“There’s something in the fog!”
Stevie Wayne- The Fog (1980)
I will admit I was hesitant to add this to my list because I wasn’t sure it was a horror film. I had never watched The Mist in that frame of mind, and even though it’s certainly terrifying, I had always thought of it as strictly sci-fi. I didn’t a little research and realized I was pretty much alone in that thinking. So I decided to watch right before Halloween, and wow, what a gut punch.
In full transparency, I’ll admit I’ve seen The Mist at least five times. I love it, and so this review is going to be glowing. It was one of my favorite films in 2007, and to this day, it’s one of my favorite Stephen King adaptations. The Mist is based on King’s 1980 novella. There is also a television series based on this, but it’s not as good as the film
The Mist centers around David Drayton and his son Billy. After a powerful storm rips through their quaint town, David, played by Thomas Jane, goes to the store for supplies only to be stranded when a monster-filled mist rolls in. Jane is phenomenal in the lead role. This is probably Jane’s finest performance ever. The cast is filled with familiar faces, including Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Brougher, and Toby Jones. Harden is doing some really great things in her role as a religious zealot.
Frank Darabont wrote and directed The Mist. This will be controversial, but I believe this film is better than Darabont’s other two King adaptations. His direction is dark, and the script relies on human nature’s depravity rather than the scary monsters that stalk the mist. Darabont forces the audience to take sides and splits the cast into two factions.
The cinematography is terrific, but the CGI is lackluster. The monsters work best when we barely see them or when they are practical effects. This was a problem for films in the mid to late 00s. Even big-budget films like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and I Am Legend had some terrible CGI. Although the monsters are silly at times, the film is still terrifying.
Frank Darabont is an underrated director, and The Mist is an underrated film. The Mist works a modern parable about the dangers of zealots of any kind, including political and religious. Jane’s performance is capped by one of the most heartbreaking endings I’ve ever seen. The Mist is thoughtful, heavy, psychological horror.
