Finally saw the B&W version of this film (which was the way director Frank Darabont had always intended the film to be), and he and others who praise it are correct: this movie is meant to be seen in B&W.

Seen this way, the imaginative creatures (my favorite has always been the terrifying skull-faced giant spiders) look to be straight out of an especially scary '50s monster movie. Likewise, the hand-wringing social commentary and tragically ironic ending are purely Rod Serling and TWILIGHT ZONE territory. Both of which, not surprisingly, come across amazingly well in B&W. The special effects, too, which occasionally courted cheesiness in color, look spectacular.

I always liked THE MIST and thought it a very fine film, one of the best adaptations of Stephen King's work. In the B&W Director's Cut (which is available on Blu-ray and DVD), I think it's very nearly a GREAT movie.