The Mist

I don't even wanna spoil it. Moda and I caught a matinee (Hey, ADHD here: WTF was their a fricking propaganda music video for the National Guard? And it was a long video. Loooong. Which glamorized the Guard to the point of making them seem like the A-Team on a cocktail of Steroids and Red Bull.)

The matinee, was the recent release of the King novella "The Mist".

And it still has been sitting with me, 3 days later.

Oof. You know how the horror movies lately have been pretty much slasher p0rn? Or torturey gore-fests aimed to shock the viewer and give KNB more F/X work? And every so often a flick will sparkle out of the rest like a diamond in the mud. It'll scare your brain. It'll make you jump. And will usually defy any jaded expectations-

"The Mist", did just that. And not because of the horrible (and oh yes, they are pretty nasty) beasties. It was horrible to watch the division which occured in such a claustrophobic place. It was how you think "Oh my...they're in some pretty deep s#it, but they'll get out of it b/c that's what people in these movies do. They're trapped in a grocery store, after all. Plenty of vittles to go round." And then you get your first glimpse of what they're dealing with. And you're thinking "Oh f#ck. Just shut the door and get away" And you think. Well, there's that.

But then the claustrophobia sets in. And then night falls on the first day. And you think "Well, it's still misty. Guess there'll be some more beasties. Awwwww, they're kinda cute"

And then they get in.

And then some very practical and real issues come up. And some awful decisions. And strained promises to people who are counting on the protaganist to be the person who makes everything right.

And then the division of the people. And my favorite quote of the whole film "People are fundamentally insane". When the power goes out and you're attacked by unnatural creatures, it's pretty easy to use "Old Testament God's wrath" as your explanation. And those people? Were, for me, the scariest motherlovin' part of the entire film. "Those" people. Because when you're trapped with out any chance of possible salvation? The last people you want to be with are spitting gibbering people throwing a bible in your face.

And they made the most unlikely person an action hero.

Lastly? The. End. THAT'S what sealed the deal when I wondered what was going to make this one of the best flicks in 2007 that I had seen. It hit...like a sucker punch. And it did two things for me:

1- Amazed me that the studio would allow that kind of ending in a movie and...
2- Made me respect the b@lls on the director for scripting an ending like that in the first place.

Holy. Moses.

So check it out if you can. It has the pre-requisite jumps and "OH GOD'S!" and some blood. But be warned, this is a terrifying film with a very, VERY intense undercurrent for the 2 hours you're watching it.