The Mist – Took John Lee!

The Mist is an experience that will stick with you. Though it is small in scale, primarily set inside a supermarket in a remote Maine town, there are huge emotional stakes. Thus, it is another fine interpretation of Stephen King's writing. Directed by Frank Darabont—who'd previously helmed King's The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile—the pedigree of this one was all but assured. And, like those other two, it is exceptional. It's well casted—Marcia Gay Harden as religious zealot Mrs. Carmody, in particular, steals the show; it's well paced; and it delivers a gut punch of a finale. Sure, the 2007 CGI is outdated, but not enough to detract from the experience; and it does contain some haunting creature effects. Just ask the Sherminator. You cannot expect much more of a movie. Moreover, as a viewer, you are invested in David Drayton (Thomas Jane) and his crew of fellow survivors. You hope that they will escape the nightmarish reality they find themselves in. Folks, this one is a must if you are a fan of either King or Darabont. So sit back, stumble your way through the haze to grab a Fog Monster New England Style IPA from Rusty Rail Brewing, and light up those fire mops! I, the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK), Capt. Cash, Chumpzilla, and Mayor McCheese are joining Mrs. Carmody's cult to avoid being sacrificed to the horrors of the Mist. This Week’s Segments: Introduction/Plot Breakdown – Certainly The Mist can be a stereotypical creature feature, but by the end, you'll understand why it's impossible to forget. (00:00) Lingering Questions –  Should this have flopped? What are some of our favorite movie endings? (51:13) The "They Stuck the Landing" Trivia Challenge – Capt. Cash challenges us to name the movie with these exceptional endings. (1:16:06) Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week. Next week, in the final entry in our "Flops that Go Bump in the Night" series, we'll be doing a special roundtable of truly bad—albeit entertaining—Stephen King adaptations. (1:22:50) And, as always, hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids—other great Darabont takes on King works and more—from this week’s episode! You can find this episode of Hops and Box Office Flops on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Podbean, Spotify, Acast, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and Amazon Music!