Ally's Review: The Mist

“Don’t go out there! There’s something in the mist!”

One of Fin’s favourites this week for my retrospective. I’ve seen this movie twice and I really enjoyed both viewings. In fact, it was my first ever choice at Horror club... way back at the beginning of the 09/10 season. It’s the story of a sleepy little town in Maine (that just so happens to be way too close to a top secret Army facility), and how they cope with lots of unexpected visitors. The majority of the movie takes place in one location – a local grocery store.

What makes the movie engrossing, for me, is the shifting mood of the locals. At first, no one believes what a few of them have seen, but they’re soon forced to confront the terrifying reality. At this point they seek comfort in the unstable hands of Mrs Carmody, who starts out as the town nut but soon becomes the only hope of salvation for the terrified majority. The tensions that emerge are slow burning but very well written and acted. I guarantee that at some stage you’ll shout obscenities at Mrs Carmody, it’s impossible not to! Her performance is one of several excellent acting jobs on display. I think everyone does well making an unbelievable premise feel believable by providing understated and subtle performances. The characters are well fleshed out and it makes the viewer really care about their plight.

It’s a pretty scary movie too, especially the visit to the pharmacy... which I found almost unbearable to watch. The monsters are mostly well done, although there’s a couple of poor CGI shots – which is a big gripe of mine about any movie. These are few and far between though, the majority are very well done... and incredibly hideous.

It’s really about the human story though, and I was stunned into silence as the credits rolled. It's one of the most balls out endings to any movie I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. I have to applaud Frank Darabont for sticking to his guns and not changing the ending to pander to those horrible Hollywood executives, who seemingly try to spoil every movie they can. This movie is a must watch for the ending alone.

I would put this film very near the top of the best horror films of the last decade. I don’t think I have quite the same love for it as Fin, but I rate it very highly and would recommend it to anyone.