My Whole World Turns Misty Blue...

Last night was one of those nights...nothing on the box, the internet was boring, my dvd collection had nothing to offer, so I ended up watching The Mist. I'm not by any means a fan of the horror genre but this looked to go beyond mere splatter so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

Plus I have a fog fetish. Yes, really...and a Thomas Jane fetish but we won't go into that, however I'd be lying if I said these two factors didn't influence my decision. Heh.


Directed by Frank Darabont (Shawshank Redemption), The Mist is based on a novella by Stephen King and features a fantastic ensemble cast including Thomas Jane (shh), Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden and Jeffrey DeMunn.

Set in a small Maine community, our protagonist (Jane) and his young son head into town after a violent storm to pick up some supplies and swiftly find themselves trapped in the local supermarket with various locals and out-of-towners. An unearthly mist rapidly envelops the area. However, this is no ordinary fog, there be flesh-eating beasties within.

At this point the film could easily slip into autopilot, but The Mist is just as interested in what's going on inside the supermarket, as everyone's survival instinct kicks in, as what's going on outside, which makes for a fascinating, and often disturbing, ride. Kudos to Darabont for sticking to his gloriously downbeat ending too. Great performances all round and well worth a watch - 4/5