One Of The Best Horror Films Ever Made. Frank Darabont and Stephen King at their best.

Rating: 10/10 (27 October 2012)

The Mist is one of the best Horror films ever made that works as a Horror Film,Monster Movie,and Character drama. Terrifying,bleak,and filled with hopelessness,The Mist is a Horror classic and one of the best Stephen King adaptations with a stunning ending you will never forget.
Based on Stephen King's novella,The Mist tells the story about people in a small Maine town who are trapped in a supermarket when a huge mist surrounds the market and town unleashing deadly creatures from the mist that attack and kill people. Now the people in the supermarket have to figure out how to survive the mist and creatures and stay alive.
One of the many things I love about The Mist is that not only is it a monster movie,it's a great commentary on people and society when things fall apart. The film is filled with a sense of dread and darkness that you don't see in many Horror films these days because most Horror films that come out these days are glossy and pretty. The Mist is not glossy or pretty,it's an ugly nightmarish film that makes you feel like you're in the film and with the characters good or bad. Claustrophobia is always an important element in a Horror film and the claustrophobic setting inside the supermarket is put to great use in this film. When the people are the supermarket in the beginning of the film,you feel safe and secure,but when The Mist and creatures arrive,you feel the walls are closing in on the characters and that they're trapped. As a you're watching the movie,you feel like the characters are isolated from the world and that The Mist had taken over making the viewers feel like they're in a apocalypse of doom,death and darkness. Probably the most frightening thing about The Mist is that not only the creatures that come out of the mist but the humans inside the market. When the mist comes it not only becomes a great horror film or monster film,but a great character drama,focusing on how the characters react to the situation and how they deal with it and this is one of the things that sets The Mist apart from other modern Horror films. Instead of fighting the monsters and helping each other out,most of the people start to turn on each other and become divided into groups becoming monsters themselves attacking and killing each other when ever they can. The Mist and Frank Darabont gives us a terrifying study of human nature and that human beings will be responsible for their own self destruction and the way the human characters act in the film is haunting,disturbing and scary. I have a feeling the late,great Rod Serling would've loved The Mist because the film reminds me of The Twilight Zone especially classic Twilight Zone episodes The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street and The Shelter. At 126 minutes,The Mist moves at a fast and rapid fire pace and never slows down until the very end. The film's screenplay by Frank Darabount is great and stays true to Stephen King's novella with scenes and dialog that are from the book with a few differences and a little minor alterations. The ending of the film is one of the boldest, greatest,jaw dropping and shocking endings in movie history. How Frank Darabont convinced the movie's studio to o.k the ending is stunning to me and it's one the reasons The Mist is a classic. I won't tell you how it ends but I'll you this:the ending in this film is not for people who love happy and uplifting endings,the ending is dark,tragic and very unforgettable. Not since John Carpenter's The Thing and George Romero's Night of the Living Dead has a Horror film ending been so bleak and hopeless. No matter how many times I've watched The Mist the ending still gets to me.
The cast does a great job in their roles. Thomas Jane is excellent as David Drayton the man who tries to take charge when things are falling apart. Marcia Gay Harden is brilliant as religious zealot Mrs Carmody,not only one of the best villains in a Stephen King film or book,but in my opinion one of the best villains in film history. Harden's performance is absolutely bone chilling and disturbing and Oscar worthy. A brilliant performance. Laurie Holden does a great job as Amanda,a woman who helps out and sides with David. Andre Braughter is fantastic as Brent,a lawyer who is skeptical about the events and doesn't believe the things that are happening. Toby Jones is wonderful as Ollie a store clerk who becomes a man of Action. Darabont regulars William Sadler(Jim)and Jeffrey DeMunn(Dan)are great as always in their roles. Frances Sternhagen(Mrs Reppler),Nathan Gamble(Billy Drayton),Alexa Davalos(Sally),Chris Owen(Norm),Sam Witwer(Private Jessep),Robert Treveiler(Bud)and David Jensen(Myron) do fine jobs in their roles as well. If you're a fan of the TV show The Walking Dead you will see a few of the actors(Laurie Holden,Jeffery DeMunn,Melissa McBride) who are on the show.
Frank Darabont's direction is fantastic bringing a gritty and dark tone to the film. In the other Stephen King films The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile Darabont's direction and lighting were bright,clean and straight forward,but in The Mist the direction and lighting are chaotic and dark and intense with Darabont using hand-held photography and a semi-documentary feel to the film almost feels like an independent movie. Great direction from Darabont.
Mark Isham's score while not used much is effective fits with the film's dark tone. Dead Can Dance's song The Host Of Seraphim is haunting and eerie and blends wonderfully with the films tragic and sad ending. It's a song that will stay with you.
In final word,The Mist is a Horror classic that will stay with you after watching it and if you love Horror,Frank Darabont,or Stephen King see this film. Highly Recommended. 10/10.