Following a violent thunderstorm, artist David Drayton and a small town come under vicious attack from creatures prowling in a thick and unnatural mist. Local rumors point to an experiment called “The Arrowhead Project” conducted at a nearby top-secret military base, but questions as to the origins of the deadly vapor are secondary to the group’s overall chances for survival. Retreating to a local supermarket, Drayton and the survivors must face-off against each other before taking a united stand against an enemy they cannot even see.

Well the wait is finally over. The Mist has descended upon a theatre near you. After years of anticipation does this Stephen King adaptation live up to the hype or is it another modern day stinker? The answer is quite simple: The Mist is the scariest horror film to be released in years.

When I use the word “horror” in describing the nature of The Mist I mean it in the truest, purest sense of the word. Frank Darabont takes the same talents he put on display in two previous King dramatic adaptations The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. He applies that level of careful thought-out film making to the hardcore monster fest that is The Mist. He truly creates an emotional, polarizing situation full of characters you have very strong feelings towards both good and bad forcing you to invest heavily into them.

This is a dramatic departure from most mainstream horror films. This is not a pleasant jump-scare film or a gorefest designed to repulse you but keep you feeling enjoyably entertained. No, this is a dark, almost depressingly scary film that is sure to leave audiences extremely effected when they walk out of that movie theatre.

And that my friends, in my opinion is what a horror film should be.

This develops it’s terror in a similar fashion as the War of the Worlds did where as the horror comes in two forms: The creatures and the humans. Only in here it is done much better and amped up. Towards the end of film the question becomes “Which monsters scare you more?”
The human horror is a terrific account of the human condition and how every individual reacts differently when consumed by fear. Displayed wonderfully for us from Darabont’s talented, dark mind.

The cast was perfect led by Thomas Jane who plays a father left completely vulnerable with his young son in the middle of this horrifying crisis. The insane zealot played by Marcia Gay Harden becomes a truly terrifying villain to rival the most gruesome of the creatures waiting in the mist.

As for the creatures themselves, they look fantastic! Most of them are CGI but you must understand they are direct copies of their description in King’s story and there really is no way they could have made these vivid, detailed beasts from standard make-up effects. But trust me when I tell you they are horrifying beings. The film truly shines when the actors brave the mist and come face to face with the monsters.

This leads me to the ending. I will not give you any clues as to what happens but it is one of most darkly depraved horror films endings EVER put on film. The ending goes against the grain of mainstream horror in every way. I was left completely in awe of what I was witnessing. Then, as the credits started to roll I walked out of that theatre feeling very uneasy. It was an uncomfortable almost depressing feeling. It was great!

What I was feeling was HORROR. Sadly most films that carry that genre title never approach it in any way. This film will go down as one of the best modern horror films ever made. It wasn’t perfect but it’s flaws were minor. I’m not going to tell you it is the best horror film I’ve ever seen but it was really, REALLY good. Perhaps after I watch it a few more times I can better understand where it ranks on the all time list.

The bottom line is this: Go out to your local Cineplex and buy a tub of buttery popcorn, a Cherry Coke, and a ticket to The Mist. Then prepare yourself for one of the scariest films of the last 10 years.

Obviously this receives the Marshal’s seal of approval

10 out of 10 explosive spider wounds.

Could it be that Prime and Earp agree whole heartedly on a movie? Could it be that Prime and Earp both think this is the best Stephen King movie ever made? Could it be that Prime and Earp think this could easily be the best horror movie of the last ten years? And could it be that Prime and Earp both agree that Payne has the sweetest mouth love this side of the Mississippi? Well NO, but it's damn sure close.

First off from here on out anytime I see the names Frank Darabont and Stephen King together, I'm all for it, end of story. Three times the two have now worked together and three times there have incredbile films from the union, The Green Mile, great flick, The Shawshank Redemption, perhaps the greatest american prison movie of all time, and now The Mist, perhaps the most heart wrenching horror ever.

Earp was right Thomas Jane does an amazing job as the sensible father who's family is falling apart right in front of his eyes, but Laurie Holden, William Sadler and Toby Jones also deserve nods for keeping the ensemble cast not only alive on screen but very, very believable.

Then we get to Marcia Gay Harden as Mrs. Carmody, simply awesome, one of the best on screen villains in a long time. In this role Harden gives her best performance ever and the character is a perfect counter weight to Jane's Drayton. The audience of the theater I was at quickly developed a love/hate relationship with this demented bitch and it was beautiful.

The human element in this flick was top notch and in fact The Mist itself would have never had to show a single monster, the core group of actors and realtionships are that powerful.

Now comes my two little gripes with the flick. One, the CGI was kind of shitty. The big monsters looked really good, but the few little and mid sized ones were really no better than a cheap Sci-Fi movie. Second the few minor plot holes that Earp mentioned above, they're not huge or all that bad, but it does feel like something was kind of rushed or something, I don't know, like I said it was minor.

But the great cast and excellent ending was perfect in this one so my finally tally for The Mist is...

9 of 10

Every few years a horror film arrives in theaters accompanied by ad hype which promises "the most shocking ending since...(insert name of film with shocking ending)."

The Mist is the only film I have ever seen which I can legitimatrely quantify as having the most shocking ending ever. I'd like to say it has the most shocking ending since (insert name of film with shocking ending), but nothing else has come remotely close. As the credits flashed at the end of this film I stared at the screen in disbelief. I felt cold and unsettled. I ened up with the final images of this movie burned into my brain for the next two days, during which I didn't sleep much.

This movie isn't simply scare cinema, it's a frontal assault. I've said this about The Mist elsewhere but it bears repeating: This movie is a visual definition of the term "horror".

What makes the film so compelling and that ending so visceral is the focus on human nature throughout. Yes, on the surface the story is about people in a supermarket who are set upon by the Lovecraftian horrors occupying a dense mist which rolls over their litte town in Maine one morning.

But, like the King novella the movie is based on, the creature feature aspect is a level of horror designed as a means to the end of revealing the sublevel of horror, an unflinching essay on the inherent capacity for ordinary people to turn on one another in a crisis situation.

If director Darabont's adaptation of King's The Shawshank Redemption was about hope in a hopeless situatation and his take on The Green Mile revealed innocence and purity where it had no business existing, The Mist is the film which counters those notions, revealing the dark, deadly soul of human beings trapped in a situation devoid of all hope and marked by overpowering fear.

Two points before I finish: One is that my only gripe with this film were the CGI tentacles we see in the scene at the loading dock. The scene as a whole works beautifully and I was extremely frightened while it unfolded, but I think a little more work could have gone into making the tentacles look less CGI at certain moments (However the rest of the F/X in the film looked terrific).

The other point is to address a growing sentiment that the film is 'Anti Christian' because one of the characters is a religious zealot who likes to quote the Old Testament a lot.

Not true. As in the novella, Mrs. Carmody in the film represents the dangers of fanatacism. People such as this woman can and do exist within the parameters of any religious structure, no matter which teachings it derives from. Marcia Gay Harden embodies this character so effectively it will be extremely difficult for me to not think of this film whenever I see her in a film from here on in. I cannot imagine that any reasonable person would be offended by this characterization.

I differ from Earp in the regard that I don't need to see it again to know this is going to have staying power. I have no idea how the overall box office on The Mist will stack up since this ending is a far cry darker than even most the most jaded fan would normally seek at eight dollars a pop. However, home video is going to see this film appreciated en masse as one of the most perceptive and haunting horror films ever to grace the silver screen.

Don't wait for video. Aside from the character driven narrative, there is quite the bloody spectacle on display here and every Horrowatcher owes it to his or herself to see this film on the big screen. To paraphrase a classic quote from King himself: I have seen the future of horror cinema and it is Frank Darbont adapting Stephen King.

Ten out of Ten courageous bikers who have a really sharp take on God.