In this adaptation of a Stephen King story, Thomas Jane plays David Drayton, an artist who is trapped in a small town grocery store in Maine with his young son, Billy (Nathan Gamble), when a mysterious mist rolls in.
A bloodied man runs into the store, warning that “there’s something in the mist”, and it’s not long before monstrous tentacles reach out and creatures, including giant insects, predatory birds, and massive behemoths, periodically attack the store.
Inside the store, a religious fanatic named Mrs Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden) begins to convince the terrified survivors that the mist is the wrath of God. She demands a blood sacrifice to appease the “demons,” eventually turning the mob against David and his allies.
Realising it has become more dangerous to remain in the store than to venture outside, David leads a small group in a desperate break for his car.
Mrs Carmody is killed by the meek assistant store manager (Toby Jones) during the escape, allowing David, Billy, and three others – Amanda Dunfrey (Laurie Holden), Dan Miller (Jeffrey DeMunn) and Irene Reppler (Frances Sternhagen) – to reach the vehicle and drive away.
As they travel through the mist, they witness the scale of the destruction and see a multi-legged creature so colossal it defies description. Eventually, the car runs out of fuel.
Exhausted and seeing no hope of rescue or survival, the group makes a grim pact to end their lives rather than be eaten by the monsters.
David has only four bullets for five people, so he uses them to kill the other three adults and his own son, Billy, to spare them a more painful death.
Distraught and waiting to be taken by the creatures in the mist, David hears a low rumble. But instead of a monster, a military convoy emerges from the fog, successfully clearing the mist with flamethrowers and rescuing survivors – including a woman who had left the store alone at the very beginning to find her children.
The film ends with David screaming in agony, realising that if he had waited just a few more minutes, his son and friends would have been saved.
The claustrophobic setting and committed cast do convince, but it all remains a tad ludicrous.
David Drayton
Thomas Jane Mrs Carmody
Marcia Gay Harden Amanda Dunfrey
Laurie Holden Brent Norton
Andre Braugher Ollie Weeks (Assistant Store Manager)
Toby Jones Bud Brown (Store Manager)
Robert C. Treveiler Jim
William Sadler Dan Miller
Jeffrey DeMunn Irene Reppler
Frances Sternhagen Billy Drayton
Nathan Gamble Sally
Alexa Davalos Norm
Chris Owen Private Jessup
Sam Witwer Myron
David Jensen Woman With Kids at Home
Melissa McBride Mike Hatlen
Andy Stahl Ambrose Cornell
Buck Taylor Bobby Eagleton
Brandon O’Dell Joe Eagleton
Jackson Hurst Biker
Brian Libby Hattie
Susan Malerstein-Watkins Silas
Mathew Greer Morales
Juan Gabriel Pareja Donaldson
Walter Fauntleroy MP
Amin Joseph Steff Drayton
Kelly Collins Lintz Mr Mackey
Ron Clinton Smith Tom Smalley
Gregg Brazzel
David Drayton
Amanda Dunfrey
Billy Drayton
Woman With Kids at Home
Hattie
