Simply put, it is because The Mist is one of Stephen King’s most terrifying film adaptations on Netflix or otherwise. So why is this particular Stephen King film doing so well on Netflix? Compared to Frank Darabont’s earlier Stephen King adaptations The Shawshank Redemption (which flopped on release, only to be reassessed as a modern classic) and The Green Mile (which is less fondly remembered, but made a quarter of a billion dollars), The Mist was something of a non-start. Critics were lukewarm on it then and now, with it currently holding a 60% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It made a decent $57 million (off of an $18 million budget) but certainly did not set the world on fire. In a comprehensive filmography that includes enormous box office earners like the recent two-part adaption of It (which grossed approximately $327 and $211 million, respectively) and critically adored films like Stanley Kubrick’s T he Shining, The Mist is pretty much middle of the pack.
