The Movie Doctor: Monster-Movie Month Review: "The Mist"

Monster-Movie Month Review: “The Mist”

To continue my Monster-Movie Month series I wanted to watch a fairly recent monster movie. The first film that came to mind was Frank Darabont’s The Mist. The Mist ,like all of Darabont’s feature films, is based on a Stephen King novel. A mystical mist containing horrific creatures takes over and terrorizes a small town where a large group of people are trapped inside a convenient store. The mysterious of the mist tear the group apart creating danger and tension inside and outside the front door.

The Mist is an amazing movie. From the beginning of the film there is this tension that kept me on my feet throughout the whole experience. The first look of the mist as it heads for the town gives off a chilling premonition of the events to come. Darabont creates great atmosphere throughout the movie making all the so-called safe places very unstable. He also successfully adapts Stephen King’s novel bringing all of King’s characters to life.

For me one of the greatest things about this movie is the character development. As the movie goes on an extreme tension is created between the members of the trapped group. As this tension grows things start becoming as dangerous inside as they are outside. There is this terrifying scene where part of the group sacrifices a member to the Mist for religious purposes. It is the most horrifying scene in the film and there is no monster in sight.

Thomas Jane gives an excellent performance as a strong but loving father just trying to survive. Marcia Gay Harden also gives an amazing performance as a fanatically religious local who is convinced that the mist is the wrath of God. Her character Mrs. Carmody is one of the most unlikable and disturbing characters to watch on film. Her presence reminds me of Mrs. Rachet from Milos Forman’s One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.

Darabont’s direction and monster design really give the film a frightening atmosphere that carries out from beginning to end. The film really questions the goodness of humanity. When everything is stripped away from the people will they pull together or fall apart. I think that’s what this film is questioning and I believe it does so successfully.

All in all it is an incredible modern monster movie and I would recomend it to Darabont and monster-movie fans alike.