More than any other film on the list, the quality of "The Mist" as a whole is rocketed into an entirely different stratosphere thanks solely to the concussive blow of its ending. Frank Darabont's 2007 horror based on the novella by literary icon Stephen King is about a group of residents who, after seeing their entire town enveloped in a thick fog which contains terrors both seen and unseen, seek refuge inside a small supermarket. The atmosphere inside the store becomes nearly as dangerous as that outside, as the townspeople begin to turn on each other, with some attempting to leave and being killed by the creatures outside, and others meeting their demise within the perceived safety of the market itself. Thomas Jane, his son, and three other characters decide to make a break for it, hopping in an SUV and riding as far as the gas tank will take them. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be far enough, and with the frightening sounds of the man-eating monsters all around them, Jane and the other adults decide they will use their remaining bullets to take their own lives rather than meet their fate at the hands of the ungodly beasts. After shooting everyone in the vehicle including his son, the grief-stricken father doesn't have one last bullet for himself, and frantically exits the vehicle, yelling for the creatures to come and take him. But what happens instead is immediate rescue and a dissipation of the mist, leaving Jane with the terrifying realization that had he just waited mere moments his son and friends would still be alive. The ending not only differs from King's original conclusion, but it was also so controversial that the studio originally refused to use it, but Darabont stood by his convictions and insisted it was a dealbreaker. It's hard to imagine what the movie would have been like with a much less dark finale, but it certainly would have rendered the movie far less effective and it would likely be largely forgotten today.
Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.
