The Mist

"The Mist" is one of those movies that has just as many psychological scares as it does physical. The blend makes for a heavy, yet thrilling, movie-going experience.

The premise is actually quite simple: A heavy fog rolls over a remote Maine town trapping townspeople in the local grocery store. As they watch the town become enveloped in the unexpected mist, others come running into the store claiming that people are being snatched out of thin air by some kind of large creature. As their fears grow and worry of family members settle in, a small group decides to take their chances, refusing to believe the claims of alien beings overtaking the town. They very quickly disappear, and body parts start slamming the building.

The rest of the movie follows the growing divide within the store itself. While one group looks for ways to escape to save themselves, a fanatical religious sect begins to grow as one woman, known as the local crazy lady, proclaims these developments to be the beginning of the end. This group becomes just as scary on the inside as whatever is plaguing the town on the outside. This makes for an interesting take on how society reacts to unseen terrors and how people are quick to judge who should and should not be a part of their community. Meanwhile, an enormous tentacled beast, as well as mutant spiders and giant flying bugs, continue to threaten from the outside.

Starring primarily no-name actors, "The Mist" is a quiet and provocative story that will also make you jump in your seat. Director Frank Darabont once again does well with taking a Stephen King short story and translating it to film. The ending is both disturbing yet fitting, but definitely won't put you in a festive holiday mood. "The Mist" is good, but not a must-see experience. Wait for it on DVD. I give it a B+.

"The Mist" is rated R with a running time of 127 minutes.