The Mist Ending Explained (In Detail)

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The Lovecraftian monsters that live in The Mist are enough to make anyone lose their minds, but instead, David Drayton and company decide to mount a last-ditch effort to escape. Released as part of the Skeleton Crew short story collection, The Mist remains one of Stephen King's most beloved works that doesn't serve as a full-length novel. In 2007, director Frank Darabont adaptedThe Mist into a feature film, and while the budget was a bit low, King devotees generally liked it.

Darabont's realization of King's otherworldly tentacled beasts was generally seen as good, as was The Mist's overall atmosphere and casting. The one aspect that bothered some viewers, though, was The Mist's ending, which is in one respect suitably dark and disturbing for a horror movie, but was not at all what many wanted to see. The Mist's ending is one of the most controversial in recent cinema history, with debates continuing to rage online among lovers of both King and horror in general.

Related: Every Tom Jane / Stephen King Horror Movie, Ranked

Now, some 15 years after The Mist's theatrical release, Darabont's adaptation is still one that's worth watching, even if there is a chance not everyone will be satisfied with the ending. There are several layers to the conclusion, which begs a closer look at how the story panned out. The Mist sees David Drayton, his son Billy, and assorted other Bridgton, Maine townsfolk become trapped inside their local grocery store by the coming of the titular weather condition and its accompanying monsters. Unfortunately, what first seems like a place of sanctuary quickly goes sour, spurring on The Mist's ending.

The grocery store in The Mist, much like the mall in George Romero's classic Dawn of the Dead, at first