Movies - TV
Frank Darabont Has A Healthy Reaction To The Mist's Legacy
By JEREMY SMITH
"The Mist" was a Stephen King adaptation with monsters and scares, and while Frank Darabont had taken a commercial/critical stumble with 2001's "The Majestic," both of his previous King movies, “The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Green Mile” had been nominated for multiple Oscars including Best Picture. However, its release was met with mixed reviews and commercial failure.
Speaking with /Film on the 15th anniversary of the film's release, Darabont seems at peace with the cult-film groove into which "The Mist" seems to have settled. He said, I'm not comparing it to John Carpenter's 'The Thing,' but it does have that dynamic of the people who dig it have discovered it, shared it, and it does have this reputation that clings to it. And that's really satisfying.”
Darabont thinks the film's desolate tone and gore have given it a bit of emotional heft over the last 15 years. He said, "General audiences don't necessarily cotton to a certain kind of experience. But if the movie really has some weight, some quality to it, it does accrue. It takes a while, but it does accrue."