The Mist is one of Stephen King’s best stories. The tale of an otherworldly mist blanketing a small town is filled with monsters and not all of them are inhuman. Frank Darabont’s 2007 adaptation is an underrated horror classic. Can this new television show live up to both King’s novella and Darabont’s film? Well, we’ve got a new trailer that gives us our best look at the show yet. Give it a watch and see what you think.
A Very Different Take
Admittedly, it’s hard to look at this and not see how incredibly different this version is going to be. The original book (and Darabont’s movie) are set in one supermarket as the apocalyptic event happens. The show is spreading the action out. That makes sense for a TV show to do, but it might also fragment the characters in ways that could be troublesome down the road. What happens when you only have one group of survivors you’re interested in? Hopefully, all the characters will be compelling in their own right.
There’s also a very Walking Dead vibe going on here. That show is going to cast a big shadow over any apocalyptic fiction for a while. Seeing signs painted with messages recalls the very first episode of Robert Kirkman’s pop culture sensation. Remember “Don’t Open, Dead Inside”? But, there’s also clearly more of a mystery angle going on with this show. We even get some kind of smoke monster! Haven’t seen that before. Looks like this could also be pulling some notes from the Lost playbook. If they pull the right notes, this could be a show with some interesting twists and turns.
But most of all, we need some good monsters. Luckily, this trailer has some icky moments that feel in tune with the story’s mean spirit. Since this is a TV show, expect those moments to be few since budget plays such a big factor in creature effects. Still, if they can make it work when it does happen, it’ll be another plus for the show.
The Mist premieres June 22 on Spike. As a Stephen King fan, I’m obligated to watch.
