A new re-imagining of the famed master of horror, Stephen King’s novella “The Mist” will make its way to television thanks to cable network Spike. The story originally appeared in one of King’s horror anthologies in 1980 titled “Dark Forces.” In 1985, a slightly different, edited version of the story appeared at 134 pages long in another collection of stories titled “Skeleton Crew.” Finally, in conjunction with the 2007 feature film adaptation, “The Mist” was released as a standalone paperback book. Now, this new version of the tale will hit television screens on June 22 via Spike.
The story
The original version of “The Mist” takes place in the town of Bridgton, Maine and the majority of the story takes place in a single location -- a grocery store. The town of Bridgton is going about their day when suddenly a dense fog rolls through. This mist brings with it supernatural forces and horrifying creatures that shutter the town and trap many of its residents in the local grocery store trying to theorize about the events that have transpired. While trapped, the residents must face not only the monsters that lay just beyond their doors, but also the monsters within the hearts of their own friends and neighbors. It is a taut, horror and psychological thriller as the story unfolds and viewers are allowed to see the many varying faces of darkness.
The story and the film both place a high priority on allowing the viewer or reader to not only feel the residents' fears but to relate to them in some ways.
The reboot
In the new Spike version of “The Mist” the grocery store is gone and has been replaced with multiple locations, including a mall and a church. The show’s creator, Christian Torpe, said that he wanted viewers to be able to go on a journey with all the different characters and needed a way to justify an ongoing series, unlike a single film.
Torpe said “We are not just in the mall. We establish different little pressure cookers under the influence of whoever the leader would be in those locations. Each of them come up with different theories or beliefs about what’s going on. Eventually, the story lines will dovetail and turn into conflicts.” (EW).
Viewers will have to wait until June 22 to see how the new “Mist” compares with the 2007 film adaptation, but with the increase in locations and available character subplots, it has diversity on its side.
“The Mist” is the most recent in a series of Stephen King stories that have been adapted into a mini-series, others of which have included,”Bag of Bones,” “Salem’s Lot,”“The Langoliers,” and “The Stand.”
Watch the new trailer for Spike's "The Mist"
