In The Mist movie, adapted by Frank Darabont, one of the most interesting topics is about how religion is portrayed in the story. I think in this film adaptation portrays the religion as institutionalized one.
The setting in the story is at a supermarket in a small town. But the situation is different from usual daily activity. People come to the supermarket to buy supplies since the storm is coming. That day the supermarket is specially crowded. Then, the mysterious mist comes and blocks sights --cannot see what has happened outside the supermarket. Therefore, people are trapped in the supermarket. This causes this situation to be considered as a microcosm to study as a representative of the whole community. The setting;-supermarket, is a clear microcosm because there’re lots of supplies which helps people to survives. It is not like in other horror movies that they are trapped in the isolated deserted island. This setting helps drop the possibility of being uncivilized.
However, this microcosmic community still has an uncivilized action (or we, as modern generation considered as uncivilized) which is ‘human sacrifice’ and it is even worse than other uncivilized. This particular belief is under the institutionalized religion that has set in this community. This institutionalized religion plays large role in the story; it is the mean fueling characters to do things.
But how is this institutionalized religion so important? Generally, when a community is formed, a set of rule or what’s to rely is needed, especially in such situation where panic and fear floats around the air. These people have to face unknown fears-they don’t know what is happening and also, unexplainable fears-they faces non-earthy creatures. So if there’s anything to rely on, people tend to easily believe in it as in this story that Mrs.Carmody gains more believers from times to times the monsters attack. Using an almighty being called "God" to explain the unexplainable disaster by claiming it as "God's will", and since they trust in God they have no reason to fear it but rather find out what caused God's wrath and try to fix it. They don’t do so.
This religion becomes more powerful and it even gains majority in number comparing to those who don’t believe in this mob-rule. Since this religion is now institutionalized, ‘human sacrifice’ is acceptable in this case. Believers try to find a scapegoat to blame-- bingo to a young soldier who happens to be a military officer sort of involving in the Arrowhead project who releases the monsters. As daily and common rules have subverted, people kill others to just put themselves at ease.
So the institutionalized religion in this story is a failure since it is just a fraud religion which brings nothing but death. This religion does not solve any troubles. It moves nobody forward but backward.