The Mist Ending: A Shocking Twist That Left Audiences Stunned

Stephen King’s stories are a common subject for horror filmmakers. The Mist is also one of these stories. It is considered quite underrated. The Mist has a very twisted ending, and many people need The Mist ending explained.

Even though it is not as popular as some of his other stories, like IT or The Shining, it is still a cult-classic horror movie. The Mist is directed by legendary director Frank Darabont, who is known for classic movies like Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption.

So today, we will go through the story of The Mist and tell you about its ending. If you’re looking for The Mist ending explained, then make sure to read till the very end.

Table of Contents

The Mist Story

Before explaining The Mist’s ending, we need to delve a bit deeper into its story. The film revolves around a tremendous storm that smashes a village in Maine. The next morning, an approaching cloud of mist emerges.

As the mist quickly envelops the area, a group of people, including artist David Drayton and his five-year-old son, become trapped in a local grocery store. The villagers quickly find that a plethora of horrifying, otherworldly monsters lurk under the mist.

They landed on Earth due to an inter-dimensional breach, which was supposedly generated by a nearby military installation. The terrified population fights hard to escape this cataclysmic tragedy as the world around them turns into a true Hell on Earth.

Beware, the sections below will contain spoilers. So if you haven’t watched the movie, consider this a spoiler warning.

The Mist Ending

So what exactly happens during The Mist ending? In the ending scenes, we see David and his group driving until suddenly their gas runs out. While they have no other way of escaping anymore, they decide to end their lives by shooting themselves.

The reason they opt for suicide is that the creatures will give them a slow, horrifying, and painful death. They are shown to dismember, consume and mutilate their targets. So they all decided to end their lives to save them from that misery and pain.

David had already lost his wife so it is safe to assume he was mentally imbalanced. He is the one that shoots every one of his partners and even takes the life of his own son. After doing all that, he is prepared to embrace his death at the hands of the monsters.

However, as the mist begins to clear, the military swoops in, and the monsters are defeated. The film’s ending leaves David as a sobbing mess who wishes he had waited.

The Controversy

Despite its controversial nature, Frank Darabont actually fought to retain this ending in the final version of the movie. This is one thing that he refused to compromise on. He even got an offer from the studio to double his budget.

However, Darabont stood his ground and got what he envisioned. On top of all these things, this factor also makes this ending quite iconic.

So why is it controversial? Well, people thought that the ending was simply there to shock the audience. It didn’t really fit well considering the characters were trying their level best to survive throughout the movie.

Seeing them simply give up at the end wasn’t really satisfying or acceptable, considering the character’s struggle. This is why this ending is deemed controversial. However, there might be a deeper implication in The Mist ending.

The Mist Ending Explained

The Mist ending is definitely controversial. Darabont leads the story excellently but the conclusion ends up being a little confusing. Despite many years after its release, people still talk about The Mist’s disturbing ending.

So, let’s break it down.

Original Ending

The Mist is an adaptation of Stephen King’s novella of the same name. Overall, Frank Darabont has managed to keep things extremely faithful to the source material. However, the ending of the book is actually quite different from the movie.

The book has more of an unannounced ending. Instead of running out of petrol, David and his party decide to stay for the night to relax, and while scanning radio channels, David believes he hears a message about safety, possibly being in Hartford.

In this ending, it isn’t revealed if David was lying or was being honest. It is left open for interpretation but it can be assumed it is more of a happy ending.

Alternate Ending

Believe it or not, the first idea Darabont had about The Mist’s ending was even more disturbing. His original plan was to end the movie with David seeing a second truck of survivors. These survivors were the people David and his group left behind.

David would not only have to live with the guilt that he killed his son but also that the people he thought were helpless were the ones that survived.

Fortunately or unfortunately, this ending never got made because of some scheduling issues and the director had to opt for what we saw in the movie.

Mrs. Carmody’s Prediction

Apart from the creatures, the movie’s antagonist was actually Mrs. Carmody. You know you’re a great villain when the audience hates you more than the vicious, and deadly creatures that pose a threat to all of humanity.

Marcia Gay Harden played this role perfectly. There is one little detail about her that might reveal why the Mist’s ending is so shocking. She regularly referred to the monsters and the mist as a trial sent by God.

She believed that they must make some sacrifices to calm down God’s wrath. In particular, she was quite keen on sacrificing David and his wife.

Now guess when the mist fades away? That’s right, the moment David sacrifices everything including his son, and is also willing to die, the mist fades away and the creatures are defeated. So the ending wasn’t as simple as some people might’ve thought it to be. Mrs. Carmody could’ve actually been right all along.

Conclusion

So we hope this article makes The Mist ending more tolerable for you. Many people have different fan theories regarding The Mist ending, however, we have discussed the logical explanation of it.

Moreover, this theory hasn’t been confirmed or denied so it seems the only logical answer to The Mist ending.

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