"Something in the mist's got John Lee!" cries an old-timer as he staggers into the Food Store. This is not what the folks inside want to hear. They just want to grab some supplies and head on home.

Everyone’s got the jitters because an overnight storm has knocked out the electricity and a weird pea-souper is rolling in from the hills and is about to engulf the town. Beginning with John Lee…

Leading the call for calm is pragmatic artist David Drayton (Jane). He’s all for sitting tight until help arrives - especially after seeing what just happened to Norm the bagging boy out in the loading bay.

Despite hick mechanic Jim (William Sadler) and braver-than-he-looks shop assistant Ollie (Toby Jones) confirming Norm’s grisly demise, David’s prickly neighbour Norton (Andre Braugher) is convinced it’s a wind-up.

But people who venture into the murk don’t come back. Or if they do, it’s not in the same state as they left.

The tense situation isn’t helped by religious nut Mrs Carmody (the terrific Harden) putting the fear of God into everyone. But David, more concerned about the best course of action, tells his young son to ignore the crazy lady.

When night falls, however, it appears that she may have a point…

Darabont’s previous films (Shawshank, The Green Mile, The Majestic) are about hope and keeping faith in human nature. The Mist tears that worldview to shreds.

As Laurie Holden’s naïve schoolteacher quickly learns, fear brings out the worst in people, as exemplified by cowardly Jim and the irredeemable Mrs Carmody, an evangelist from Hell who gradually converts her flock into a blood-crazed lynch mob.

It’s easy to see why the film failed to spark in the US. Does anybody really want to see the innocent and selfless die horribly while blame-mongers and the weak-willed live to see another day?

It certainly delivers in the jumps and jolts department, and hand-held camerawork adds to the jittery atmosphere. But once the onslaught begins, The Mist loses its grip.

Some of the special effects wouldn’t pass muster on the Sci-Fi Channel and several scenes are blatantly copied from Jurassic Park and Aliens.

Perversely, Darabont stays too faithful to King’s novella (from the anthology ‘Skeleton Crew’). Moments of dark humour aside, proceedings often drag.

There’s a pointless romance between the checkout girl and one of the hapless soldiers (military meddling - a fave theme of King’s). Braugher’s character could also have been culled at the script stage since, when all's said and done, he merely sets the misanthropic mood.

But at least Darabont has the guts to keep it grim to the bitter end - The Mist is guaranteed to leave you under a cloud.

Elliott Noble