Tag Archives: the mist

Uncategorized

“Alien: Earth” (2025) – Episodes 6, 7, 8 – Very Solid

Leave a comment

I think the first season of Alien: Earth finished very strongly with a number of interesting new developments and a plethora of creepy and frightening alien lifeform encounters and brutal slayings. I think the handling of new life forms and their often deadly qualities is handled better in this series than in, say, “Prometheus” (2012). These alien monsters are scary and other worldly. They are magnificent. As a matter of fact, they remind me of some of the disgusting life forms unleashed in “The Mist” (2007). Things we may have the misfortune of running into in our nightmares.

Well, it looks like all the opposing groups have been defined and are gathering on the island to iron out their differences. It may be a very chaotic, violent second season.

One final question which hasn’t been answered in Season One. Is there anything that can even slow down the Alien Xenomorph? Maybe next season.

Uncategorized

“The Cosmic Monsters” (1957) – The Earth Dies Mumbling?

Leave a comment

I was intrigued with finally seeing this film as it starred Forrest Tucker, who made a few of my favorite 1950’s science fiction films namely “Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas” and “The Crawling Eye”. “Monsters” is my least favorite entry.

I found it very difficult to follow the action for a couple of reasons:

  1. There isn’t any!
  2. The actors all seem to mumble through their dialogue so you don’t know what the heck is going on!

What I can glean from this snoozer is that scientists are conducting experiments concerning magnetism and cosmic rays and seem to have F’ed up and ripped a hole between our dimension and an unseen parallel dimension thus allowing an unwelcome invisible intruder to enter our space and enact nefarious deeds on unsuspecting inhabitants of Earth. This includes the wildlife in the countryside outside the lab which grow to tremendous size and want to quench their thirst with Earthlings who stumble upon them.

There is also an angle where a benevolent alien who appears in human form and speaks perfect English arrives in a spacecraft, allegedly aware of the scientists’ cataclysmic gaffe, and assists on sewing up the torn dimensional fabrics and providing sage advice to the scientists on how best to clean up their mess. Shades of “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951)!

For a more satisfying dimensional fabric tatter-fest, go check out “The Mist” (2007).

If you do find yourself in a position to watch “The Cosmic Monsters”, be sure to crank up your television volume and see if you can decipher what is going on. Hearing aids are NOT optional.

Horror, horror movie, monster movie, mysterious places, science fiction films, suspense, unexplained phenomena

THE MIST (2007) – PHANTASMAGORICAL BUMMER

Leave a comment

Watching “The Mist” again recently got me to thinking about the original source material, Stephen King’s novella, and the faint memories I had of reading it.  I watched the movie and then reread the story.  The movie is very faithful to the story.  But then there is that ending of the movie….

Once of the single most downer conclusions in popular culture storytelling, I would have to say.  Granted, the scenario is imagined in the story but not actually executed.  That grim prospect is dutifully carried out in the movie.  Oh, it is an awful choice to go down that path.  I suppose there is some solace for the rest of the town’s or country’s inhabitants by concluding it this way but there is also a great devastation for a few characters.

Anyway, the story concerns an unexplainable fog or mist descending on a Maine town and the unseen, monstrous “things” which hide in the white cover and attack the unwary.  A definite sense of dread hangs over this story and the hard choices which have to be made in order to survive the shadowy beasts and the crumbling humanity which results from the dire circumstances the characters find themselves in.  There truly is no easy way out of the situation.  Or answers.

I advise you to take the time to read King’s story and to also watch the movie.  Decide for yourself if one is preferable over the other.  I choose King’s written work.  Because the movie just kicks me in the balls.