The Mist (2007) with Gretchen McNeil

After surviving a torrential Nor’easter that rips parts of his home and adjoining properties to shreds, Bridgton, Maine resident and graphic artist David Drayton, his son Billy and wife Steff notice a strange fog rolling in on the lake behind their house. After confirming that his boathouse was crushed by neighbor Brent Norton’s old tree, a source of old resentments, David gathers Billy and Brent into his jeep and heads into town for supplies.  Upon arrival at the  local supermarket, The Food House, into which half the town seems to have crammed, it becomes apparent that the mist is no longer on the lake:  in fact, it’s now is at the doorstep of the supermarket.  Inside the store, we meet a gaggle of characters:  Ollie Weeks and Bud Brown, the store’s co-managers; Mrs. Carmody, a god-fearing woman who’s convinced that Man has brought shame and disgrace upon the world; feisty old Mrs. Reppler, who’s not a fan of Mrs. Carmody; locals Jim, Myron, Hattie, and Ambrose; and Dan Miller, whose frantic first appearance in the store heralds the danger to come.  For there are terrors lurking in The Mist, the stuff of Hieronymous Bosch nightmares, monstrous beings that make even the act of venturing outside dangerous and deadly, and perhaps portend the coming of the apocalypse. Intro, Math Club, and Debate Society (spoiler-free) 00:00-24:33Honor Roll and Detention (spoiler-heavy) 24:34-1:08:31Superlatives (so. many. spoilers.) 1:08:32-1:29:12 Director Frank Darabont Screenplay Frank Darabont, based on the novella by Stephen King Featuring Andre Braugher, Alexa Davalos, Jeffrey DeMunn, Marcia Gay Harden, Nathan Gamble, Laurie Holden, Toby Jones, Thomas Jane, Chris Owen, William Sadler, Frances Sternhagen, Sam WitwerGretchen McNeil is the author of several young adult novels for Disney*Hyperion and Balzer + Bray including Possess, 3:59, Relic, I’m Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl, Get Even, Get Dirty, and Ten, as well as the horror/comedy novels #murdertrending—the #1 YALSA Teens’ Top Ten pick for 2019— #murderfunding, and #noescape. Her most recent novel for Disney*Hyperion is Dig Two Graves, pitched as a YA Strangers on a Train; Three Drops of Blood arrives this March (2023) and Four-Letter Word in 2024. Gretchen’s books have been published in more than a dozen languages all over the world. Ten: Murder Island, the film adaptation of Ten starring China Anne McClain, premiered on Lifetime in 2017, and Get Even and Get Dirty have been adapted as the series “Get Even” and “Rebel Cheer Squad: a Get Even series” for the BBC and Netflix.  Gretchen is repped by Ginger Clark of Ginger Clark Literary. Our theme music is by Sir Cubworth, with embellishments by Edward Elgar.  Music from “The Mist” by Mark Isham.   For more information on this film, the pod, essays from your hosts, and other assorted bric-a-brac, visit our website, scareupod.com. Please subscribe to this podcast via Apple or Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.  If you like what you hear, please leave us a 5-star rating.   Join our Facebook group. Follow us on Instagram.