Marcia Gay Harden was able to become a terrifying villain without the use of any spooky mask or terrifying special effects. As one of the primary antagonists in the film The Mist, Harden’s character gathers up a cult-like following in a survival situation, attacking those close to her in the name of sacrifice. She is not terrifying because she is scary on the surface; she is frightening because she is familiar.

Harden spoke about her role in the 2007 film, choosing to look at it as a horror story in two separate parts. “The evil within was as frightening as the evil outside,” Harden said during an interview with McClatchy Newspapers. “We hope that humans at the end of days would hang together. But, in the name of religion, freedom, of a country, economic necessity, in the name of something, fear propels us to give up ethics and commit human atrocity.”

Harden brought a great deal of forethought to her characterization of Mrs. Carmody. “She was scared. She was devoted. My creation of her; I called her the preacher’s daughter. She was fragile. She was timid. But then she gathered so much power. They call her kooky.”

Of course, “kooky” might be a bit of an understatement if you’ve seen the film. However, Harden elected to view the film as a moral dilemma, of sorts. “I think the battle of dark and light in each of us is very, very interesting to me,” said the actor.