While watching my movie collection in alphabetical order, I got to a point where I had two movies based on Stephen King novels, two of which I have not read. First up was Misery, followed by The Mist.
Misery was released in 1990 and is considered by many to be a classic. Misery is about an author, Paul Sheldon, played by James Caan, who goes to Colorado to write his novels. While leaving Colorado after finishing one of his novels a snow storm hits and he slides off the side of the road where he becomes trapped in his car. "Lucky for him", Annie Wilkes, played fantastically by Kathy Bates, was following him and helped him from his car. Unfortunately Paul is injured in the accident and Annie helps take care of him since the storm has blocked the road and disabled phone lines, or at least thats what Annie tells him. See Annie is Paul's biggest fan and idolizes everything he has written and knows really random facts about his life. Overtime Paul starts to realize that Annie has a few screws loose and thats when things get crazy intense. Kathy Bates plays the role of Annie perfectly, you can really tell she is a nutcase. It's almost like she isn't even acting, like she is just playing herself. It is very easy to see why she went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. You also have to give James Caan some credit, he seemed to take some real abuse in this movie, both physically and psychologically. Misery is a great movie and will have you sitting on the edge of your seat rooting for Paul to get out of Annie's crazy grasp.
The Mist was released in 2007, and I would say it's extremely underrated. The Mist takes place in a small Northeast town that experiences a violent storm that knocks out most the power in town. This forces David Drayton, played by Thomas Jane, to go to the store to pick up some necessities to make it through until their house is repaired. David takes his small son with him, leaving his wife at the house. While David is at the store, a thick mist rolls in, making it impossible to see outside the store. Some people start to get scared in the store, but the real panic sets in when someone runs into the store screaming that there is something in the mist that is snatching people up. No one really knows what is in the mist, they just know it can't be good. David and a small group of people finally get to see what's in the mist when Norm, a bag-boy, decides to go into the mist and unplug the generator vent so the store can get some electricity. When the side door opens, Norm is grabbed by a giant tentacle that actually has these pinchers that rip the flesh off is skin. David and the small group are able to fight off the tentacles, but can not save Norm. From that point on David gets a small group of followers that have to deal with other small groups within the store that have varying thoughts and beliefs on what is actually in the mist. The biggest thing that stays with you after seeing The Mist is easily the ending. I'm not going to give anything away but it is pretty intense and can easily make some people hate the movie and others love it. I sit on the "love it" side of the fence. I really enjoyed The Mist, way more than I thought I would when I bought it. I don't even know why I bought it actually because I never really heard much about The Mist when it was in theaters, but I am really glad I picked it up. Also I would like to point out that both times I have watched The Mist I have watched the black-and-white version of the film. That was director Frank Darabont's intended way to see the film. I can see how the movie could be less received in color due to possible issues with special effects plus I think the black-and-white aspect makes it more intense.
Movies based on Stephen King novels can be hit or miss. For every The Shining and The Shawshank Redemption, you have a Thinner and The Secret Window. But I must say that Misery and The Mist are extremely solid movies and should not be missed, especially if you like intense thrillers
