It's generally accepted that Stephen King is a great writer. He has legions of fans, has written a zillion best sellers, and at times has proven to be a brilliant storyteller (especially with some of his older novels - “Carrie”, “'Salem's Lot”, “The Shining” just to name a few of his better works). You can't argue the guys success...he knows his horror. Hollywood knows this as well as anyone else and for three decades they have been pumping out film adaptations of his work. And as any fan of the genre is well aware some of these adaptations hit the mark while others are way off course. Whenever someone tries to take on a Stephen King property they run the risk of either striking gold or royally fucking up...there is rarely a middle ground to be found in adapting King's work.

There have been a couple of directors who have been to the plate on more than one occasion and actually knocked their vision of King's novels out of the park. One is Mick Garris. He's the guy who did several made-for-television mini-series based on some of Stephen's more popular books. Garris did “The Stand”, “Desperation”, and “The Shining” remake and also tackled “Riding The Bullet”. I've personally always enjoyed Garris's take on King and you can tell that Garris has a lot of respect for the source material. The other director who is batting .1000 so far in the King-adaptation ballgame is Frank Darabont. He began his career with a King short story, “The Woman In The Room”, and since then has helmed the incredible “Shawshank Redemption” and the excellent “The Green Mile”. Now Darabont has stepped up to the plate yet again, this time with his take on King's fan-favorite short “The Mist”. And this time he hit the grand slam.

“The Mist” begins with a violent thunderstorm in a small Maine town. After the storm passes David Drayton (Thomas Jane) and his wife and child assess the damage to their home and property. After seeing that his boathouse was destroyed by a tree from a neighboring yard David goes over to his neighbor Brent Norton (played by the always excellent Andre Braugher) to exchange insurance information. It's a tense introduction to Braugher's character, as we later learn that David had already brought a lawsuit against Brent, but the two men seem to put the past behind them and work together during the storm's aftermath. David and his son give Brent a ride into town so that they can buy materials to patch up their damaged homes as well as hit up the grocery store.

During all of this Darabont show's us that the area is surrounded by the titular mist and that it is closing in on the small town. As David and his traveling companions meet up in the supermarket an older local fella comes running in with blood on his face screaming that there is something in the mist. The patrons in the store are terrified and watch as the mist quickly moves across the parking lot. All doors are closed on the building as the mist overtakes it. The old man reiterates that there is something in the mist and that he witnessed it take someone away. Panic slowly begins to set in.

During the following moments we begin to learn a little about the people trapped inside the supermarket. We find early on that there is going to be trouble in the form of Mrs. Carmody, a bible-spouting religious zealot who believes that the end times have come. Marcia Gay Harden plays Mrs. Carmody with such zeal that she is by far the most memorable character in the film. You'll despise her, you'll loathe her, and you'll beg for her to finally shut the fuck up, but you'll also be transfixed by Harden's performance in this role. It's one of those characters you'll love to hate.

But everyone soon learns that there is indeed something in the mist.....and it's not friendly. Darabont wisely chooses to tease us by cloaking whatever it is in the mist with the heavy fog, giving us only tiny glimpses sporadically placed throughout the film. Trapped in the store, the residents begin to argue over what is happening, some chalking it up to natural events while others maintain that supernatural happenings are afoot. Allegiances are formed and lines are drawn as the terror mounts, both inside the store and outside in the mist. Escape plans are hatched and rescue missions are attempted as things come to a boiling point. And we watch as these terrified people onscreen reveal the fear, vulnerability, and prejudices of being ordinary people put into an extraordinary sitution.

Darabont utilizes a different style of camera work with “The Mist” rather than use the fluid, steady shots that worked so well with his previous King adaptations. The camera moves frequently and unsteadily, panning and zooming in and out quickly, which adds to the chaotic feel that the film tries to evoke. The film is well paced and exciting and rarely lags. The acting ranges from good to great (props again to Harden) with a few standout performances from William Sadler (who also voice acted for the audio book version of “The Mist”) and Toby Jones.

You're going to hear a lot said about the final five minutes of this film, no doubt. Forget the ambiguous ending from the short story...it's out the window. What we have here is ballsy writing and directing from Darabont. I'm not going to ruin the ending for you here, but please, for your own enjoyment's sake, do NOT let anyone ruin the ending for you. Some will like it, some will hate it, but everyone will still have something to say about it...it's that daring! Props to Darabont for having the sack to end the film the way he did.

I'm still torn on whether or not this is the best King adaptation so far. It's definitely up there in the top three, with “Misery” and “The Shawshank Redemption”, and after repeated viewings it may fall into my top spot. It's that damn good. It hit all the right notes and left me more than satisfied. It wouldn't bother me a bit if no one else but Darabont and the aforementioned Mick Garris were allowed to handle King's film adaptations.