The Mist’s Film Ending: Stephen King’s Bleakest Twist
Stephen King’s The Mist took a dark turn on screen, leaving punters rattled. Discover how the film’s ending diverged from the book and why it’s still talked about nearly two decades later.
When Stephen King penned The Mist, he wrapped things up with a glimmer of hope. But the 2007 film adaptation, directed by Frank Darabont, tossed that out the window, serving up a finale that left viewers gutted. The story’s shift from the page to the screen turned a tale of survival into one of utter despair, and it’s still got people talking years on.
Darabont’s Bleak Vision
King’s original story follows a group of locals, including David Drayton and his son, as they try to escape a supernatural fog. In the book, there’s a sense that maybe, just maybe, they’ll find safety. The film, though, takes a much darker route. After days of wandering, hope runs dry. David, with the others’ agreement, ends their lives to spare them from the horrors outside. He even shoots his own son. Moments later, the military arrives, revealing the threat has passed. David is left alone, crushed by the realisation that if he’d waited just a bit longer, things could have ended differently.
King himself admitted he was impressed by the film’s ending, saying,
It was so anti-Hollywood — anti-everything, really! It was nihilistic. I liked that.
The twist was a far cry from the usual Hollywood fare, and it’s stuck with punters ever since.
How the Film Nearly Opened Differently
The film kicks off with a storm and a thick fog rolling in, sending the Drayton family to the local supermarket. That’s where the real trouble starts. But Darabont originally had a different opening in mind. He considered showing a military lab accident that unleashed the mist. During a chat over dinner, actor Andre Braugher questioned whether that scene was necessary. Darabont realised it might not make the final cut and decided to leave it out, letting the mystery linger instead.
This choice kept the focus on the characters’ struggle, rather than spelling out the cause of the disaster. It’s a move that added to the film’s tension and sense of unease.
Comparing the Two Adaptations
While the 2007 film is the one most people remember, there was another crack at adapting The Mist in 2017, this time as a TV series. The show tried to answer some lingering questions, but it never quite landed. The series ended without a proper conclusion, leaving viewers hanging.
In the show’s final moments, the military appears as a train pulls in, releasing prisoners. The survivors soon realise the military isn’t there to save them, but is actually part of a long-running experiment, feeding the monster. It’s a different take, but it didn’t have the same impact as the film’s gut-punch ending.
If you’re keen to revisit the story, The Mist is streaming on Plex.