Faith in Film, Week 3

After a couple of lighter weeks looking at the work of Stephen King, we're getting into a more meaty and scary story with "The Mist." This film, based on a Novella of the same name, is set in Maine during a sweltering summer broken up by a major thunderstorm that then turns into a Mist. But this is no ordinary Mist or Fog, but rather one holding supernatural monsters.

But as is so often the case, while the creatures are a threat, the biggest threat might be the other people hole up in a Supermarket waiting for the Mist, and the Fear, to pass. And that's what is really the crux of this story.

This was a fascinating film, but not one that was highly praised by audiences. It came from director Frank Darabont, who had previously adapted King stories "The Green Mile" and "The Shawshank Redemption." Therein might lie the problem, something that critics correctly noted.

Film critic Roger Ebert said of The Mist, “If you have seen ads or trailers suggesting that horrible things pounce on people, and they make you think you want to see this movie, you will be correct. It is a competently made Horrible Things Pouncing on People Movie. If you think Frank Darabont has equaled the Shawshank and Green Mile track record, you will be sadly mistaken.” And that’s about right. This is a different kind of story. But as he had with other King adaptations, Darabont made some changes to the story that were sometimes not well received by fans. The biggest point of contention was the change he made to the ending, which we’ll look at Wednesday night.

But what works about the story is the reaction to fear. And as is often the case in King's work, that varies from person to person. In this film we see people break into three groups, including a group of religious fundamentalists that become the most dangerous of all. And Fear, and what it does to people, is what we'll consider most when looking at this film.

This is one that has a shocking ending and says some fascinating things about people under pressure. I look forward to the discussion Wednesday night. Here's the discussion questions we'll be focusing on!

Discussion Questions:

1. Did this movie work for you, why or why not?

2. This story looks at what happens when people give into fear. What role did fear play in the way this story develops?

3. The film has a brutal ending, one quite different from the Novella. What did you think of the ending and the change made by Darabont?