Friday, March 5th, 2010
POLL: The Mist
(contains bloody great big spoilers for the film adaptation of THE MIST and Stephen King’s novella)
Having second-thoughts about the opening scene for my own horror screenplay, I asked on facebook last week what people’s favourite opening scenes for a horror movie was. Amid the usual suspects of Jaws, Scream, Hellraiser and Candyman (my suggestion – love that film!) the subject of The Mist raised its head – specifically, its ending. I don’t want to single my friend on facebook out (Hi Beth! 
) as I’ve had myriad film conversations where hatred for The Mist’s harsh ending has suddenly dominated and been fiercely argued. I’ve yet to meet someone who is clinging to the fence.
Personally, I love it. Not because innocent characters die needlessly but I think it’s a perfect resolution to everything that has come before. To me, the whole film is about being overprotective. The metaphor for the erosion of civil liberties is pretty crass in places earlier in the film and I think it’s easy to see where Frank Darabont’s allegiances lie but, after all the zealotry on display throughout the film, the notion that it’s better we kill each other now to prevent a potential horror down the line is very powerful. But nuts to political allegory, I was moved by the tragedy of our main character trying to do the right thing - but in vain. Heart-breaking.
The original novella ends differently. David and co drive away from the supermarket as in the film but find nothing but death and monsters. Through the crackle of static on the radio, they make out the single word ‘Hartford’. Unsure, with this brief glimmer of hope, they set off for Hartford – not knowing whether safety or danger awaits them. Not bad at all but, in cinematic terms, would this have led to an even bigger no-no…the AMBIGUOUS ENDING!! (something I often get told off for)
So I don’t get the hatred. Especially hatred for the ending like it’s some separate entity from the rest of the film. How would you have ended it differently? Should the story not have been told at all? If you do like the film, do you like it for similar reasons to me?
Soooo…The Mist. Discuss 
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March 5th, 2010 at 11:13 am
David Wigfield said:
I didn’t hate the ending but it felt like a misfire to me and left me unmoved. I’ve puzzled over this myself, since I normally enjoy grim downbeat things like that and overall I liked The Mist far more than I thought I would. I wasn’t aware that the original novella ending was as ambiguous as you showed above.
Well, I’ve initially voted that I liked the film but not the ending but I’m willing to let you change my mind.
March 5th, 2010 at 11:26 am
Richard Cookson said:
Love it, love the ending.
The ending actually elevates the film for me - up until then it’s be a good-but-not-brilliant horror with bits of so-so CGI and batty religious stereotypes. Then it drops pants and puts its balls firmly against the wall in the last 10 minutes. Heroically ballsy.
March 5th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
John said:
It’s definitely a bit hokey - they’ve brought that Stephen King americana *sort of* into the modern day which sort of jars because the story is really set in the late 70s when perhaps the batty religious types would have seemed slightly more contemporary.
Slightly off-topic but that’s why I also like the Black and White version as it adds to the B-Movie hokiness. But, either way, I still like the heightened ‘unreality’ of the whole thing - which is, I guess, why I quite like Stephen King in general.
March 5th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
Christian Otholm said:
Even if it was written by Stephen King and a bit on the left side of the political compass, it’s still very much a Lovecraft story. You can’t do a Cthulhu Mythos story that doesn’t end with your protagonists either dead or insane. The Genre demands it.
March 6th, 2010 at 4:14 am
David Wigfield said:
Hmm, yep, I’m coming round. Christian’s comment above is particularly convincing.
March 6th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
Robin Kelly said:
I’m curious what alternative ending there could be. Maybe if the rescue came just in time? That would work but it certainly wouldn’t have haunted me for weeks after seeing it. I like surprise and being put through the wringer emotionally. You rarely get it in the genre.
March 6th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Elisabeth Pinto said:
The problem with the ending is actually one of pacing, I think. They don’t wait long enough before going ahead with it, and then pretty much literally 5 seconds after he’s killed his son, The Mist clears and the military appears. I loved seeing the mum from earlier, though - the one who left by herself to get back to her kids. So it feels REALLY contrived.
I don’t get your idea that the film is about bein overprotective, though. I can see where the Dad is coming from. I would, Just. Have. Waited, Longer!!
March 6th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
john said:
I can see your point, Elisabeth - I wonder if it was longer in earlier cuts perhaps? But then I don’t mind it being so rapid-fire as it works as a tragic punchline. If he *had* have waited longer, then it wouldn’t be a tragedy - would it!
My ‘overprotective’ take on the story (so to speak) is pretty much just me saying that, in changing who we are to defeat some external evil, we’ll ultimately end up the bad guy ourselves. As with David killing his son as some last, desperate and heart-breaking clutch at being in control when all he wanted to do was protect him.
I think it’s very interesting that you don’t dislike the notion of the ending per se - just perhaps the way it was handled. Cheers!