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Parents' Guide to

The Mist

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Fear reigns in so-so Stephen King monster flick.

Movie R 2007 119 minutes
The Mist Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 6 parent reviews

Tim C.
Tim C. Adult
February 25, 2023
age 16+

Loved it!

I loved this! It is a amazing thriller/horror film!

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
JGher520
JGher520 Parent of 15-year-old
May 27, 2022
age 15+
Good movie very disturbing not very scary. Terrible ending, just mainly disappointingly wrong. Steven king is good but this one was a bad one of his. 😭🔫

This title has:

Too much swearing
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

THE MIST begins with a conflict between neighbors in Castle Rock, Maine. Following a raucous storm, neighbors David (Thomas Jane) and (Andre Braugher), who share a troubled past, agree to head into town together for supplies. At the store, they face more immediate danger, and their tenuous alliance breaks down. Dan (Jeffrey DeMunn) arrives bloody-nosed and stunned, announcing, "There's something in the mist!" The camera turns to show the scary, opaque wall rolling in. It brings monsters -- tentacled, big-jawed, and prone to ripping people apart. Afraid of what they can't see, the trapped shoppers begin to blame each other, looking for order in end-of-days pronouncements (courtesy of a local fundamentalist played by Marcia Gay Harden) or in secret experiments conducted at a nearby military base. Tensions rise and paranoia grows as the confined characters argue, plan, and worry about their homes and families. David reluctantly takes charge of one group of survivors, but he's got his work cut out for him as more and more terrified individuals make bad choices and turn on one another.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (49 ):

The Mist's moral and physical geographies are familiar, if excessively literal. Divisions occur between inside and outside, good and deranged. David's choices at each moment are shaped by his belief in what he sees and his distrust of other people's rationalizations. He's the film's most reliable guide, showing how fear makes populations strangely obedient, willing to accept any explanation that exonerates them and blames someone else. Though The Mist indicts blind belief (and features a stunning ending that differs from Stephen King's source novella), it remains burdened by generic clichés.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how people respond to being scared. Why do you think the characters react the way they do? How do you think you'd react in a high-stress situation? And, speaking of being scared, why do you think people are drawn to scary movies? What's the appeal of being frightened in the theater? What's scarier -- threats you can see, or those you can't? Why?

Movie Details

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