Where are the real monsters ?

Rating: 9/10 (13 November 2017)

'The Mist' is a really surprising film, one that is tense and horrific without having the usual gallons of blood and gore. Yes, there is some blood and some gore, but a good part of the film is taken up with watching the way in which a group of people trapped in a store react to their situation. Most are terrified, some find God, but others refuse to believe that there's actually any danger. The mysterious mist that surrounds the store hides who knows what ?
As the film progresses, the tension rises. Some of the people decide to chance their arm and venture out; their fates vary. Others are influenced by a religious fanatic who gradually convinces them that the mist, and whatever it contains, is God's work and turns them against the 'non-believers'; violence ensues and one begins to wonder whether those inside the store are just as monstrous as what lies outside. The discovery of the origin of the mist adds yet another element to the story.
The film limits the use of background music and also of special effects. Some nasty creatures do appear but a good part of the horror is due to not seeing too much, just the results of interaction between people and the hidden monsters and knowing that something very nasty lurks in that all-pervading mist.
This a very good horror film, one of the best I've ever seen, and its ending is probably as shocking as that of any film ever made; as realisation of the truth dawns, it becomes truly heartbreaking. It's a well earned 9 that will keep most viewers pinned to their seats and some hiding behind the sofa.