What actually happens
A tree through the window and a very suspicious fog
A big thunderstorm hits Bridgton, Maine, and a tree falls through the lakeside house of David Drayton, an artist whose family also includes his wife Stephanie and his son Billy, who is eight. The next morning they see a thick mist crossing the lake. David and Billy drive to town with their neighbor Brent Norton for supplies, passing several army convoys on the way. In the supermarket they watch police cars race down the street, and then Dan Miller runs in and warns everyone about something in the mist. The managers, Ollie Weeks and Bud Brown, shut the store as the mist rolls over it. Norm goes out to fix the generator and is dragged off by a tentacle. A religious woman named Mrs. Carmody begins preaching that the mist is a punishment from God, and Brent leaves with a group who never come back.
Reading this instead of watching it is the correct decision. Scaredy Cat makes that decision automatic, for free.
Mrs. Carmody gets a sign from a bug
David gets to know two teachers, Amanda Dunfrey and Irene Reppler, who have clashed with Mrs. Carmody over her version of events. Amanda has a revolver in her purse and passes it to Ollie, who used to be a regional shooting champion. At night, huge flying insects are drawn to the lights and gather on the windows, followed by pterodactyl-like creatures that eat them. One of those predators breaks a window and lets both kinds into the store. Two people are killed in the panic, and another is fatally burned trying to set the insects on fire. Mrs. Carmody is spared by one of the insects, which she takes as a sign. She preaches louder and starts gathering followers.
The pharmacy trip with a nasty surprise
David leads a group to a nearby pharmacy to find medical supplies, but they are attacked by large spider-like creatures. They find a military police officer trapped in a web-like structure, still alive, who starts to say the military is responsible. Then miniature spiders emerge from inside him, which ends the conversation permanently. Back at the store, Mrs. Carmody demands a sacrifice to calm the monsters and points at a soldier named Jessup. He admits that the mist came from a military experiment that was trying to open a window onto other dimensions. He is stabbed and thrown outside, where a creature kills him immediately.
Four bullets and the worst timing
In the morning, Mrs. Carmody asks for Billy and Amanda as the next sacrifices. Ollie shoots her, her followers come to their senses, and David's group gets out of the store. Ollie and several others die along the way. David takes his gun, and the survivors drive off. They stop at David's house and find that Stephanie is dead. They drive on through the destruction, see a gigantic creature cross the road, and run out of gas. This is the scene people dread most, and it comes at the end of the movie. With only four bullets left and no hope, David shoots everyone in the car, including Billy. He steps out and screams for the monsters to take him. Instead the mist begins to clear, the U.S. Army shows up to destroy the creatures, and the woman who left the store at the start is reunited with her children. David realizes the killings were unnecessary and collapses, screaming.
The ending, explained
David and the survivors escape the supermarket after Ollie shoots Mrs. Carmody. They find Stephanie dead at the house, drive until the gas runs out, and decide there is no way out. David uses the four remaining bullets on his passengers, including his son Billy, and then walks out to wait for the creatures. The mist clears and the army arrives to wipe out the monsters and rescue survivors. One of them is the woman who left the store at the start, now with her children. David realizes the mercy killings were unnecessary and collapses, screaming. Ollie and many of the others are dead.
The post-credits ruling
There is no post-credits scene. You can leave when the credits start.
✓ Spoiled safelyDog status: No dogs appear in this one, so none can die.
Questions people ask at 1am
Is The Mist scary?
The Mist is a 6.5 out of 10 with high dread. It has monsters that appear suddenly, several grisly deaths and a mob of frightened shoppers, and the ending is what stays with people afterward.
How does The Mist end?
David shoots the other survivors in his car, including his son Billy, with their last four bullets. Then the army shows up, the mist clears and he realizes help was close.
Does the dog die in The Mist?
No dog dies in The Mist, because there are no dogs in it. Only monsters die among the animals.
Is there a post-credits scene in The Mist?
No. The Mist has no post-credits scene, so you can leave when the credits start.
What is the mist in The Mist?
The mist is the result of a military experiment that was trying to find other dimensions and went wrong. A soldier named Jessup admits it to the people in the supermarket shortly before he is killed.
