The Mist
After a violent storm attacks a town in Maine, an approaching cloud of mist appears
the next morning. As the mist quickly envelops the area, a group of people get
trapped in a local grocery store -among them, artist David Drayton and his
five-year-old son. The people soon discover that within the mist lives numerous
species of horrific, unworldly creatures that entered through an inter-dimensional
rift, which may or may not have been caused by a nearby military base. As the world
around them manifests into a literal hell-on-earth, the horrified citizens try
desperately to survive this apocalyptic disaster. |
|
Thomas Jane
Marcia Gay Harden
William Sadler
Laurie Holden
Toby Jones |
... David Drayton
... Mrs. Carmody
... Jim Grondin
... Amanda Dumfries
... Ollie |
Director Frank Darabont chose to film "The Mist" after filming the "straighter dramas"
The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile because he "wanted to make a very direct,
muscular kind of film". Darabont conceived of a new ending in translating the novella for
the big screen. Author Stephen King praised Darabont's new ending, describing it as one
that would be unsettling for studios. King said, "The ending is such a jolt-wham! It's
frightening. But people who go to see a horror movie don't necessarily want to be sent
out with a Pollyanna ending." In December 2006, Thomas Jane was cast for
the male lead, he was joined in January 2007 by Andre Braugher and Laurie Holden. Production began the following February at StageWorks of
Louisiana, a sound stage and movie production facility in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Marcia Gay Harden and Toby Jones joined the cast later in the month. Darabont sought to
pursue "a more fluid, ragged documentary kind of direction" with The Mist, so he contacted
the camera crew from the TV series The Shield to use their style in the film. Darabont
attempted to film The Mist digitally but found that it "wound up looking too beautiful".
In an interview with Premiere Magazine, Marcia said, "I did The Mist right after "Rails
and Ties". And I thought: "A bug movie! A horror film! What is that?" And when I got onto
the set — it is a Frank Darabont film — I was allowed to build this character, this
religious apocalyptic woman who really was the villain. She is as scary as the bugs on
some level. I absolutely loved it! Frank let us play. He let my character have import and
drama and a grandeur that wasn't really written. It was great!"
I had no idea what to expect from "The Mist" - the trailer looked like a campy bug's movie
and thinking of Marcia as a religious nutbag didn't quite fit. So it rather surprised me
at how good the film was! While it won't fit in a category with Frank Darabont's previous
King adaptations, "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Green Mile - both masterpieces in their
own right, "The Mist" is an overall chilling story about paranoia, fundamentalism and... well,
campy bugs. It turned out to be a whole more violent and gory than I thought and Marcia's
performance makes a terrifying transformation from an annoying bible belter to a dangerous
leader. It's not a typical role for Marcia, but a brilliant one! Without giving anything away
from the storyline, there are some plotholes here and there, but the story works throughout
its running time and its end will really keep your breath away.
Internet Movie Database additional information
Lilja's Library Fansite on "The World of Stephen King"
