It’s not the only horror movie about atmosphere, but it is among the best. I think THE MIST has a relationship to John Carpenter's THE FOG, in the sense that it's about a sentient atmospheric condition within which spooky things reside.
I like that at its heart, it’s a really straightforward monster movie with a fairly simple story. But it's told with such nuance and expertise that it becomes something bigger. And it opens out and opens out and opens out again until it becomes a sort of trans-dimensional horror story. It's a prestige production of a Stephen King story from a big studio with a top-flight cast and a decent budget—always great when these things coalesce into something really enjoyable. It's a great ensemble story. And we have a point of entry into the film through David Drayton (Thomas Jane). But I think the principal and supporting actors all turn in excellent performances nearly across the board.
I'm also a big fan of handheld verite-style cinematography, which makes you ask from whose point of view we're meant to be experiencing the film. But I think what THE MIST does really effectively and efficiently is that it makes you, the viewer, feel like you are in the store among these people. And I think the human drama at the center of the story is paramount. The characters have shifting vicissitudes, alliances, and allegiances. There are times when they come together, as collective factions, and times when they operate as islands unto themselves; it’s fascinating to chart.
THE MIST is principally set inside a grocery store, which I think is a great equalizer, especially in times of crisis; every creed and stripe of human being can be found in a there. And that allows for there to be a nice group of disposable, dispensable tertiary characters, upon whom the things in the mist can feast.
The way the characters are written, with this great ‘‘everyman’ quality, comes in fits and starts in this film — whether that's through fear or bravery, or thinking about faith or conspiracy. I think it's unusual in a horror film to see characters who grow or change or continue to surprise us. Many of the characters in THE MIST do that. And of course, in a situation in which chaos reigns, God is soon brought in to sort it out – or a fair approximation of God.
Ultimately, it’s a film that looks at society functioning under subprime conditions, focusing on the microcosm of what's happening in this this grocery store – and how, as Charles Laughton says in THE OLD DARK HOUSE, “needs must when the devil drives.”
To listen to our episode on THE MIST, click here.
Bradford Louryk