By: Kumari Mia Wijetunge

*Warning: This review contains major spoilers for this movie.

Stephen King’s ‘The Mist’ was originally a book written in 1980 as part of his collection called ‘Dark Forces’. The movie was released in 2007, directed by Frank Darabont, it follows King’s original story where a mysterious mist, that coms with terrifying creatures, engulfs a small town. Darabont did change the ending giving a darker twist compared to the original story.

In Stephen’s book the ending was purposefully left open, creating a hunting sense of uncertainty. After escaping the grocery store where they had been hiding, David Drayton, his son Billy, and two other survivors, Amanda and Dan, drove through the mist, hoping to find a safe place free of deadly creatures. As they travel they run out of places to seek refuge and when they eventually pick up a faint word on the radio, “Hartford,” this gives them a feeling of hope that there might be a safer civilization somewhere. However, King leaves the reader with David’s final uncertain thought as they continue driving into the unknown. The fate of characters is unknown, creating a lingering sense of dread mixed with just the slightest possibility of survival.

In contrast, the 2007 movie ending is much darker. The protagonist David, and four other survivors run out of gas as they are in the mist. Believing there is no escape and fearing the worst if the creatures find them, David decides to kill the others including his son. Moments after he does this, the military arrives clearing the mist and saving everyone else. The twist is much more tragic, if David had just waited a little longer they would have all survived.

I personally really enjoyed this movie. Where the movie mostly takes place in the grocery store adds a really stressful and intense environment to the movie and really puts you on the edge of your seat. I would give ‘The Mist’ a 9/10.

You can watch ‘The Mist’ (rated R) on Amazon Prime, or rent it on other streaming services.