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Episode 007 - Frank Darabont Retrospective Part 2
By 2007, Frank Darabont had established himself as one of Hollywood’s top directors and screenwriters. Following the award nominated adaptations of some of Stephen King’s most heart warming stories, Mr. Darabont decided to go back to his roots to produce, screen write, and direct one of Mr. King’s most beloved horror stories of all time, The Mist.
The movie is a story of a group of survivors taking refuge in a grocery store as a mist of unknown origins envelopes the building. A throwback to the horror and sci-fi movies of the 1950’s and 60’s, the film, though a moderate success at theaters, is thought of as one of the top ten genre movies of the decade. With its religious and political undertones the film speaks volumes about today’s world. The ending, a shocking change from the novella, was so impactful to audiences, Stephen King himself stated that he had wished he had thought of the ending when he had wrote the story.
Soon after, in 2010, Mr. Darabont took a little known but highly regarded underground comic book and decided to bring it to the small screen. The story, a comic book written by Robert Kirkman, was a story about a group of survivors trying to make ends meet after a zombie apocalypse. Fitfully on Halloween night 2010 The Walking Dead premiered to both resounding reviews and audiences larger than many had expected. With this success, an upcoming second season was announced and will be debuted in October 2011.
Once more, Phil and Mike discuss the importance of Frank Darabont and the significance he has played on horror and sci-fi in this latter part of his career. With the success of the Mist and the Walking Dead, Mr. Darabont has cemented his legacy upon a genre that was at one time so desperately seeking monsters in the mist.
