Movie · 2007 · Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller · 2h 6m · R · English
Curator score: 4.2/10 (804.9K ratings)
Fear changes everything.
Overview
After a violent storm, a dense cloud of mist envelops a small Maine town, trapping David Drayton and his five-year-old son in a local grocery store with other local residents. They soon discover that the mist conceals deadly horrors that threaten their lives, and worse, their sanity.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.2/10
IMDb: 7.1/10
Letterboxd: 3.44/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 74%
Metacritic: 58
TMDB: 6.9/10
Director
Frank Darabont
Production
Darkwoods Productions, Dimension Films
Cast
Thomas Jane, Laurie Holden, Toby Jones, Marcia Gay Harden, Andre Braugher, William Sadler, Jeffrey DeMunn, Frances Sternhagen, Sam Witwer, Alexa Davalos, Nathan Gamble, Chris Owen, David Jensen, Robert C. Treveiler, Melissa McBride, Andy Stahl, Buck Taylor, Brandon O'Dell, Jackson Hurst, Brian Libby
Curator Review
Verdict
A tense, mean little siege horror that works best as a pressure-cooker character study, with escalating creature dread and one of the most infamous gut-punch endings in modern genre cinema. It’s uneven in places, but the atmosphere, moral collapse, and social panic make it a standout for horror fans.
Best for
Viewers who like claustrophobic survival horror
Fans of creature features with strong human conflict
People who enjoy bleak, twist-heavy endings
Stephen King adaptations with a nasty edge
Skip if
You want polished creature effects throughout
You dislike religious fanaticism and group hysteria as major plot drivers
You prefer horror that ends on a hopeful note
You’re sensitive to bleak, emotionally punishing finales
Overview
The Mist is at its strongest when the monsters outside the store are less frightening than the people inside it. Frank Darabont turns a simple siege premise into a study of fear, faith, and the speed at which a community can fracture under pressure. The grocery-store setting gives the film a grim, intimate scale that keeps every argument and bad decision feeling consequential.
Worth noting
What lingers is the escalation: first uncertainty, then paranoia, then outright fanaticism. Marcia Gay Harden’s performance is a major engine of the film’s dread, and the ensemble around her helps sell the sense that civilization is hanging by a thread. The effects are occasionally dated, but the film’s momentum and moral ugliness carry it through.
Bottom line
The ending is the reason the movie is still discussed, and it lands with brutal force. It’s not just shocking; it recontextualizes everything that came before and leaves the audience sitting in the wreckage. If you want horror that is cruel, memorable, and built around human failure as much as monsters, this delivers.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Grooveman (4.5★) · 10760 likes
Before you make any big decision, just wait 5 minutes.
9VOLT (4★) · 7644 likes
when ollie shoots the religious lady in the head, that’s cinema
SilentDawn (4★) · 5565 likes
And the award for the biggest bitch in cinematic history goes to....
adambolt (3.5★) · 2578 likes
*curb your enthusiasm theme*
Marianna Neal 🇺🇦 (3.5★) · 2285 likes
What.The. Fuck.Pardon my language, but this is one of the most fucked up endings I've ever seen on screen. FUCK! Excuse me while I literally can't even over here. I'll let you know when I'm able to even again.
P.S. When bad CGI happens to good movies though...P.P.S. Sorry, I realize this is not a quality review of any kind, but FUCK.
2016 · Thriller, Science Fiction, Drama · 1h 44m · PG-13 · Curator 5.8/10 (1M ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A tight, suspenseful confinement thriller with shifting trust dynamics and a strong sense of dread.