The Mist by Stephen King | Notes + Thoughts

Horror storytelling has always drawn me in with the way it can make the most ordinary things feel unsafe.

Not the kind that only relies on gore. Well, unless it’s done well or has a story behind it that I find compelling enough to pull me in. I’m more interested in horror that plays with discomfort and uncertainty: the feeling that something is wrong. Yet no one can explain what it is.

Horror storytelling that utilises the environment and different people’s behaviour, and how they change due to the threat of imminent death surrounding them. I enjoy the use of those tools to build an atmosphere that some writers can only dream of executing well.

That is why The Mist worked so well for me. In fact, it worked so well that I found myself jotting down notes about how I felt in certain parts of the story.

Stephen King uses the environment as part of the horror: the mist creeping in, the supermarket, the strangers trapped inside, and the lack of clear answers.

All these things combined create that awful feeling of having no control. And I don’t know about you, but having no control and facing the unknown are two of the most uncomfortable things for me. It’s something that runs deep in us, much like our fear of the dark, which comes from evolutionary biology.

In The Mist, the protagonist is not only scared of what might be outside; he is also stuck watching people become unpredictable inside.

Can you imagine yourself in a confined space with people you do not know to a somewhat personal level? Danger looms from the outside, and people’s unpredictable behaviour on the inside… with you. In The Mist, some of them are familiar, some are strangers, and some are already carrying old grudges with them. When fear starts rising, all that goes into the same melting pot, and it causes absolute chaos.

📖 The Book in 3 Sentences

After a violent storm hits, David Drayton takes his son Billy to the local supermarket. There, they get trapped by a strange mist with a group of frightened locals and visitors.

The threat outside is unclear at first. However, in short order, it becomes obvious that there are things hiding in the mist, and nobody knows what they are dealing with.

As fear grows, the supermarket becomes its own kind of danger. Panic, blame, and survival instincts are all starting to take over, making the irrational feel rational.

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✨ Impressions

The Mist starts by introducing different characters, including David’s family. You will also discover some of the more unpleasant events that occurred. Those unpleasant events help make what happens in the story feel more realistic. Due to the history, certain characters’ actions make complete sense and are realistic.

I particularly enjoyed the slow creeping in of danger. As you keep reading, the characters’ suspicions about the mist start to creep into you too. There is also a lack of clear human communication. People aren’t saying what they mean or feel due to overthinking, character dynamics, or not wanting to sound downright odd.

You know when you want someone to do something because you have an off feeling? You want to protect them, but you are unsure how to explain it? That is the sort of feeling I mean. At least, that is how it felt to me.

Something I want to mention is how much the change in dynamics inside the supermarket got to me.

At first, the supermarket offers some form of respite. It is not perfect, but it is shelter. It is somewhat secure, has food, other people, and at least the idea of safety from whatever is outside.

But when that starts to change, I can feel myself getting more anxious. The outside is already dangerous. However, once the inside starts to feel unsafe too, everything begins to close in. There is no escape, no clear way out.

I also want to bring up King’s writing because he does like to take certain gambles.

I’m from a marketing background. It is what I do day-to-day. So when I read how he describes the mist as it comes in, it threw me off a bit. It made me question why he used that kind of language.

The sentence I’m talking about is:

“Tendrils of mist, as white and fine as floating lace, eddied inside.”

I thought this was an interesting use of language. Everything I have learnt from marketing has been about being clear and direct. This helps your audience understand you in a flash and with minimal effort. But, of course, storytelling in a book is a whole other thing.

That is why it stuck out to me, and I’m glad it did. The use of the word “tendrils” gives the mist more life, almost like it has a biological form. Tendrils can mean thin, stem-like parts of a climbing plant that hold on to walls or other plants. That idea was then supported by the rest of the sentence, which shows how the mist behaved as it came in.

Another bit of imagery that stood out to me was when King describes some of the creatures as being like minor creatures in a Bosch painting.

As soon as I read that, I turned into the Leo DiCaprio meme where he points at the TV.

Why, I hear you ask?

It is because I came across Hieronymus Bosch and his art during my school and college years. His art is distinct as it’s so twisted, dark, corrupt, and influenced by religion. Each painting has so many different tales to tell if you spend enough time looking at it.

Having that personal experience with Bosch’s artwork made my imagination flourish when picturing what the characters were facing.

I also enjoyed how dark and bleak the environment felt. The mist doesn’t quite let through any sunlight. It only allows something close to a silver line of sunlight to come through because of its thickness. That feeling comes up many times as the story develops. I found the use of repetition with that line helped to cement how bleak the environment was and how the characters felt.

Later in the book, some of the characters spoke about how they would give or do anything to see the sun again. Due to the repetition and the way they spoke about the sun, it brought up certain feelings and thoughts in me.

We all know that feeling when it has been raining for a few days (especially if you live in the UK), and the weather looks dark and gloomy. The feeling of misery and depression makes its way in. Then, the next morning, the sun comes beaming through the gaps in your curtains. You open them up to let it light up the room. You feel it on your face and your skin, and there is that feeling of light, warmth, and happiness coming through.

The sun is so important to us. In our eyes, darkness is danger. It is the unknown because we cannot see very well in it, and dangers could be lurking around any corner. But the sun brings safety, hope, and joy. I thought that feeling came through in The Mist very well.

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🙋 Who Should Read It?

The Mist is a good read for people who enjoy horror that is well-paced and uses the environment and people to build tension. Stephen King did a great job of utilising our very human fear of the unknown, as well as our flaws.

If you like stories where an ordinary place becomes unsafe at a moderate pace, The Mist may be a compelling read for you. The supermarket setting is a big part of what makes the story feel so uncomfortable. At first, it offers some form of shelter. But as fear grows, that feeling starts to change, and the inside begins to feel as dangerous as the outside.

I also think this is a good choice for readers who like the ‘the real horror is people’ side of storytelling. Yes, there are creatures in the mist, and they are disturbing. However, a lot of the tension comes from watching how people change and start to behave as fear takes over, trapped and desperate for answers.

If you enjoy games like Silent Hill, The Mist may suit you too. They share the same uneasy atmosphere. The world feels wrong, has somewhat limited visibility, and danger could pop out of nowhere. There is also that mix of monsters, fear, strange behaviour, and people clinging to belief systems when reality starts to fall apart.

It could also be a good starting point if you are new to Stephen King and do not want to jump into one of his much longer books straight away. The Mist is short, tense, and easy to get through, but it still gives you a strong taste of what King does well.

You may not enjoy it as much if you dislike bleak stories, group panic, religious fear, or endings that do not spoon-feed you everything. No fun in reading books if you can’t let your imagination do some of the work too, right?

Some readers prefer the 2007 film ending because it is more concrete. However, the novella’s open ending will suit readers who like uncertainty. Readers who want to make their own minds up about the outcome.

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📝 Further Notes on The Mist

Spoiler note: This section includes more detail and may include spoilers.

David Drayton

For me, when it came to the main character, I have a few things to say.

On a personal level, I do not like David Drayton. I do not trust him, but I appreciate that he was, in a way, “the best” in a shitty situation.

However, I do think Stephen King was dropping hints from the start about this character’s flaws. Only when push came to shove, when the pressure was on, did his flawed personality shine as brightly as the North Star through his actions versus his words.

I get that some people who have read The Mist may not agree with me. But that is the beauty of books. It is all up for interpretation. Our own experiences, values, and morals play a big role in how we interpret and judge things.

One of the first things that irked me about David was when he had a certain type of vision of something horrific happening to his wife and son.

When I first read this line:

“The horrors of the Inquisition are nothing compared to the fates your mind can imagine for your loved ones.”

I felt that was very true because we all go through that at some point or another.

When your brother or sister gets a bit too close to the rocky shoreline, as the weather starts to take a turn. You watch on as the waves become more violent, crashing against the rocks. That fear crosses your mind.

One wave could grab them and take them to their own demise, so you yell at them to step back.

But after re-reading that part, while the emotion remained due to that sentence, there was another line that did not sit right with me.

David says:

“One of those terrible visions came to me, I think they are reserved exclusively for husbands and fathers.”

To me, that was odd.

It felt strange to act like those visions and thoughts do not happen to anyone else about their loved ones: mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters. At that point, I started questioning the level of self-importance this man had and his character. I questioned whether he was someone reliable, whether he was someone trustworthy.

In fact, that bit did not sit well enough with me that halfway through the book, I flicked back to make sure I had read what I thought I had read. Why? Well, there were other times when he said certain things that… didn’t sit quite right with me.

David’s actions versus his words

Another thing that stood out to me was how David speaks about his son: how he must protect him and keep him safe.

He felt awfully comfortable leaving Billy to sleep on his own for long periods of time while he did other things. In some parts, that was understandable because of the surrounding dangers, and at the time, said dangers were outside the supermarket.

However, as the dangers started to increase inside too, shagging some random bird in a locked room because he wanted to have her is not something I would think of as ‘doing your best to protect your child’. His son slept next to his babysitter, outnumbered by people taking heed of the mad drivel.

You are in a room with a few people you know well, a bunch of acquaintances, and a load of strangers. There is danger outside, and danger is rising inside as well. And he decides that it is a good time to get his end in?

Actions speak louder than words, and his words held very little value for me.

This was then further cemented by the fact that, in his own head, he thought to himself how he wanted to do it a second time, all the while speaking with someone who shared concerns about the internal danger rising, and David agreed with this person’s fears.

David’s self-importance

Finally, again, this man’s self-importance comes to the forefront.

When a group of them are on the way to try to find something, David has the person he had an affair with in the vehicle with him.

He says:

“I think I prayed. I prayed to God that Stephanie was alive and that He wouldn’t take my adultery out on her.”

She was not the one who sinned, if we are looking at it through that lens. He is the sinner, and God, in His just self, would take the adultery out on him.

The fact that David tries to make it somehow about him, but not in a way where he would be the one to pay for his actions, is astonishing to me.

I did see someone’s review; I believe it was on Goodreads, where they did not understand the point of the affair. Some people may see it as, “It is the end times; people would act in ways that do not make sense.”

I do not see it as that.

I see it as the true nature of his shitty character, with his thoughts being about himself and his needs, no matter how much he talks about keeping his son safe.

And again, the fact that he wanted to do it a second time while discussing the danger rising around them within the supermarket cemented that feeling about his character.

The danger inside the supermarket

Now, to some other human aspects that do not have anything to do with David.

There is a certain character in the story known to be quite quirky, both in personality and the way they dress. As people’s minds start to loosen due to fear, and of course, in such a small space, the illogical starts to look logical.

Irrational thoughts take over as people try to make sense of a chaotic situation. They want an answer. They want a way out.

The behaviour becomes quite cult-like and tribal in some ways.

It had a resemblance to people’s actions during COVID as well. All the panic buying and the hoarding of supplies when there was no need to. I remember pasta, flour, and toilet roll being the main things that people took, oh, and eggs too! So much so, they had to limit it to 2 boxes per sale. Some shops were bare of at least a couple of those things on some days due to people panic-buying.

People acted like the end times had come, rather than being rational. Seeing movies like 28 Days Later, and then COVID happening, cemented how fucked we would be if something like a zombie apocalypse happened, or what happens in The Mist for that matter.

The danger rising inside because of what was happening outside made that same feeling rise in me again.

The ending

Finally, I quite liked how the ending came to be.

It was very much left open to interpretation. I suppose, in a way, it depends on whether you are a glass-half-full or a glass-half-empty kind of person. Whether you are hopeful or bleak. Whether you prefer to dream of salvation, or whether you try your best but remain realistic about the likely outcome.

I suppose some people liked the end of the movie version of The Mist more, as it was concrete.

However, I prefer Stephen King’s ending because it was down to us, as the readers, to think of the outcome.

On the whole, I thought it was a good book. The monsters, the mist, and especially the atmosphere worked for me.

As a Silent Hill fan, I enjoyed the story because it shares quite a few similarities in the atmosphere and certain characters too. Be it in the games or even the Silent Hill 2006 movie, because even then, there was a cult-like thing to it as well.

Have you read The Mist by Stephen King, or is it a book you will be adding to your Goodreads list?

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❓ FAQs on The Mist by Stephen King