“The Mist” (2007) – Director/writer Frank Darabont knows a thing or two about adapting Stephen King’s work, as he helmed the film versions of “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994) and “The Green Mile” (1999).
This King entry is infinitely more sinister than the aforementioned prison dramas, but “The Mist” is primarily incarcerated in one location, a grocery store, specifically.
David Drayton (Thomas Jane) is a dad and husband, and the Draytons live out in the country a bit in Maine. (Of course, Maine, this movie is based on a King novella.)
After a storm – the biggest in local history, according to the newspapers – knocked down a tree in the Draytons’ yard, David and his young son Billy (Nathan Gamble) aim to drive into town to stop at the hardware and grocery stores.
Due to out-of-this world circumstances, they – along with about 80 othes – find themselves trapped in the said supermarket, because a mysterious mist blankets the town and who knows how far out it extends.
So what?
Well, this mist hides deadly adversaries in a twisted, confining story that deals with the supernatural and some hideous monsters of the human kind inside the market.
Some recognizable faces other than Jane signed up for this claustrophobic adventure, including Toby Jones, Andre Braugher, Frances Sternhagen, Chris Owen, William Sadler, and Marcia Gay Harden.
“The Mist” runs long at 118 minutes, and like a typical King story, Darabont spends a slightly excessive amount of time developing the characters, but he and Stephen’s work pay off in the 3rd act.
Speaking of the 3rd act, this nail-biter has one of the memorable endings in horror movie history. Be brave!
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon: 1
Marica Gay Harden stars in “The Mist” (2007)
Marcia Gay Harden stars in “Mystic River” (2003) with Kevin Bacon
Directed and written by: Frank Darabont
Starring: Thomas Jane, Toby Jones, Andre Braugher, Frances Sternhagen, Chris Owen, William Sadler, Laurie Holden, and Marcia Gay Harden
Runtime: 118 minutes
Rated: R
Image credits: MGM, Dimension Films
