Review: The Mist!

The Mist

Few 'Mist' Opportunities Here

Score: 8/10 (Good!)

Bottom Line: Spend Your Money

To-The-Point: A carefully balanced mixture of claustrophobic paranoia, black comedy, and the thrills of a B-movie creature feature, The Mist is a smart and creepy film that slowly grows under your skin. Although there are some minor issues involving the pacing and tone, ultimately The Mist succeeds in blending pure terror with a sense of fun - something that most modern horror films forget about. By actually focusing on character development and slowly building tension through sound and restrained visuals, The Mist becomes a near classic with an unforgettable finale.

Complete Truth: Mark my words: horror films are entering a new phase.

With torture-porn finally winding down, horror films are in search of a new subgenre to invade. It's been my belief (for over a year now) that the new horror trend would embrace "creature features" in the same vein as Alien or The Thing - with a focus on actual character development and suspense. With the success of 30 Days of Night, the critical love for The Mist, and Cloverfield still on the horizon, it looks like I may be right.

In order for The Mist to succeed as a creature feature, it needs to meet three requirements:

a.) Have a large group of people stuck in a single location.
b.) Have a large group of monsters outside said location.
c.) Have the shit hit the fan.

With that said, The Mist delivers! Artist David Drayton (Thomas Jane), his son, and a few dozen citizens become trapped in a grocery store after a vicious thunderstorm produces a thick mist that covers the town. But it's not the mist itself that they fear - it's what is hidden within the mist that could tear them to shreds. As tensions mount over what to do, the group splits into opposing parties - one lead by David that wants to search for help, and the other lead by religious nut Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Hardem) who believes they should stay and die as God intended.

Thomas Jane leads this large group of actors with a solid performance, resonating enough humaity and emotion to latch onto his story. Although there are a few over-the-top actors, overall the entire ensemble effectively relates the fear and uncertainty of the situation. The tone of the film fluctuates between serious drama and goofy b-movie with some of the dialogue and delivery, but The Mist manages to find a comfortable ground between having an emotional tale involving David and his family while still finding room for an ass-kicking Granny. The actors try to keep it serious while the script tries to keep it entertaining, which creates a refreshing sense of fun that has been missing from the brutal and relentless horror films of the past few years.


So...anybody have any idea how the hell we ended up in Silent Hill?

Director Frank Darabont performs admirably enough with his third Stephen King adaptation (after The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile) as he manages to convey a claustrophobic feeling within the confines of a single grocery store while still managing to generate excitement when required. Darabont seems to understand that suspense and terror are created from the unknown - that is, he chooses to hide the creatures within the mist rather than keep them onscreen for long periods of time. This is also beneficial because of the sometimes weak CGI on display for the creatures (as I would've preferred a more traditional prosthetic-and-puppet approach), but they still manage to strike a frightening balance between being familiar and being grotesque.

I won't say much about the creatures themselves, but take comfort in knowing that they are quite varied and creepy as hell. Some had me jumping with fear, others shocked me with their bloody attacks, and at least one had me stunned in awe. Take note, Silent Hill: this is how to make a creepy film about people fighting off creatures in a fog-shrouded town.

Although the directing could've done a better job with laying out specific locations within the store, the screenplay picks up the slack with an emphasis on creating characters and slowly building tension. Many times throughout The Mist, the horror stems from human interaction rather than mutated beasts, providing a constant state of dread both within and outside of the grocery store. There are minor stabs at social commentary - including government spending, religion, and mob mentality - which lends a greater weight to the situations while providing an extra depth to the characters and dialogue. Another bonus is that we're kept in the dark as to the origin of the creatures for much of the film, which creates a believable environment that is still ominious and mysterious.

The Mist slowly creeps under your skin as it progresses, leading up to an incredible and jaw-dropping finale that shatters the beliefs you've created throughout the running time. As the stakes rise and the gore becomes more vicious, The Mist slowly shakes off its weak beginnings to seep into your psyche and brand a few unforgettable images into your mind. If you're looking for a shocking-yet-entertaining film that will creep you out, you've found it.

If not, maybe you should go see Saw IV again.


...and that's what child birth looks like! Any questions, kid?

The Mist, a Dimension Films release, is rated R for "violence, terror and gore, and language."

Total running time is 127 minutes.

Starring Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, and Andre Braugher. Screenplay by Frank Darabont, based on the novella by Stephen King. Directed by Frank Darabont.