One of the most shocking endings: this movie dared to change the novel and Stephen King loved it

Stephen King is the undisputed master of horror, and with that moniker, few would dare contradict him…except perhaps Frank Darabont (The Walking Dead), who in 2007 directed Mist based on a short novel. the fog The author from 1985, did not hesitate to revise the latter copy by changing the ending of his story. This change led to one of the saddest and most devastating endings in science fiction.

As SensaCine reports, when asked about this, Stephen King admitted that he liked the ending of the film version in a 2017 interview with Cinema Blend.

When Frank became interested in The Mist, one of the things he insisted on was an ending that the story doesn’t have. When he said he wanted to do the ending he was going to do, I totally agreed. I thought it was great. And it was so anti-Hollywood – anti-everything, really! It was nihilistic. I liked this. So I said, “Go ahead and do it.”

The movie versus the book

Warning, spoilers. The rest of the article outlines the main plot points of The Mist as well as its ending.

The Mist was released in theaters in February 2008. The sci-fi horror story follows David and his son Billy as they shop at the supermarket when a thick, eerie fog engulfs the entire town. David soon realizes that the mist is inhabited by disturbing creatures… their only chance to escape: to unite. But is it possible when we know human nature? While some panic, David wonders which is scarier: the monsters in the fog or the supermarket?

Mrs. Carmody, a religious fanatic among the refugees, convinces some that self-sacrifice is the only way to end the nightmare they are living through, and makes Billy the victim. After the fight, the main character, his son and other people leave the scene. But nothing goes outside: David’s wife turns out to be dead, and the group soon turns out to be gasoline. That’s when they decided to end their lives. David fires at his comrades and his son, and when it’s his turn, he runs out of bullets. Ready to let himself be killed by the monsters, he realizes that the fog is starting to start as the soldiers arrive. What if Mrs. Carmody was right and human sacrifice made the threat disappear?

However, in the literary version, the ending is open: David, listening to the radio, thinks he hears a message talking about a safe zone in Hartford. However, without the creature, we don’t know what will happen to the group.

Stephen King wants to think about it

In the DVD commentary, Frank Darabont recalls a letter he received from the author regarding the final scene, which reads:

Wow, that is one hell of an ending. I’m sorry I didn’t think of that because I would have… every generation needs a movie like Night of the Living Dead where nothing works out in the end, where everyone dies.’

Stephen King wanted to think: Here’s something flattering! At the same time, the film was a success: with a budget of 18 million dollars, it earned more than 57 million dollars worldwide. Among the actors of the feature film we can find Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Broher, Toby Jones or even Jeffrey DeMone.

The Mist is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.