That’s why I’d like to discuss how it was a perfect ending back in the day, and even more impactful a decade and a half later, making the movie a memorable classic by ending it on a dramatic gut-punch. While I agree that the ending of The Mist might be a bit too mean-spirited for some viewers, I’d argue that the downer finale is a perfect counterpoint to the film’s overarching themes. In fact, the film’s final moments were the subject of major controversy among horror fans upon release, with audiences accusing the uncomfortable climax of ruining everything that preceded it and being an example of shock for shock’s sake. Isolated and besieged by primitive monsters, some of the survivors slowly begin to devolve into religious fanaticism, leading to an unsettling single-location thriller.ĭespite the film keeping most of its source material intact, with King even citing the first screening of the flick as one of the happiest moments of his career, Darabont’s take on the story ends on a much more sinister note. Taking place in central Maine, the plot follows a group of people who become trapped in a supermarket after a mysterious mist rolls into town, bringing with it otherworldly horrors. Starring genre favorite Thomas Jane as artist David Drayton alongside a talented ensemble featuring names like Marcia Gay Harden and Andre Braugher (as well as several actors who would later become popular in Darabont’s The Walking Dead series), the film is a decidedly faithful adaptation of King’s original tale, right down to the disturbing creature descriptions and multiverse references. That’s why it’s surprising that it took so long for the story see an adaptation, with frequent King collaborator Frank Darabont championing the project for nearly three decades before finally releasing his take on The Mist in 2007. From Half-Life to Silent Hill, several horror properties have openly drawn inspiration from this eerie novella.

It may not be one of Stephen King’s most popular stories, but The Mist is still a surprisingly influential piece of genre fiction.

The mist 2007