“THE MIST,”

a new Spike series, does justice to the Stephen King story that inspired it, Hal Boedeker writes.

The fog that engulfs a Maine town in “The Mist” is more dangerous and versatile than the ocean in a “Jaws” movie. People caught in the mist can be attacked by bugs, lose their minds and suffer grotesque deaths.

The Spike series “The Mist,” debuting Thursday and based on a Stephen King story, packs a scary efficiency that should appeal to “The Walking Dead” fans.

The drama also works to tap into the general uneasiness pervading the culture. Christian Torpe, who created the series, says in production notes that “the permanent grip of fear” and “the loss of reason” are at the heart of King’s 1980 work and the dominant feeling in the world today.