That ending - fair or unfair? Spoiler warning

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SHARON L. CHASE

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Feb 25, 2016
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I would say fair, considering where the short story left off it could have gone in either direction. With them making it to safety, or with the scenario that happened in the movie. I actually was impressed the movie decided to end it that way (did any of you notice the woman from the beginning who left for her two children was safely on the truck? I didn't notice until my second watch-through. She actually plays Carol in The Walking Dead, great actress!). Not enough movies, or stories for that matter, end with a negative ending. I think it has become universal to expect a happy ending, but sometimes reality hits you that much harder. It IS a plausible scenario, and in his mind he was only trying to do right by the people he cared for. One of the best movie endings I have seen in a long, long time. Nothing prepares you for those screams at the end, it chills you straight through.
I THINK THE MOVIE DID IN NO WAY DO JUSTICE TO THE BOOK AS FAR AS THE ENDING WENT AND I WAS HUGELY DISAPPOINTED. THE MOVIE FOLLOWED THE BOOK CLOSELY THROUGHOUT UNTIL THE ENDING WHICH WAS DEPRESSING. KING WROTE WITH A TOUCH OF HOPE AT THE END AND THAT'S HOW THE MOVIE SHOULD HAVE PORTRAYED IT!
PEOPLE WATCH MOVIES TO ESCAPE REALITY FOR JUST A SPELL AND LIKE A HAPPY ENDING AS THAT MAKES THEM FEEL AS IF THERE'S HOPE. A SAD ENDING TAKES THAT ALL AWAY.
 

M_Parabola

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Jan 27, 2016
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Outside NYC
I THINK THE MOVIE DID IN NO WAY DO JUSTICE TO THE BOOK AS FAR AS THE ENDING WENT AND I WAS HUGELY DISAPPOINTED. THE MOVIE FOLLOWED THE BOOK CLOSELY THROUGHOUT UNTIL THE ENDING WHICH WAS DEPRESSING. KING WROTE WITH A TOUCH OF HOPE AT THE END AND THAT'S HOW THE MOVIE SHOULD HAVE PORTRAYED IT!
PEOPLE WATCH MOVIES TO ESCAPE REALITY FOR JUST A SPELL AND LIKE A HAPPY ENDING AS THAT MAKES THEM FEEL AS IF THERE'S HOPE. A SAD ENDING TAKES THAT ALL AWAY.
First of all, caps lock. Second, the ending in the short story isn't necessarily happy either. It's ambiguous, and leaves it up to the reader. If you want a happy movie, don't watch Stephen King films. His work isn't about happy endings. The end of Desperation most of the characters are dead, end of The Shining Danny has lost his father. The entire novel Carrie is very melancholy. Unrelated to King, but a movie I found very poignant but also quite tragic was The Pianist. The movie breaks my heart every time I watch it, doesn't make it any less of a good film. In certain scenarios happy endings and Deus Ex Machinas just don't cut it. If you want another reference look at the Red Wedding scene in Game of Thrones. I don't know what to say honestly, certain genres are horrific, and sad. Horror is one of those genres. With the entire tone of The Mist a happy ending just wouldn't have fit. From start to finish, it's tragic.
 
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Mocos

Active Member
Mar 6, 2016
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Was The Mist from Different Seasons? I've always been able to remember the other 3 stories so well, but never the fourth. I knew I had read this story, but couldn't remember where or how it ended. I'll never forget the ending to the movie, though. Saddest movie ending I've ever seen... and I've seen Old Yeller! I remember waiting for the movie to end, because it was so predictable... so phony... so campy. And then, suddenly, the heroes lose hope. Ok, now it gets interesting. Then, there's a small math problem for them to overcome (4 bullets + a certain amount of respect and affection = 5 dead with a remainder of 0 how?). All right, some suspense now. Then the dad gets out of the car. Oh. Math problem solved. But his grief is palpable. That's it; sad, unsatisfying ending to a ridiculous, unsatisfying movie. Hold on there, pardner. The Army shows up. Deus ex machina, but just a minute too late. Hope for the rest of the world, but just another, darker side of the horror for the hero. I believe that this movie, with that gargantuan powerpunch of irony, could cure anemia once and for all.
 

Mynxie

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Aug 8, 2010
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Merseyside, UK
Loved The Mist - another decent production. Having said that, as with IT, i was disappointed in the ending but there are going to be others who liked and appreciated the ending and will disagree with what i have said - but thats totally fine, each to their own. I mean, as some on here will know, im obsessed with The Stand - and i was pretty disappointed in the ending for that. Far too many movies and such out there that portray happy endings and i think horror is the one genre where its acceptable to deviate from this, and for the most part, have (slightly) less positive endings. The one thing though, that we all have in common, is an appreciation of SKs work :bat::devil::ghost::alien:
 

Lee9900

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Jun 29, 2016
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I thought the ending was a ballsy ending. Mostly because it set up a huge moral and ethical quandary because of him killing his son to spare him a terrible death. These kinds of things generally aren't done because of the current social and cultural American climate of being over protective and reactive to children.

Generally, dealing with children in this fashion is a very difficult thing to do.
 

Rrty

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Jun 4, 2007
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Lee9900, for the reason you state, it is why I still believe everyone else being shot but the kid surviving would work best. The father wouldn't be able to kill his son, it's too tough, but he also can't bear to live either, knowing the horrible death that awaits him. It shows the selfishness of humans, but, the child survives in the end. The movie ending as it is, though, is still pretty good, I agree.
 

Ebdim9th

Dressing the Gothic interval in tritones
Jul 1, 2009
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I think he should have waited until tentacles were actually breaking through the vehicle's windows before sparing his son the agony of such a death. If he had, the army would have come along, as we saw, before such a thing happened. Maybe the tentacle would have grabbed him before he could fire mercifully, but that wouldn't have happened because of the timing of the military's arrival. We know that did happen when it did.
 

Ebdim9th

Dressing the Gothic interval in tritones
Jul 1, 2009
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I'm having a semi-non-functioning-brain moment, so I can't remember exactly who the lady was that
left the supermarket and then showed up later in the back of the army truck. They could've figured a way to survive even outside of the vehicle when it ran out of gas. She did. Although that's in the movie and not the novella.
 

Dana Jean

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Apr 11, 2006
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I'm having a semi-non-functioning-brain moment, so I can't remember exactly who the lady was that
left the supermarket and then showed up later in the back of the army truck. They could've figured a way to survive even outside of the vehicle when it ran out of gas. She did. Although that's in the movie and not the novella.
That lady was Carol from The Walking Dead!!!
 

Doc Creed

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Nov 18, 2015
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I liked the movie ending. It seemed more realistic to the narrative and gave us a tragedy to end all tragedies. However, that doesn't mean I disliked the novella's ending.
I try to imagine an alternate ending with David Drayton's bunch driving away in the mist and the audience left with a recycled sentiment like:
"Well, tomorrow is another day..."
Or
"Hold on...we always have hope."
END CREDITS
It would've felt off, I think. But, I also think Muskrat's got a point. King is an unapologetic sentimentalist and always rallies his band of characters to fight their foe. Despite the few exceptions where the reader is left with little hope, King is devoted to the Trueheart and the Good Warrior brand of heroes/endings.
 

recitador

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Sep 3, 2016
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Was The Mist from Different Seasons? I've always been able to remember the other 3 stories so well, but never the fourth. I knew I had read this story, but couldn't remember where or how it ended. I'll never forget the ending to the movie, though. Saddest movie ending I've ever seen... and I've seen Old Yeller! I remember waiting for the movie to end, because it was so predictable... so phony... so campy. And then, suddenly, the heroes lose hope. Ok, now it gets interesting. Then, there's a small math problem for them to overcome (4 bullets + a certain amount of respect and affection = 5 dead with a remainder of 0 how?). All right, some suspense now. Then the dad gets out of the car. Oh. Math problem solved. But his grief is palpable. That's it; sad, unsatisfying ending to a ridiculous, unsatisfying movie. Hold on there, pardner. The Army shows up. Deus ex machina, but just a minute too late. Hope for the rest of the world, but just another, darker side of the horror for the hero. I believe that this movie, with that gargantuan powerpunch of irony, could cure anemia once and for all.

unless i'm blind nobody addressed this, but it's from skeleton crew. the 4th story of different seasons never got adapted.

as for the ending, i think the main problem people end up having with it is that yes, it's a twist/shock ending, but it's not like say, sixth sense, which makes you look back over the whole movie in a whole new light, and want to rewatch it to see missed clues. this one just delivers the shock without twist. i thought it was pretty hardcore, not necessarily better than the book, and it definitely garnered a reaction from me. so all in all, good. however, knowing how it ends, i may never watch it again, so, bad.
 

Deviancy

I go Boo.....
Mar 20, 2019
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The ending of the film was gut wrenching while the ending of the novel was solid but didn't hit me as hard. Imagine being a father and doing what you think is right so no one suffers and then not being able to follow and then finding out that the military was wrapping things up. There's no way he'd be sane after that and chances are, he'd probably go on to finish what he started when he got a chance but who knows.

I really can't watch the film anymore though since these days I just see Dale, Carol, and Andrea when I watch it.