I am reminded of a bit comedian John Pinette once that I always remember when Stephen King's name is mentioned. Pinette jokes of how he went camping with his friends. "We drove up to Maine, which is nice, but its also the setting of most of Stephen King's novels," he said.
With Frank Darabont's adaptation of King's "The Mist," it greatly explains why-but in a good, scary way.
Based on a 1980 novella by King, "The Mist" takes place in a small, cozy town in Maine. After a terrifying and devastating storm to the area, David Drayton (Thomas Jane) heads into town with his young son Billy (Nathan Gamble) to gather food and supplies lost in the storm, as a tree in their yard has landed through part of the house. Joining David is his Long Island attorney neighbor Brent Norton (Andre Braugher), since he has a fallen tree in his yard-and on his car.
While they make their way to the local supermarket, a mysterious and growing mist spreads down from the mountains. As the mist approaches and entraps the grocery store with patrons inside-David, his son, Brent, service clerk Ollie (Toby Jones), local school teacher Amanda Dumfries (Laurie Holden), carpenter Jim Grondin (William Sadler) and religious fanatic Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden), among them. Some few venture out to attempt to escape, but after some blood-curdling screams later, it seems that quest was not successful.
As tension and fear begin to escalate, David, Ollie, Jim and Amanda begin to explore options that sitting put may be a good thing. At the same time, Mrs. Carmody begins to preach the end of days, as described in the Bible. Holding her copy of the good book in her hand, she shouts that God has chosen to punish sinners. David and his group maintain logic in their plans, while Mrs. Carmody uses hellfire and brimstone in her attempt to recruit followers in her beliefs. That group gains one new fervent servant each time one of the trapped customers is taken by the mysterious, giant bug-like creatures that exist in the mist. Soon, David begins to think more of survival, both from the mist and the religious extremism.
Darabont is very much within his safe zone, in familiar territory with "The Mist," but he has such a knack for bringing King's material to vibrant life. His first adaptation remains the cornerstone of his career, "The Shawshank Redemption." That film, based on one of King's few non-supernatural or horror stories, was such an incredibly acted, intelligently written and beautifully directed masterpiece that it transcends what prison movies were about and gave rich, emotive, deep characters to connect with. In "The Green Mile," Darabont had the books stacked to produce an equal to "Shawshank." He had the cast in Tom Hanks, David Morse, James Cromwell and the film's lone Oscar nominee Michael Clarke Duncan. While it was exactly lightning striking twice, "Mile" was still a rich study of characters and the judgments and characterizations we make of others.
"The Mist" is so suspenseful that it almost questions whether fear exists because of the atmosphere outside-or in. It transcends the genre of horror and mystery, aided by the crafty stylings of Darabont and his cast.
Jane is an underrated actor who deserves more than just B-movie fare. He is able to carry a deep emotional vulnerability the same way Tim Robbins did in "Shawshank." And the powerhouse known as Braugher continues to excite the senses every time he is on-screen. Ever since his Emmy-winning days on the TV series "Homicide: Life on the Streets," Braugher has succeeded in breaking down blockades of acting ability nothing short of Brando. Harden is great at being emotional herself and is believable as a small-town's local church nut. Her passionate portrayal as the preacher Mrs. Carmody also reveals an underlying fear that she may be wrong and won't survive the wrath of God she so zealously proclaims.
Darabont also does something brilliant with the story. While King's novella has been speculated as a response and commentary of the Vietnam War, Darabont ever so subtlety inquires the audience to think about our state of affairs, both internal to our country and external throughout the world. He doesn't preach it from mountaintop like Mrs. Carmody would, but Darabont gives an intelligent story a more thought-provoking theme for the story.
Much like Thomas Harris, who only seems to write books for monetary film rights gain, Stephen King has had numerous adaptations made into motion pictures. Some are good ("Misery"), bad ("Thinner") and classic ("The Shining"). But unlike the grim reaper of fiction that Harris represents, King is a savior of it.
That's why Darabont should be the only filmmaker entrusted with King's material from this point forward, thanks in part to his previous successes and this new triumph of trepidation. "The Mist" engulfs what most films of suspense, horror, etc. nowadays don't: our imaginations.
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