Rating: 
Summary: Eerie 3-D Sounds
Review: The Mist is a great old-fashioned radio-like horror. When a mist covers the town, a few band of people in a grocery store try to venture out and find safety, but in the mist, death awaits. This tale (which was also a SUPERB story in "Skeleton Crew") is a bone-chilling tale about people. How they react in these situations, what they cling to.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty feeble, wait for Frank Darabont's film.
Review: The piece de resistance of Stephen King's anthology 'Skeleton Crew' was a lengthy (approx 140 pages) novella entitled 'The Mist', an unsettling tale in which a mysterious impenetrable fog suddenly blankets a small New England town one summer morning after a fierce storm. Within the mist, unseen but ever present, are a variety of monstrous other-worldy creatures who make short work of anyone who ventures outside into it. To this day it remains my favourite of his shorter peices of fiction, managing to be both schlocky (all the monsters seem to be straight out of various B-movies: tentacles, giant insects, prehistoric birds etc) and deceptively chilling. Maybe it's the fact that we never discover exactly what has caused this mist, other than some speculation about secretive military experiments, whether it is localised or global, whether anyone else in the world is still alive and whether or not the main characters ever find any of this out. Ultimatly though, as in almost all King's writing, it's not so much the supernatural forces or the monsters that frighten the reader as much as what the human characters are capable of doing to one another. Here in the space of a couple of days the local religious nut turns from a harmless loon into an apocalyptic prophet of the end times, and the previously normal townspeople begin to get ideas about blood sacrifice as an appeasement to the creatures outside. The thought that civilisation could break down so quickly and in such an horrific fashion confirms the fact that the atrocities we might inflict on ourselves are far and away the more unsettling. The Mist has spawned a text based adventure game for the PC (useless) and this audio play, but Frank Darabont, who holds the movie rights to the story, is planning to film it soon, for release sometime toward the end of 2004. I'm surprised no-one thought of adapting it before, as it's perfect B-Movie material and a lot of King's less cinematic stuff has been attempted for better or for worse. It's a story that I think really does need visuals to compliment it, just hearing an audio track is far too one dimensional. The problem here is that, unless you happen to have read the novella, it's sometimes somewhat hard to make out what is going on, especially with the 3-D sound screeching in your ear. And if you have read the novella, then this adaption is simply not good enough. Obviously time constaints mean that the slowly escalating tension of the original has been set to a much faster pace and thus the pervasive creepiness is severely reduced. And, given that this is audio only, you have to excuse the fact that in the middle of someone being carried off by a nameless horror one of the characters will stop and deliver a detailed description of it; even so you have to make full use of your imagination. However despite some nifty sound effects and a discomforting theme it really is a load of old rubbish. The majority of the acting is terrible, with the child(?) who plays Billy particularly irritating, dragging out his lines in a montone that Fox Mulder would find a tad wooden. David and Ollie fare better, with actors who make an effort, but the real disappointment is Mrs Carmody. In the novella she is such a powerful presence, creating as much unease inside the store as the mist does outside, which builds upon itself until exploding in a frenzy of terrifying savagery. Here they seem to have found the actress with the most boring voice imaginable, a kind of husky drone that is about as threatening as Donny Osmond. Also there are very few pauses, which are vital for creating a sense of atmosphere. People leave the store and immediatly there is a loud scream. No waiting, no edge-of-your seat anticipation, just a sort of wail then everyone starts talking again. They could have spanned this out a bit longer. Some people have commented on the 'obvious' product placements. I can understand how it might seem that way, but if you read King's fiction you realise that he often utilises brand names and familiar products to emphasise the normal every day environments he sets his stories in, therefore whenever the evil forces or whatever show up it seems much more plausible in a way because he has created a contrasting backdrop of mundanity. However this is a device that only works successfully on the printed page. Here it seems awkward and, yes, commercial. For completists only. Better to just stick with the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Best With Headphones
Review: The sound on this CD is wonderful, especially with headphones as that is what it was designed for. The little boy gets kind of annoying (he sounds as if his tongue has swollen past the capacity of his mouth) and the constant descriptions sometimes sound like the characters are selling the product. ("well we've got skippy super crunch or...") But if they didn't describe these things we wouldn't know what they were doing, eating, drinking, running away from, etc. Anyways, this tells the story of a town caught in the grip of an unusual mist that rolled in of the lake on a warm day, after an unusual storm the night before. Perfect for an hour drive or an evening alone with the headphones, even better if at night.
Rating: 
Summary: Not impressed!
Review: This 3D audio endeavor has great intentions. However, the story lost much in the audio presentation. I had to turn my volume almost up to max to hear some of the dialogue. Two or more characters often speak at the same time, making it difficult to distinguish the dialogue. However, I applaud Stephen King for his efforts to make us "books-on-tape" fans happy. It was a bold effort...a beginning in this medium that can be looked at as a building block for future audio books. If I was looking to get the most out of this story, I'd read the printed word.
Rating: 
Summary: A Beginning
Review: This 3D audio endeavor has great intentions. However, the story lost much in the audio presentation. I had to turn my volume almost up to max to hear some of the dialogue. Two or more characters often speak at the same time, making it difficult to distinguish the dialogue. However, I applaud Stephen King for his efforts to make us "books-on-tape" fans happy. It was a bold effort...a beginning in this medium that can be looked at as a building block for future audio books. If I was looking to get the most out of this story, I'd read the printed word.
Rating:
Summary: A Great, Spooky Adaptation of the Stephen King story
Review: This adaptation of the Stephen King story (found in Skeleton Crew)is perfect for long car rides. Even more so if you have to drive at night. This story of an inexplicable mist that engulfs a small, New England town has long been a fan favorite and this superb production helps prove why. The screams and cries of pain are startling, the sound effects make this work incredibly, allowing for a real level of fear to develop. The voice acting (for the most part) is amazing. This really isn't an audio book as much as it is audio theater, kinda like the old radio shows. The Mist is an experience that Stephen King fans ought to know, especially if you have ever read the story. Also, Frank Darabont (director of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile)has the movie rights to the story. And if this cd doesn't whet your appetite for the film adaptation I don't know what will. A prime example that radio is still a powerful storytelling medium.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Own
Review: This is what audiobooks should sound like, and the perfect story for it. Put on your headphones and turn off the light and you're right in the middle of the story. The sound effects will make you jump, and even the music score keeps the tension going. You got to hear this one.
Rating:
Summary: the mist
Review: This was one of first S.King books i'd read. I've now read it twice. I liked the idea of no real ending. To me this is the best of his short stories and if HE'S {Stephen King not God] listening how about a sequel { with no real ending].
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