Random Film of the Week: The Mist

At the helm: Frank Darabont
The players: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher, Toby Jones
The year: 2007

Do you like Dawn of the Dead but found that the atmosphere wasn't quite misty enough? In addition, did you wish that the lumbering undead were replaced with otherworldly insects and crustaceans bigger than houses? Well then do I have a film for you!

Frank Darabont's adaptation of the Stephen King horror novella is an exercise in doom narrative. The lonely band of survivors riding out a supernatural disaster are going to meet their end, but when and by what means is entirely unclear. It's also a glimpse into the nature of true evil in dire circumstances and whether or not it rests in the hands of the attacking creatures acting merely according to their nature, or whether humanity is its own worst enemy.

The movie starts out with a thunderstorm that tears through a small town in Maine. After riding out the storm the townspeople, including our main character (Jane) and his young son, head for the local supermarket to stock up on supplies. However, a strange mist envelops the town and convinces the market shoppers to stay inside as they hear the dying screams of pedestrians from a force that they can't yet see.

The Mist begins on a level of B-Horror that I really came to enjoy. Giant tentacles slither their way through an open garage door and snatch the bag boy, tearing him pieces. Giant bugs and bat-things crash through the plate glass windows wreaking havoc. Large spiders with acid webbing cocoon victims and use them as hosts for their spawn. It's messy, disturbing and highly entertaining horror-fare.

However the movie shifts to a more educated perspective as the ravings of a fire-and-brimstone evangelist (Harden) begin to draw the line between saint and sinner, viewing the town's predicament as the end of days. This is where the movie becomes the most intense and it's where it really draws you in. Harden plays the vile character so well that you begin to root for not only her demise, but for anyone else moronic enough to follow her, despite the fact that they are only looking for the best means of survival. Soon it isn't the creatures outside that the rational heroes need to fear, but the madness inside willing to sacrifice them to appease God.

One thing to take from this movie is that being a hero sucks. With maybe an exception or two, throughout this movie, anyone willing to take a step up for the sake of their fellow man meets with a gruesome end. Any heroic deed has bitter consequences that far outweigh the benefits and as more time passes through the movie, it would seem that being a gullible sheep is the best bet for survival.

Which brings us to the ending. We've seen unhappy endings before, but the ending of this movie is such a buzzkill that it risks coming off funny if it wasn't so damn depressing. The ending is hard to justify as good, but it definitely warrants applause for the film makers courage to use it. Like I said before, this movie hates heroes.