration. We are given characters to root for, as well as characters to despise. The thing is, while we cheer for one or the other, we can easily see the viewpoints of each, by way of their beliefs, education, social stigmas, faith, age, and/or simply what they have to lose. Self preservation is of course explored, and it differs in enough ways to have the group of friends of whom I saw it with for the first time in theaters saying to each other: "OK, which character are you?" I ended up saying I was most like DeMunn's character, but we all knew a fatherly David Drayton, a skeptical Brent Norton (Braugher), a dimwitted Jim Grondon, and an uber-religious Mrs. Carmody. Oh, do we ever all know a Mrs. Carmody!

If the piece has a true villain other than what is found in the mist, Mrs. Carmody embodies that in spades. Marcia Gay Harden deserves a bevy of awards for her portrayal of the stern and accusatory woman we all love to hate while on our journey through the story arc. That being said, her portrayal is that much more appreciated, as she doesn't play it up as a cliche' wacko, rather someone who truly feels her faith, as well as her belief in her own divinity. Mrs. Carmody believes in all honesty that she is chosen to lead those trapped, and to show them the err of their ways, as Judgement Day is upon them all.

I could seriously go on and on about the entire cast for this film. The roles are so well-cast that you care for characters that would remain minor in less capable hands. When you have someone as versatile as William Sadler in your film, you're doing something right. Another Darabont stalwart, Sadler has always been my favorite chameleon, as far as film actors go. He's been everything from a butt naked nemesis opposite John McClain in Die Hard 2, to the goofy board game-losing Death from Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. Seriously, the guy can play anything and everything. I'd be ashamed if I didn't mention Toby Jones as store clerk Ollie Weeks. Toby's range is a given if you've seen him effortlessly fall into his role as Truman Capote in Infamous. Lastly, Frances Sternhagen as Irene will probably be the favorite character of many. She's fierce!

For many who saw it in its theatrical run, I often heard one complaint, being directed at the CGI. On a shoestring budget, I am willing to give this a mulligan. Why? Well, going back to the whole 50's B-Movie playground the film's world is realized in, does it really take me out of the movie that much? No, I can forgive this shortcoming, simply because I truly care about these characters, and I understand how the movie was made, as befitting the genre it loves and fits into. When Sherminator is fighting God knows what from beyond the depths that we can see, I am focused on whether he will make it or not. In fact, the effects are fine everywhere else in the movie. As a matter of fact, when you take into account the amount of hand held shots in this, it's a real compliment to the special effects artists in creating suspense and believability in the heaviest action scenes. I'm definitely glad those monsters are not real.

Speaking of the monsters, The filmmakers went out of their way to make sure that the creatures seen in The Mist are unlike those in other films. So many archetypes have been done to death, to where when you hear that there are giant bugs in the film, you wouldn't expect the creepy bastards to have human-like faces... And worst of all, the damn things are smiling!

Cutting to the chase, mayhem ensues, but as stated previously, the real threat is not what the townspeople are trying to keep out, but the townspeople themselves. Differing agendas and viewpoints butt heads with truly terrifying results. Our savage inner struggles with what we call civilized behavior and our conflicting primal instincts collide into a climactic peril of which I had to scrape my jaw up from the floor below me. In essence, I know we as humans have a dark side dwelling within each of us, and seeing it brought out under dire circumstances is a thousand times more haunting than any winged monster held back by a thin wall of glass. Humanity's actions can be, and often are an unfathomable nightmare, and this film explores that fact in an intelligent and highly entertaining way, which allows it's audience to think deeply well after the 2 hrs. are up and the credits begin to roll.

Now we have one matter to discuss, and I of course am talking about that ending. Well, I WOULD tell you what happens, but in case you have not seen it, I would rather you be as surprised as I was. I will tell you that it's much darker than the book's final page. In fact, it really is what the film needs to say to drive its point home. If anything sums up what the entire journey means, you get it head on, without apology. Frankly, I love it. I hope that you will too.

OK, deep breath... Ah, now onto the marketing side of things.

For the film's promotion, we're given a poster by none other than Drew Struzan, of whom Drayton's art studio in the film is directly based upon. The art showcased in the film is in fact composed of previous Struzan works, such as John Carpenter's The Thing. You know his work. Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, The Goonies, etc. Drew is the premium go-to talent, whose work embodies the modern movie poster design. Again, I supply a link:

Drew Struzan movie posters

Trailers played The Mist off as a straight up "Oh no, the monsters are going to get us!" movie. Most of the hoopla surrounding the film had to, of course, do with the altering of the original novella ending. Stephen King even went on record with this statement, endorsing the change:

"Frank wrote a new ending that I loved. It is the most shocking ending ever, and there should be a law passed stating that anybody who reveals the last 5 minutes of this film should be hung from their neck until dead."

Taking a cue from the master himself, I will simply say that if you've held out this long on finally seeing the film, maybe it's time to step out that door, into the mist or what have you, and see what's out there, on the other side. Pick it up for movie night. I'm sure you'll be surprised with what you'll find in... The Mist.

I give this one 10 out of 10. VIEW THE TRAILER:

- Reviewed by Dane Bowling