'There's Something in the Mist'

Rating: 5/10 (15 September 2016)

"Put more than two of us in a room, we pick sides and start dreaming up reasons to kill one another. Why do you think we invented politics and religion?"
There are many worse Stephen King adaptations which have failed to translate effectively to the big screen, and though this production fares better, ultimately it disappoints. With such a lauded track- record in having previously brought King novellas to a cinema audience, Frank Darabont appeared to be the ideal choice to repeat his success here. Yet, though this constituted a virtual 'labour of love' for the director, his adaptations to date had not been from the author's signature works of horror, and there are occasions when this becomes apparent. Darabont had been waiting to film this short- story for twenty years, and was so committed to his alternate ending that he even rejected a studio offer that would have doubled his eventual budget, unprepared as he was to accept the caveat that his ending be sacrificed. One consequence of a more limited budget may help explain why the standard of CGI effects would prove so underwhelming. This is unfortunate given the level of suspense created by the fear of the 'unknown' terrors lurking in the mist enveloping the rural Maine community. One wonders whether the director's desire to release a black and white version was in part driven by an attempt to mask the poor quality of the film's special effects. However, it is an appealing proposition as it would identify this production more closely with the'B-movies' of the fifties with which it shares many characteristics. What is clear to this reviewer is that much of the criticism levelled at this movie can be attributed to a failure to capitalise on the initial frisson of fear and imagined horror at the spectral presence beyond the curtain of mist. Darabont should have more closely followed the dictum of psychological thrillers in 'less is more'. This approach he apparently, and successfully, did when taking on board the advice of cast member, Andre Braugher, to ditch explanatory scenes behind the genesis of the eerie mist and its hidden hordes. In terms of the acting on display, the cast of terrified townspeople trapped within the confines of the local supermarket feature several of the director's regular actors, all of whom deliver reliable performances. There is also solid support from the likes of the aforementioned Braugher and Toby Jones, with even Thomas Jane, counter to this reviewer's expectations, proving to be effective as the reluctant hero. However, the film's standout performance is that of Marcia Gay Harden as the messianic religious zealot, Mrs Carmody, convinced that the horrors outside have been sent to wreak retribution on the sinful human race. Overall, though, there is a lack of character development which undermines the movie's aim of illustrating how individuals exposed to the highest levels of fear and stress can subvert their rational thought processes. One result of this has been many reviewers questioning the plausibility of the depth of loyalty shown to Mrs Carmody's apocalyptic fervour. In this respect, the film would have benefited from taking more time to establish a greater sense of desolation and despair, as the promptness of conversion of the majority of the trapped townspeople lacks a certain degree of plausibility. Returning to Darabont's chosen ending, though King has himself stated his wish that he had ended his novella in the same fashion, it is not as satisfying as it could have been. As opposed to the original work's open ending, there can be no question that the film's bleak final act of desperation fails to wholly convince. Having fought so much to defend his son and neighbours, Jane's character's actions to save them from a far worse fate arrives at a juncture where such hopelessness and despair still appears rash. The director's decision to incorporate the haunting track of the 'Host of the Seraphim' by the artist the 'Dead Can Dance' was inspired but could have added to the ambiance of fear and despair if it had been used as a recurring musical motif throughout. Overall, a missed opportunity where Darabont could have focused more on his consummate skills in concentrating more on investigating the paranoia and in-fighting which blight our more reasoned responses to fear and danger.