Oh my god! They killed the Shermanator!

Rating: 8/10 (17 May 2008)

Before getting into the meat of this review, I'd like to say this: if you're a horror fan and want to experience The Mist to its full potential, stop reading and go see it now. This is an excellent film, the kind of tense, masterful horror you rarely get nowadays but the more you know about it, the less of an impact it will have. I went into this movie blind expecting the latest PG-13 horror sensation but by the time the end credits rolled all the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up. Its a creepy, atmospheric little shocker that'll hopefully become one of the sleeper hits of the year but honestly, the less you know, the better it will be.
Still here? Well, don't say I didn't warn you.
Playing on the idea that to create hell you simply need to put a small group of people in a confined space with no hope of escape, The Mist is a deliciously twisted horror gem that writhes with a nastiness not seen since John Carpenter's heyday. From its deceptively low-key start which sees Thomas Jane taking his son to a convenience store, things soon start to escalate and before long, an ordinary day has turned into a nightmarish experience that doesn't let up for one tense, claustrophobic minute. What makes it truly unsettling is the fact that despite the...things that are walking around outside hidden by the mist, the real menace can be found inside the grocery store. This is a story of humanity under pressure and how ranting insanity can seem perfectly rational when you're cut off from all hope of survival. All it takes for humanity to destroy itself is for no one to answer when you dial 911.
Central to this cloying atmosphere of nerves and fear is the cinematography. The film is largely shot in close up and as a consequence, it feels a lot like you're listening in on all the huddled, whispered conversations the characters have. In addition, it means that you don't always get a good look at the wealth of monsters prowling outside, giving them a mysterious and otherworldly air that wouldn't have been possible if the film was better lit.
Furthermore, the actors at work here perfectly capture their roles. These are not cut and paste Hollywood stars that are likely to appear in gossip magazines gushing about their new diets, they look, act and feel like ordinary small town folk put in an impossible situation. Even Thomas Jane feels like a mundane, beer-drinking Joe. His performance is one of the film's best, a subtle and carefully nuanced portrayal of a father trying to keep his promises to his son while society collapses all around him, but he does have the unfortunate position of having every scene stolen from under him by Marcia Gay Harden's psychotic Christian bitch-Queen. She is not one of those positive Christians who don't mind if you decide to sleep in every Sunday, she's a deranged lunatic who believes that God is a blood thirsty, vengeful monster. When she takes it upon herself to 'save' the inhabitants of the grocery store things take a very unpleasant turn and every time she escapes death you'll be punching the air in frustration.
Amid all the violence, monsters, tension and chaos however, The Mist is still a very human story. It's a testament to the screen writing talents of Frank Darabont and Steven King that Harden aside, you don't want any of these people to die and when they inevitably do (in a multitude of messy, sticky ways), it's all the more devastating. Strangely enough though, the most traumatic moment isn't a character's death but his survival, sometimes saving the world is worse than its destruction. Excellent film, if you're prepared to put up with nightmares for weeks you can't really afford to miss it.