Stephen King’s Most Lovecraftian Book Is So Good, It’s Getting Adapted For The 3rd Time

Stephen King‘s most Lovecraftian story is still so iconic that it is getting a third on-screen adaptation after all these years. The King of Horror has openly cited H.P. Lovecraft as one of his key inspirations on many occasions. Owing to this, it should not be surprising that traces of Lovecraftian horror can be found in many of his stories.

While most Stephen King books do not completely fall into the cosmic horror subgenre, the author does not shy away from introducing ambiguous supernatural threats that instill the Lovecraftian “fear of the unknown.” One of his most popular stories, in particular, takes this up a notch and reminds readers of humanity’s insignificance in the vastness of the universe.

The Stephen King novella in question has previously been adapted twice for the screen. Its first movie adaptation, which premiered in 2007, is still considered a cult classic. However, its second TV adaptation from 2017 has largely been forgotten. A decade later, a second film is adapting the same novel, and it is surprisingly being directed by Mike Flanagan.

Mike Flanagan’s Is Directing Stephen King’s The Mist’s 3rd Screen Adaptation

Warner Bros. Pictures announced that Mike Flanagan had officially signed on to write and direct a brand-new feature film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Mist. This is the third screen adaptation of the Stephen King novella and the fifth project in Mike Flanagan’s catalog of Stephen King adaptations.

Given how Frank Darabont did an incredible job of adapting the original Stephen King story with his 2007 movie, many have already questioned whether a new adaptation is necessary.

Fortunately, Mike Flanagan has addressed these concerns by revealing that he does not intend to remake Darabont’s movie (via Bluesky). As much as he loves the film, he intends to deliver an entirely new take on the original story where “the differences start page 1.“

Frank Darabont’s The Mist remains a cult classic and is often touted as one of the best Stephen King movies because it took a massive risk with its ending. Instead of featuring a typical horror movie ending where the human characters beat the overarching supernatural threat, it leaves audiences with a sense of dread and despair.

The hopelessness it instills in a viewer makes it an incredible Lovecraftian movie. While Flanagan might find other creative ways to instill the same cosmic terrors in audiences, he has confirmed that his way “into the story, through the story, and out of that story” is entirely different (via Murphy’s Multiverse).

The Mist Is The Perfect Springboard For Flanagan To Adapt More Lovecraftian Stories

Some might argue that The Mist is not exactly a Lovecraftian story because it does explicitly feature the ancient cosmic gods and intricate mythos typically associated with the cosmic horror author’s fiction. However, it is still hard not to see it as the perfect gateway to the horror subgenre because it includes everything from incomprehensible creatures to humanity’s insignificance in the face of an unknowable universe.

Owing to this, if Mike Flanagan manages to deliver a worthy and original take on Stephen King’s The Mist, he could prove that he can someday bring us a direct Lovecraftian adaptation. James Wan has been working on an adaptation of The Call of Cthulhu for quite some time. A Re-Animator remake is also in the works.

Mike Flanagan, too, could join the ranks among other filmmakers who are trying to bring Lovecraft’s “fear of the unknown” to the screens. Considering his extremely busy schedule, it will be a while before he gets the opportunity to adapt H.P. Lovecraft’s stories.

However, given his impressive success rate with horror adaptations of Stephen King‘s works, it is hard not to hope that he will eventually get the chance to give us a pure Lovecraftian movie or show.