The Mist (2007)

Based on Stephen King's novella, which I read way back around 1982 or so in a horror anthology called Dark Forces. I thought it was among his best work, as far as going for the scares, and that it would make a great film.  This one finally arrived 25 years later and doesn't quite reach the epic levels I envisioned after reading it, instead purposely going for a B-movie monster picture, but it's pretty good for what it aims for - director Frank Darabont followed up on his Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile with a classic-styled monster movie which also suggests a possible end-of-the-world scenario. The plot involves creatures entering our world from another dimension, so it revolves around a very basic sci-fi premise. It begins with a storm in a rural community, which damages the house of the main character (Thomas Jane); he leaves his wife to go to the local supermarket with his son. They note some kind of mist on the lake which borders their property but think nothing of it. He and his son end up trapped in that supermarket with a bunch of other locals after the mist rolls into town; there are creatures in this mist and they are very deadly.
Why all this happens remains largely a mystery, but some hints are dropped about the local military base (up the mountain somewhere) and something called "The Arrowhead Project." Eventually, one of the people trapped in the store, a young soldier, confirms that the experiment at the base, involving a gateway to another dimension, probably went wrong. There remain further mysteries, such as a violent shaking of the Earth right after the mist envelops the store, suggesting a shift on a large scale. I thought perhaps that this meant the area had shifted into another dimension, but the ending may negate that theory. The creatures in this are truly horrible, no matter their size - whether huge tentacles or large insects - these are all extremely lethal to humans, always causing painful death. But, the monsters from an other dimension are not the only danger; there are also human monsters, notably local religious zealot Mz. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden), who swiftly accrues power within the store due to the weak-willed locals who follow her crazed teachings out of panic.
Darabont unfolds the terrors gradually, at a leisurely but assured pace, in a classic manner reminiscent of old monster pictures and without the quick cutting and jarring camera work which fills most action films these days, including horror and sci-fi.  The signal that things have suddenly gone awry is an air raid siren as the mist rolls in. One guy who attempts a run at his car while the mist is still some feet away is heard screaming as the mist covers him, but nothing is shown, as yet. The main character witnesses what seems to be a large entity pressing against the loading dock gate, but we do not see it, as yet. It's only in later scenes that the creatures are revealed. The most horrific are spiders which have taken over the next door drugstore - the stuff of nightmares. The ending is controversial, as it's different from the novella and is more downbeat than horrific, raising questions about the believable nature of a character's drastic actions. Also stars Laurie Holden & Jeffrey DeMunn (both later in The Walking Dead series), Frances Sternhagen, William Sadler, Toby Jones as the small assistant manager with a gun, and Andre Braugher as the high-strung neighbor and lawyer. BoG's Score: 8 out of 10
Misty Trivia: also with Melissa McBride in a small role as a woman who leaves the store right after the mist covers it; she also went on to the longest role in The Walking Dead, out of the 3 actors who later appeared in the series; they are all friends with Darabont. On the 2-disc DVD release, Darabont also presents his black-&-white version of the film, his original intention with the project...