The October 4 of 13

Stephen King has had adaptations of his writing that have worked and several that have not. The Mist is one of those adaptations that brings fear, tension and anxiety from the moment that the mysterious mist enveloped the little town in Maine.

A strong cast led by Thomas Jane as David Drayton are put through the wringer as a group of horrifying Lovecraftian monsters trapped them inside a supermarket. Unfortunately, the monsters on the outside of the store are just one of the tribulations that these people had to face.

Marcia Gay Harden is creepy as the religious zealot Mrs. Carmody, who had decided that this is Judgment Day and everything that is happening to them is God’s will. Her decent into extremity is one of the more frightening aspects of the film. Andre Braugher does a great job as Brent Norton, who is one of David’s neighbors who has had some conflicts with him. It made Norton distrustful of what was happening. Toby Jones played Ollie, an employee of the supermarket who comes through big time during the film.

Other cast members include Sam Witwer, Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn, William Sadler, Frances Sternhagen, Nathan Gamble, Robert Treveiler, David Jensen, Chris Owen, Alexa Davalos and The Walking Dead’s Carol, Melissa McBride. McBride’s character had no name listed but I absolutely wanted to stick with her because I know Carol is a survivor.

Of course, I cannot talk about The Mist without addressing the ending of the film. I want to try to address it with as few spoilers as possible. If you have seen The Mist, you know to what I am referring. As heartbreaking as it is, the irony and the absolute heart-wrenching that the scene makes it one of the most standout conclusions of a horror movie I have seen in many years. This is totally crushing and makes what was a strong and scary film into something more.

The Mist is a horror movie that works on several different levels and shows us that there is more to be afraid of than the unknown.