"Carrie." "The Shining." "Cujo." "Christine." "The Dead Zone." "Salem's Lot." "Misery." Such famous horror titles come from genre master Stephen King. Some have been hits, and some have been bombs. What we needed was a Stephen King movie that scared the daylights out of you, like so many of the original films from the 70's and 80's. The King subgenre needed new life. And that one movie that brought new life to that subgenre was "The Mist," a 2007 film that had all the ingredients for a perfect Stephen King film. The film isn't a hit...it's a BANG!
David Drayton, his son Billy and other locals of the town take a trip to the supermarket after a really bad storm takes place. Everything seems to be going smoothly until Dan Miller comes running into the store screaming "Something in the mist!" People are worried while others think it's a hoax. But soon, it becomes no joke once a swirling mist envelops the town, and the locals begin to see things in the mist, things beyond comprehension. Led by David, the locals must try and find a way to stay alive and escape whatever is attacking them.
This film reminded me very much of John Carpenter's "The Fog." "The Fog" is a classic horror film, but with "The Mist," Stephen King has crafted what might be the best monster movie ever made. That's right. I believe that it beats out films like "Cloverfield" or "The Blob." The film never becomes campy or cheesy, and it only has as much gore as the story requires.
The fear this film focuses on is the classic formula that author H.P. Lovecraft uses, and that is "fear of the unknown." Very rarely will we see what is inside the mist, and when we do, it is terrifying, especially when the monsters get into the supermarket.
Frank Darabont has written a wonderful script and does a great job directing, as he has done with Stephen King's earlier film "The Shawshank Redemption." He has filled the film with scares and atmosphere. Not a single character mutters a campy or cliched line of dialogue, and the monsters come out of the mist when they are least expected. It is an unpredictable and fresh film.
But the precise reason why I love the film as much as all of the other reasons why I love it is the acting is stellar. Thomas Jane does a great job as David, and the same goes for such people as Laurie Holden as Amanda, Andre Braugher as Brent, Toby Jones as Ollie, William Sadler as Jim, Frances Sternhagen as Irene, and Jeffrey DeMunn as Dan. The real star of the movie, though, is Marcia Gay Harden as religious nutcase Mrs. Carmody. You thought Piper Laurie was scary in King's first film "Carrie?" Ha! Wait until you see this woman. Mrs. Harden gives the best performance of her career and she is absolutely spine-tingling.
"The Mist" is the film that puts Stephen King back in the game. It has been named one of the best horror films of the decade by Dread Central and Horrorhound Magazine, and it has been critically acclaimed by many. This film has it all: scares, gore, atmosphere, great acting, a wonderful script and some of the most shocking monsters ever seen on film. Mr. King must be so proud of what Frank Darabont has done. "The Mist" is great horror!
No comments:
Post a Comment