The Mist (2007)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Frank Darabont

Writers (WGA):

Frank Darabont (screenplay)
Stephen King (novel)

Release Date:

21 November 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Stephen King's Legendary Tale of Terror

Plot:

A freak storm unleashes a species of blood-thirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole-up in a supermarket and fight for their lives.

Plot Keywords:

Mist | Supermarket | Army | Tentacle | Neighbor

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Thomas Jane	...	David Drayton
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Mrs. Carmody
Laurie Holden	...	Amanda Dumfries / Dunfrey
Andre Braugher	...	Brent Norton
Toby Jones	...	Ollie Weeks
William Sadler	...	Jim
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Dan Miller
Frances Sternhagen	...	Irene Reppler
Nathan Gamble	...	Billy Drayton
Alexa Davalos	...	Sally
Chris Owen	...	Norm
Sam Witwer	...	Private Jessup
Robert C. Treveiler	...	Bud Brown (as Robert Treveiler)
David Jensen	...	Myron
Melissa Suzanne McBride	...	Woman With Kids at Home (as Melissa McBride)

Also Known As:

Stephen King's The Mist (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, terror and gore, and language.

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White (alternate DVD version)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

USA:R | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Germany:16 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Australia:MA | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | France:-12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Finland:K-15 | Portugal:M/16 | Japan:R-15 | UK:15 | Ireland:16 | Sweden:15 | Spain:18 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:16 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Peru:14 | Italy:VM14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

Shreveport, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Darkwoods Productions

Trivia:

Norm is wearing a T-Shirt from WKIT Radio in Bangor, Maine. This is one of three radio stations owned by Stephen King.

Goofs:

Continuity: The blood splatter on the windshield goes from being in the middle of the broken glass to being spread out across the windshield and then back again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Billy Drayton: Whoa!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Horror of It All: The Visual FX of 'The Mist' (2008) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Host of Seraphim

One of the best horror films I've seen in a long, long time

On first impressions The Mist doesn't remotely seem like the kind of film anyone should be excited about. The Mist, what? A bit like The Fog, then. Stephen King's The Mist, oh, that makes it even worse. Directed by Frank Darabont, since when did he direct horror films? Okay, so he scripted Nightmare on Elm Street 3 and The Blob, not bad films, but not classics in any sense. Starring Thomas Jane, has anyone seen The Punisher. And, to cap it all, The Mist died a quick death at the US box office. It'll probably go straight to DVD in the UK.

The only reason I bought and watched the film was on a recommendation from a friend. He pleaded: "You have to see this film. You won't believe how good it is." So I put his judgement to the test.

And thank God. This is a great horror film. From the opening scene, Darabont sets a tone that's creepy, sinister and beautifully judged. The script is realistic, the character are believable and the direction... Darabont has almost reinvented himself. The Mist is dark, scary and even funny (intentionally). You care about the characters, the scary scenes are scary, and the whole film is carried off with an efficiency, a lack of pretension and a strong idea of what makes a good, if not great, horror film.

And the ending... how dark can you get? I can understand why this didn't do well at the box office. But neither did Shawshank Redemption...