Oh, Stephen King movies. Fans and critics have suffered through Pet Sematary, Dreamcatcher, Children of the Corn and countless other adaptations that either corrupt the original work or expose its silliness.

But some films from the list stand apart from and above the rest. In fact, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile did so well that people almost forgot King was behind the movies. Frank Darabont wrote and directed both films, and he based his latest movie on the first King story he wanted to adapt – the 1980 novella The Mist.   The story in Stephen King’s The Mist is incredibly simple. Illustrator David Drayton (Thomas Jane), his son and half the town hole up in a supermarket as a mysterious mist spawning hungry, wriggly CGI descends upon them. If the standard “Strangers meet and then face EVIL” King premise sounds out of character for Darabont, remember that, as a screenwriter, he also brought us an ’80s remake of The Blob and The Fly II.   The thrills stay largely campy and the budget stays low. It’s a creature feature, but instead of conquering a town, the monsters attack a single building. Although it’s a far cry from blockbuster mayhem, the action works. Blood flows and limbs detach in a slow-paced but satisfyingly gory medley.   But as some none-too-subtle characterization and moralizing reveals, the movie cares about the evil within as much as it does about the evil without. Between wacky monster attacks come long scenes of debate and drama, featuring one-note sidekicks like mean neighbor Norton (Andre Braugher) and sweet grampa Ollie (Toby Jones). Many of these scenes eat time, but some will stick in your memory like when a throwaway character dies and others actually react.   As the religious zealot Mrs. Carmody, Marcia Gay Harden is the movie’s villain, star and second-biggest talking point (after the beasts). She strikes just the right balance between an actual adversary and an object of ridicule.   Changes from the novella, including an explicit explanation for the mist’s existence and a visual nod to Dark Tower fans, are slight and in-tune with the original story. Except for the ending: it’s totally new, but arguably consistent with King’s style. The Mist should please King fans, and others should get some decent B-level thrills.