Exclusive Frank Darabont Interview

We had the distinct pleasure to play 50 questions with Frank Darabont about the Mist, the Fahrenheit remake and The Long Walk. Michael ended up having to go out of town and threw me to the wolves, but in a good kind of way. I ended up doing his interview with Frank Darabont and although I am an experienced writer, it was my first really big interview. Talking with Mr Darabont was a great pleasure and we appreciate him taking the time for our exclusive one on one chat.

On March 25, 2008, the standard and collector’s editions of Frank Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Mist will hit store shelves. It’s a brutally fatalistic throwback to horror films of the 70’s, when the genre could appeal to both mainstream and arthouse crowds, existing on a visceral and cognitive level. After an aggressive storm damages their home in Western Maine, David Drayton (Thomas Jane) and his son Billy (Nathan Gamble) head to the grocery store to stock up on supplies. While there, a mysterious mist rolls in, significantly decreasing visibility. David, Billy, and the many other shoppers including fire & brimstone religious nut Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden), grounded yet tough Amanda Dumfries (Laurie Holden), litigious Brent Norton (Andre Braugher), store employee Ollie (Toby Jones) decide to stay inside out of concern for what the mist might be, or what it might be hiding.

After the appearance of a rather aggressive tentacle in the storage room amongst other suspect anomalies, the stores inhabitants start to show signs of disarray. As the rules of civilization rapidly break down, it becomes clear that the real monster might be human nature itself. On the upcoming DVD’s, viewers can expect to see:

Standard Edition:

• Audio Commentary with Frank Darabont
• Eight Deleted Scenes with optional commentary

• A conversation with Stephen King and Frank Darabont Featurette

Collector's Edition:

• Black & White Version of the Film
• Audio Commentary with Frank Darabont
• Eight Deleted Scenes with optional commentary
• A conversation with Stephen King and Frank Darabont Featurette
• When Darkness Comes: The Making of The Mist Featurette
• Taming the Beast: Shooting Scene 35 Featurette
• Monsters Among Us: A Look At The Creature FX Featurette
• The Horror of it All: The Visual FX of The Mist Featurette

• Drew Struzan: Appreciation of the Artist Featurette

This is really a rather impressive array of special features, not to mention that it’s possibly the first time a DVD has been released with both colour and black & white prints of the same movie. Coming from horror roots, it is no surprise that Frank Darabont shows such a keen understanding of the genre. For those unfamiliar with his previous work, he got his screenwriting start on 80’s horror films, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 (arguably the strongest entry in the series), The Blob, and The Fly 2. Making good on a handshake deal for the rights to Stephen King’s novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, Frank Darabont jumped onto the scene as a writer/director to watch out for with The Shawshank Redemption, a movie nominated for Best Picture, and Best Adapted Screenplay academy awards, and currently sitting at #2 on the imdb top 250 movies list. Darabont followed this up with another King adaptation, The Green Mile, which was also nominated for Best Picture, and Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars, making him the first writer/director to have his first two feature films distinguished with these honours.

The Mist marks a drastic stylistic change for Darabont, which again, is rare in auteur theory, as most director’s essentially make the same film over and over again. Tossing aside the artistically crafted painterly instincts shown in his previous work, Darabont has given this darker material an appropriately ragged appearance, showing a great deal of directorial versatility.

Frank Darabont recently took some time to talk with MoviesOnline about his upcoming 2-Disc DVD release of The Mist, the change in direction style, and upcoming projects. He comes across as genuine, intelligent, and unpretentious, knowing his craft and discussing it with great insight. His passion for film is clear, and his demeanour would put even the most anxious of interviewers at ease.

MoviesOnline: It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a good adult horror movie that can appeal to both a mainstream and an arthouse crowd. And you’ve succeeded in making one. How did you maintain that balance?

Frank Darabont: I don’t know if that was intentional. It’s more of a natural instinct with me. I think both Shawshank and Green Mile wound up being a blend of the two as well. I tend to gravitate to the material that says something more. The Mist certainly leant itself to that. The material is just stuff you don’t see often, and I just saw an opportunity in that.

MoviesOnline: Your direction in The Mist is really quite different tonally and stylewise to your previous work. The mid-shot zooms, and occasionally handheld effects really add to the sense of unease. Where did you draw from stylistically for this film?

Frank Darabont: The subject matter lent itself to a change in pace and style. This was a whole new kind of technique for me. It’s one thing to create that painterly feel with Shawshank and The Green Mile, and another to just cut loose and go another direction. This is something I’ve always wanted to do. I directed an episode of “The Shield” to bone up on the style, and it was just an amazing experience. I brought on the cinematographer, and the editor and everyone from that experience for The Mist. I really just wanted to throw out everything I knew and start over. It was great, and I learned so much from it.

MoviesOnline: The Mist almost works as a polar opposite subject matter wise to The Majestic. Was this a conscious decision? Or did it just work out that way?

Frank Darabont: The shift in technique was conscious. I really wanted to try something new, and the subject matter in The Mist is so different than The Majestic. The interest in my part comes more from who I feel like right now. Lately I’ve been feeling very pissed off. I feel like Jane (Thomas Jane) in the supermarket with all these freaks and monsters all around me. I just wanted to explore that part of myself. Which I guess is sort of why actors sometimes like to play a psychopath. This isn’t the happy sunny Frank of my previous films.

MoviesOnline: I unfortunately don’t have a copy of the Mist on DVD yet, but I head there is a black & white version of the film on there. What do you feel the black & white angle adds to the film?

Frank Darabont: I always had the idea to shoot this film in black & white, but that’s something that studios don’t really want, and the film didn’t need to be in black & white. I could be wrong, and correct me if I am, but I don’t think anyone else has released a colour and black & white version of their film on DVD. I have the Coen Brothers to thank for making it happen. They shot “The Man Who Wasn’t There” in colour, and transferred it to black & white for the release. That technology allowed me to do this. With DVD’s to offer the audience I really saw an opportunity to offer that to the audience. The black & white translation gives them film a really different vibe. The colour version feels more like something from the 70’s, where the black & white gives it that very early 60’s horror monster feel. I hope people enjoy checking it out.

MoviesOnline: Early in the film a woman in the grocery leaves to go to her children. No one offers to help her. Was her return later in the film a further indictment of the humanity demonstrated in the grocery store? Was there another thought in this?

Frank Darabont: This was really just a delightful idea we had while shooting. Jeffrey DeMunn, who is a really great guy and a really great actor came up to me with the idea and asked if I thought it would be stupid or cool to have her pop up again later on, and I thought it was a great idea. I love that irony. That this woman walks out into what seems to be certain doom with all these monsters to find her kids, and winds up being okay. Melissa McBride was an actress we hired from Austin to play that small part at the beginning of the film, and she just turned out to be such an amazing actress who left an impression. So we called her up and asked if she wanted to come back for this other scene, and she did. I was really happy with how that turned out.

MoviesOnline: I’ve seen a few different angles that The Mist can been taken from; fatalism, or political allegory, or an anger and disappointment in the human condition. Was this your intent? I also see these themes tying into your next work Fahrenheit 451, which works as a further frustration with human inability to think for oneself, and conformance through annihilation anxieties.

Frank Darabont: Yes. Definitely. There are similarities. The European journalists have been so much keener at picking up the political angle and anger in The Mist, moreso than the American ones. As far as Fahrenheit 451, I think it’s the greatest sociological work ever. It really says something about humanity. The style of Fahrenheit will be sort of a mix between Shawshank and The Mist, if you can picture that. It will be more laid back and painterly, with that angry edge.

MoviesOnline: I was hoping to ask you a bit about your adaptation of The Long Walk, as it’s one of my favourites as well.

Frank Darabont: The Long Walk will come about in the next five years. It’ll be more low budget and stylistically similar to The Mist. Right now I’m really focusing on getting Fahrenheit off the ground.