In 2007, Stephen King’s adaptation of his short story “The Mist” made its’ film debut. The film was well received, and is best known for it’s shocking twist ending that had left fans satisfied with the ending change from the novella.

Rumors of a developing TV series were surfacing on social media, and later TV network Spike confirmed that the series will air through their online servicing as well as a regular program. Ten years after the theatrical version, the series made its debut, and fans voiced their mixed feelings through IMDB forums, as well as social media.

“The Mist” follows a small town in Maine, in which their everyday lives are interrupted by a foreboding mist. A small band of survivors hole up in a shopping mall, whilst fighting off the monsters and crazed citizens affected by the mist, and attempting to uncover its mystery. While the premise is almost the same as the theatrical version, there are many changes made with characters. With the addition of new characters, it changes the dynamic of the narrative.

The series takes the slow burn approach, playing the introduction game with fairly bland characters. We are introduced to our main protagonists, consisting of father Kevin, recently fired teacher and mother Eve and sheltered teen daughter Alex. They are later accompanied by Alex’s openly gay friend Adrian, as well as two strangers who seek out the mystery of the mist.

The main issue with the TV series in comparison to the film is that the writers try to throw too much into the pilot episode of the series. Without hitting the one hour mark, we are already introduced to sensitive topics such as date rape and homophobia, to name a few.

Another issue that some King fans will notice is that the ‘rules’ of the mist have vastly changed, also adding unnecessary attributes to the story. The main example being standing in the mist for too long leads to insanity while in both the novella and the film, the mist is a conduit for its’ mysterious monsters causing immediate peril to the survivors.

Unfortunately, “The Mist” falls flat in comparison to its’ superior theatrical counterpart, spoon feeding the audience cliches we’ve seen done time and time again in horror films. While the special effects may be well done, they’re not enough to redeem the show from uninteresting characters and an uninspired rehash of the novella.