The Mist (DVD)

Say you’re out shopping one day, picking up some groceries and sundries, and a bloodied man comes running into the store screaming that “There is something in the mist!” What would you do? It’s a question The Clash asked, but never answered… in Frank Darabont’s scifi horror movie, The Mist, some stay and some go.

The story, based on a Stephen King short, and directed and written for the screen the by one of his most loyal adapters, focuses on a group of small town friends, neighbors and enemies trapped inside a fluorescent hell as bizarre creatures storm the supermarket.

All the archetypes are here – the townies, and the outsiders. The outsiders are military officers who are trying desperately to keep the monsters’ origin a secret; we’ve got the rookie, the power-tripping jerk, and level-headed one. Residents include the local nut, a concerned mom, a little boy, a couple of teens, a religious fanatic, a pair of oldsters, a blowhard attorney, and our hero (played by Thomas Jane).

It’s difficult to articulate exactly how I feel about The Mist. The actors are all talented, and they are obviously giving their all, but their performances come off cartoony. The monsters are vile and vicious, but the CGI does not quite work in all instances. The story is clichéd, yet the ending is a great gotcha. Furthermore, it is a different experience on the big screen as opposed to DVD. I saw it in the theater in vivid color with a very enthusiastic and expressive New York City crowd, and again on the disk, by myself, in the painstakingly reworked black and white version.

While I still am not a fan of the film overall (I’m not big on monster movies, for one thing), I must say it plays much better in black and white. The over-the-top aspects and often arch dialogue go down easier if one imagines they’re watching a 50s B-flick. In addition, Darabont didn’t just strip the color; he carefully oversaw the desaturation process and explains in the DVD’s additional release materials that he had wanted to make The Mist in back and white, but the producers and investors would not allow it. I would have liked to have seen Darabont go a step further and change or enhance the score (theramin, anymore?) to augment the old style, but that’s a minor quibble.

Most of the extas are your standard fare: making the movie 101. However, I did appreciate (and maybe the title tipped me off, here) Appreiation Of Artist, the piece of Drew Struzan, the man who created the artwork seen in the film. Darabont’s passionate and learned commentary is worth a listen, too.

Special Features:

Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Darabont

Black & White Version of the Film

Booklet with Written Commentary by Darabont

Drew Struzan: Appreciation Of An Artist

Eight Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary

Monsters Among Us: A Look At The Creature FX

Taming The Beast: Shooting Scene 35

The Horror Of It All: The Visual FX Of The Mist

When Darkness Came: The Making Of The Mist

Be sure and revisit Horror.com's interview with Darabont & the cast