Review: Stephan King's "The Mist" Trailer

Acclaimed science fiction horror author Stephen King released his novel “The Mist” in 1980; set in Bridgton, Maine, a group of survivors including David Drayton and his son Billy fight the monsters that have emerged from a mysterious fog that has enveloped the area and beyond, while trapped inside a grocery store. In 2007, a movie based on the novel was released to mixed but mainly positive reviews. But it has been recently announced that a new series, based on the book, is set to premiere in two weeks.

Created by Christian Thorpe, the series is starring Morgan Spector and Alyssa Cunningham as Kevin and Eve Copeland, a couple separated and trapped when the mysterious, ominous fog rolls over the town. Fear and paranoia sets in on the town, as Kevin seeks to reunite with his wife and their daughter Alex before its too late. The series appears to be taking the route of psychological thriller, as the trailer showed that the mist will have some sort of evil, omniscient force that mess with the townsfolk, as well as showing that the pasts and tragedies (including the rape of the Copeland’s daughter) will play in as plot points.

As a huge King fan, instantly I was excited to hear this announcement. I watched the movie a few years ago, and while it was good at keeping mainly to the book plot, I can’t forgive the ending which was horrific, unexpected, and a significant deviation from the book. While sometimes this can be overlooked, it didn’t sit right with me. The series gives me hope this story will rework and do the book justice.

The trailer itself showed significant deviation from the book itself, already using different characters and settings for the main plot points. As well, the emphasis on judgment day in this series is more prevalent than in the film or novel, as it was more of a paranoid facet to one of the antagonists. While I prefer things to be kept canon, I can get behind plot deviation if it is justified and okayed by the author. As Stephen King approved of the ending for the film, he may approve of the new plot focus.

All in all, I am cautiously hopeful for this new series, both as a Stephen King fan and as a horror fan. I enjoy a good religious-based horror film, but the strong deviances from the original plot makes me nervous. The premiere episode is set to air on Spike on June 22, so buckle up folks, we’re going into the mist.