"Fear of the dark, fear of the dark, I have constant fear that something's always near. Fear of the dark, fear of the dark, I have a phobia that someone's always there." ~iron maiden

I went to the premiere of the movie The Mist tonight, thanks to my awesome friend Christin. Wow. I'm having trouble condensing my thoughts, but I'll do my best to get them out. First of all, some background info: it's based on a Stephen King novella. It was adapted for the screen and directed by Frank Darabont, the same guy who made The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. Obviously the guy's an expert at making movies based on Stephen King books. He introduced the movie, which was very cool. Bob Weinstein also spoke. I saw Stephen King there, which was pretty freakin' awesome. I couldn't believe I was sitting in the same theater as Stephen King, watching a movie that began in his head. The premiere was at the Ziegfeld Theatre, which is a beautiful theatre with a fantastic history. The movie features a very strong ensemble cast, including Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden, Toby Jones, Laurie Holden, and Thomas Jane. Marcia Gay Harden is awesome. Seriously. She has the best lines in the movie and kills with them. She plays a crazy religious fanatic and does an amazing job at it. All the performances were great. I thought the film was beautifully shot. It was made in six weeks, which is very impressive. The premise is totally unrealistic, and there wasn't nearly enough explanation to make it believable, but I guess you're expected to suspend reality while watching or reading a Stephen King creation. It's gross and scary and very disgusting at times, but it's also funny. Of course the theatre was full (mostly with people who helped make the movie), and the crowd really got into it. There was "eeewwwww"ing and "oooohhhhh"ing and screaming and gasping and laughing and clapping and cheering. It was fun to be surrounded by other excited viewers. I have to talk about the ending (don't worry, I won't spoil it). It's one of those endings that knocks you over. My jaw dropped. People walked out of the theatre saying things like, "Wow," and "Holy crap," and "I don't believe it." I love endings that shock. I thought that it might end that way but then I kept telling myself they wouldn't actually do that, but they sure did. And it had people talking. which is great. Here's a good review of the film. It claims the movie features "the ballsiest ending in horror cinema." The reviewer also says, "Darabont expands on King’s ambiguous finale and delivers an emotional gut punch so shocking it’s a wonder it ever escaped through the studio system." I love controversy.
Overall, despite the grossness and the unbelievability, it was a good, very well-made film. If you like horror movies, this is definitely not one to miss. And even if you don't like horror movies, you might give this one a shot.
ETA: Trailer: