Greetings, Boils & Ghouls...
... and welcome to 'Day Eighteen' of "Awesome Horror Streams for Hallowe'en Screams on Roku" in which I will suggest my top picks of the fright flicks from the carefully curated catalogue of macabre movies available via the 'Shudder UK' streaming service - any of which can then be streamed to your television using the magic of Roku player - so, let's dim the lights... and prepare for more frights! :-O
If you read my Hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - published on 30th September, then you will know that I plan to post one Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, each featuring one horror movie from the current 'Shudder UK' content library. With recommendations for thirty-one of the best fright flicks I can find, by the end of the month, this means you should have plenty of great choices for your macabre movie viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring some top-notch cinematic scares come October 31st! ;-)
Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn, and Frances Sternhagen in "The Mist" (2007)
For my eighteenth instalment in this series of posts I'm going to suggest a feature-length film from the United States which, while written & directed by Frank Darabont, had a screenplay that was based on Stephen King's novella of the same name which, itself, was published in "Skeleton Crew" (1985) the author's second collection of short stories. No surprise then, that this film was also known by the title of "Stephen King's The Mist": a truly "Legendary Tale of Terror" by the author, if ever there was one! For those of you who may not be familiar with the story, it begins with an American family: David, Steff and son Billy (The Draytons) who live in a small Maine town which is hit by a ferocious storm that damages their home. David Drayton (Thomas Jane) and his young son head into town, along with their neighbour, Brent Norton (Andre Braugher), to gather food and supplies. Soon afterwards, a thick fog rolls in and engulfs the town, trapping the Draytons and assorted others in the grocery store. The terror (and the tension) mount as deadly creatures reveal themselves outside, seemingly intent on killing humans, but that threat could be nothing compared to the what was coming from within the store where a zealot, Mrs. XCarmody (Marcia Gay Harden) is calling for a sacrifice to be made! :-O
If you read my Hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - published on 30th September, then you will know that I plan to post one Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, each featuring one horror movie from the current 'Shudder UK' content library. With recommendations for thirty-one of the best fright flicks I can find, by the end of the month, this means you should have plenty of great choices for your macabre movie viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring some top-notch cinematic scares come October 31st! ;-)
Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn, and Frances Sternhagen in "The Mist" (2007)
PHOTO CREDIT: IMDb.com
For my eighteenth instalment in this series of posts I'm going to suggest a feature-length film from the United States which, while written & directed by Frank Darabont, had a screenplay that was based on Stephen King's novella of the same name which, itself, was published in "Skeleton Crew" (1985) the author's second collection of short stories. No surprise then, that this film was also known by the title of "Stephen King's The Mist": a truly "Legendary Tale of Terror" by the author, if ever there was one! For those of you who may not be familiar with the story, it begins with an American family: David, Steff and son Billy (The Draytons) who live in a small Maine town which is hit by a ferocious storm that damages their home. David Drayton (Thomas Jane) and his young son head into town, along with their neighbour, Brent Norton (Andre Braugher), to gather food and supplies. Soon afterwards, a thick fog rolls in and engulfs the town, trapping the Draytons and assorted others in the grocery store. The terror (and the tension) mount as deadly creatures reveal themselves outside, seemingly intent on killing humans, but that threat could be nothing compared to the what was coming from within the store where a zealot, Mrs. XCarmody (Marcia Gay Harden) is calling for a sacrifice to be made! :-O
"The Mist" (2007) [Movie Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: IMDb.com
If you haven't seen the film before, here is a brief taster in the shape of an original trailer for this sci-fi horror thriller, courtesy of a video from 'Horror Addict' which they through their 'YouTube' channel:-
If you'd like to know more... there's a full list of the cast & credits on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) listing for "The Mist" (2007), FOUND HERE, which also includes a full storyline / plot summary as well as box office stats, technical specs & much more. For die-hard fans, there's even more information to be had from the Wikipedia Page for Frank Darabont's film "The Mist" (2007) VIA THIS LINK, which may help to fuel your appetite for (yet) another screening. Although, if you're as much of a fan of this film as I am, or happen to enjoy the written works of Stephen King in general, it probably won't take much persuading for you to watch this tense, terrifying thriller again!
Chris Owen as 'Norm' in "The Mist" (2007) [Movie Still]
PHOTO CREDIT: IMDb.com
Anyway... you probably guessed already but, if not, this film (like the others from this series of posts) is also available via the 'Shudder' streaming service and can be easily viewed on any Roku device via their dedicated channel (app) for these streaming media players. There are other opportunities for UK Roku users to watch "The Mist" (2007), including multiple purchase options from 'Amazon Video' so feel free to simply "Rent" for £2.49 (SD) / £3.49 (HD) or else "Buy & Keep" this movie in either 'SD' quality at £3.99 or 'HD' quality at £4.99 - the choice is entirely yours - although, having said that, I'd suggest taking a look at some possible free alternatives before parting with any money, because there may well be some free sources available online offering file formats compatible with Roku. However, as my original idea for this month-long blogathon was to suggest thirty-one great Hallowe'en / Horror themed movies from the fang-tastic 'Shudder UK', I'm recommending you stream it there! ;-) :-)
If you haven't already added it to your channel selection, you will find "Shudder" listed among the "Film & TV" channels in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store. You can easily add it to your Roku player(s) by navigating to the built-in 'Channel Store' (accessed via "Streaming Channels" from the home screen on your Roku device) and scrolling through the options until you see the channel icon (pictured above). It's completely FREE-TO-ADD so, once you've located it in the list of channels, just click the "OK" button on your Roku remote to select it and then click "OK" again where it says 'Add channel' to install it on your Roku player(s). Having done that, it's simply a case of launching the channel via the 'Go to channel' option and navigating the on-screen menu to log-in (if you already have an account, but haven't yet done so) or start your free trial (if you are new to the service) and, once you see 'Shudder TV' playing on the screen, just push the "DOWN" arrow on your Roku remote to get to the main menu... from where you can "Search" for "The Mist", and then press "OK" on your remote to select and 'Play' this wickedly entertaining horror which, for the record, runs to 2h 06mins.
LINK TO WATCH 'The Mist' (2007) VIA THE 'SHUDDER UK' WEBSITE
Unfortunately for Roku users in the USA and Canada, it appears this film is not (currently) available for streaming via the 'Shudder' service in either country... although, there are options to rent the film (which can then be streamed on Roku via the 'Amazon Video' channel) for those in the United States. The current cost of renting "The Mist" (2007) via the 'Amazon Video' service in the United States is USD $2.99 for 'SD' quality and USD $3.99 for an 'HD' quality. Although the "Buy & Keep" price for this film is USD $4.99 in either 'SD' or 'HD' quality... which may well be preferable for some of you. As for Canadians, the rental options for this movie are (once again) few & far between, at least as far as being able to enjoy the film on Roku is concerned. That said, as I've suggested in other posts from this series, there could well be one or two other streaming resources Canadians can use, so it might be best to check for free alternatives before paying to watch this. As always, if you get stuck trying to find a good source, message me via Twitter: @ukrokuchannels and I'll see if I can get you a link! ;-)
Meanwhile, for that full cinema experience, here's a few movie posters and other related images film fans in 2007 (or more recently) would've encountered depending on their location around the world:
Thomas Jane as 'David Drayton' in "The Mist" (2007) [Movie Still]
PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest
"The Mist" (2007) [German Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Kino.de
"The Mist" (2007) [Korean Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest
"The Mist" (2007) [DVD Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest
"The Mist" (2007) [Taiwanese Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest
"The Mist" (2007) [Turkish Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest
"The Mist" (2007) [USA Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest
Finally, to round-off this eighteenth instalment in my month-long blogathon on 'Day Eighteen' for this edition of the 'Countdown To Halloween', here's more FRIGHTENINGLY FUN FILM FACTS... for example: did you know that Stephen King has been quoted as saying he was "genuinely frightened" by this adaption of his novella? Moreover, Frank Darabont described that quote from Stephen King as the "happiest moment" of his career! And, were you aware Stephen King's idea for the source novel came about when he was at a market in Maine? Apparently, when he noticed the front window was made of plate glass, he then wondered what would happen if giant insects were to fly into it! :-)
Other interesting tidbits of trivia include the fact that when a man runs into a wire rotating-book shelf in the grocery store, during one of the action scenes from the movie, all of the books on the shelf are ones which were written by Stephen King - look closely, and you will clearly see for yourself! Other connections with the author include the opening shot of the film, when 'David Drayton' is painting in his room... and the picture he is drawing is a design from Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series, of the gunslinger Roland, a Clint Eastwood-like character living in a Middle-Earth-like world. Similarly, one of the other designs in the room is a poster of John Carpenter's "The Thing" (1982). Let's not forget John Carpenter also wrote & directed "The Fog" (1980) that shares an obvious common theme with "The Mist" (2007), as well as "Christine" (1983), another adaptation of a Stephen King novel!