Director Frank Darabont's most controversial endings in horror history, partially because it doesn't feel logical. Dozens and dozens of Stephen King's novels and short stories have been adapted into feature films over the years, and unfortunately, the overall success rate isn't that great. Sure, there are beloved classics like The Shining, Carrie, and The Shawshank Redemption, but there are many more misfires like Children of the Corn, The Mangler, and Maximum Overdrive out there.
Thankfully for fans of the story, which appeared in King's Skeleton Crew collection, The Mist ended up in the hands of Darabont, who had previously turned The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile into highly acclaimed masterpieces. The Mist was Darabont's first crack at adapting one of King's horror tales, and he did so with aplomb, crafting a claustrophobic, scary, intense film packed full of some of the most terrifying, unsettling monstrosities to ever be realized onscreen.
While The Mist movie largely did justice to King's prose, faithfully adapting his Lovecraftian story, the ending proved to be an immediate, and in some cases permanent, sticking point for many. There seemed to be no middle ground, either one loved the harshness and cruel irony of the conclusion, or hated it for feeling cheap and unnecessarily depressing. Stephen King himself loved it, but those who hate it would still respectfully disagree.
The Problem With The Mist’s Controversial Ending
While it's by no means happy, Frank Darabont's The Mist movie went running in the other direction by having lead character David Drayton (Thomas Jane) kill his fellow survivors and his son, as part of a mutual decision intended to avoid being eaten alive by the monsters. Mere seconds later, the mist begins to clear and the military shows up, having managed to fight back successfully against the creatures. It's a kick straight to the gut of the audience, and for many it works great. For some though, it doesn't feel earned.
David and the others had fought hard to survive while trapped inside the grocery store, and also fought hard to escape in a vehicle. They could've easily given up early on, once it became clear how dire the threat they faced was, but they didn't. Yet, once they run out of gas, everyone involved quickly jumps to assisted suicide as the best course of action, and it feels jarringly sudden. It also feels out of character for David to shoot his son after trying so hard to protect him previously.
Sure, no one wants to be eaten by monsters, but they could've at least made some attempt to survive before going straight to the death option. Additionally, the fact that if David had waited just a couple minutes before pulling the trigger they all could've been saved is too much of a Twilight Zone or Tales from the Crypt twist for its own good, and comes off like Darabont pointing at the viewer and saying "ha ha" in a manner akin to Nelson Muntz. The Mist's ending problems by no means make it a bad film, but definitely one that could've been better.
