The Mist (2007)

The tentacles in The Mist look like they crawled out of a 2007 video game, and they still aren’t the most frightening thing in that grocery store. Every time the movie shows them in daylight, the spell breaks. A few characters are thin, too, mostly there to make bad choices and leave. Then there’s Marcia Gay Harden as Mrs. Carmody, a doomsday preacher who slowly turns a crowd of scared shoppers into her congregation, and she’s scarier than anything outside. Thomas Jane is solid as a dad trying to keep his son calm while grown-ups fall apart. Toby Jones, as the soft-spoken assistant manager, quietly becomes the bravest guy in the building. Andre Braugher plays a neighbor who refuses to believe anything is out there, and he’s great at being wrong. The ending splits people right down the middle, and audiences handed it a C CinemaScore. A 7.5 because the people hit harder than the monsters. $24.77 says the next foggy morning, you stand at the front door and decide the trash can wait.

What works: Marcia Gay Harden is terrifying as Mrs. Carmody, and the trapped-in-a-store tension between neighbors is sharper than the monster attacks.

What doesn’t: The creature effects look dated and break the mood, and several characters exist mostly to make bad decisions.

Who it’s for: Horror fans who want something grim and thoughtful, and who are ready for an ending that stays with them.