The Mist
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The Mist is a science fiction/horror novella by the American author Stephen King, in which a small town in Maine is suddenly enveloped in the titular phenomenon. It was first published as the opening and longest story of the 1980 horror anthology Dark Forces, edited by Kirby McCauley. A lightly re-edited version was included in King's 1985 short-story collection Skeleton Crew. The story is the longest entry in Skeleton Crew and occupies the first 133 pages.
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[edit] Plot
The morning after a violent thunderstorm, a thick unnatural mist rapidly spreads across the small town of Bridgton, Maine, reducing visibility to near-zero and concealing numerous species of bizarre creatures that viciously attack anyone venturing out into the open. The source of this fog and the monstrosities within are never revealed, but strong allusions are made to an interdimensional rift caused by something known second-hand to the townsfolk as "The Arrowhead Project", which had been long-rumored to be conducted at a nearby top-secret military facility.
The bulk of the story details the plight of a large group of people who become trapped while shopping in the town supermarket, among them an artist named David Drayton (the story's narrator), Drayton's young son Billy, and their annoying neighbor Brenton Norton. Along with the horrifying physical threat outside (of which Norton is an early victim), the story also explores the rapid psychological breakdown of the terrified people inside the market. This breakdown allows for the rise to power in the market of a religious zealot named Mrs. Carmody, who eventually convinces a majority faction of the survivors that these events fulfill the biblical prophecy of the end times, and that a human sacrifice must be made to clear away the Mist: Billy is the chosen victim. As the mob surges forward at her command, Mrs. Carmody is shot by Ollie Weeks, an employee of the market and one of the few survivors who has remained relatively sane. Drayton, his son, and two other survivors escape to his car and head south, learning that the Mist has spread ahead of them across all of Maine. As the story ends, they prepare to drive on into an uncertain future.
The Mist is referenced slightly in Stephen King's later work From a Buick 8, specifically the similarities between the creatures within the fog and the creatures which come through the Buick.
[edit] Characters
- David Drayton
- Billy Drayton
- Brenton Norton
- Mrs. Carmody
- Dan Miller
- Mike Hatlen
- Amanda Dumfries
- Hilda Reppler
- Ollie Weeks
- Hattie Turman
- Jim Grondin
- Myron LaFleur
- Ambrose Cornell
- Norm the Bag-Boy
- Mr. McVey
[edit] Adaptations
The Mist was adapted into a text-based computer game.
The Mist was an inspiration for the computer game Half-Life.[1][2]
Possibly drawing inspiration from "The Mist," the video game series Silent Hill prominently features a mist-shrouded town teeming with dangerous creatures.
The Mist was also adapted into a full-cast audio dramatization, which utilized the Kunstkopf method for 3-dimensional sound. The audio dramatization was released on audio cassette and CD.
[edit] Movie Version
After spending several years languishing in development hell, a movie adaptation of the novella has been officially greenlighted, with Frank Darabont both directing and writing the screenplay. It is currently scheduled to be released sometime in 2008. [3].
