The Mist (2007, USA)

I can't decide what scared me more - Marcia Gay Harden, or the things in the mist. I'd heard good things about The Mist, but I was still surprised by how strong a horror film it was. The premise is ridiculously simple - a bunch of townsfolk find themselves trapped in a small-town grocery store by the eponymous fog and the creatures presumed to reside within it. From there, it's a tight back-and-forth between the factions that quickly grow and shift within the store's walls and the mounting threat from outside. With obvious parallels, I couldn't help but compare The Mist to Cloverfield, and despite the innovation in Cloverfield's style, the more traditional film comes out on top. Structurally, it's a better movie, but beyond that The Mist features characters and situations that are far more interesting (and perhaps realistic) than the careening set of PYTs of Cloverfield. As long as The Mist keeps things simple, it's lean, mean and pretty damn scary. It's no masterpiece, but awfully effective at what it does.

After considering it a bit more, I've decided - Marcia Gay Harden for the win.

SPOILER ALERT

I've heard some grumbling about the end of The Mist, and I'm kind of torn about it myself. On one hand, it's got a fantastic Twilight Zone feel, and I think that's really what the filmmakers were going for. Then again, there's something about the last-minute "save" that feels like a bit of a slap in the face. I think perhaps the twist works better in the short form - as a novella rather than a 2+ hour movie, there's less at stake*; the audience is less likely to feel cheated. (While I'm at it, I have to say that despite the lack of complete satisfaction in the ending of The Mist, the twist is much less glaring than an M. Night Shayamalan film - this movie doesn't treat its audience like total idiots.)

*I have since learned that King's story ended differently. However, I stand by my point, that the duration of the goings-on alters the perception of the twist. If The Mist had been an actual Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episode, I think the ending would have had a different impact.