HAPPY 46th ANNIVERSARY TO JOHN CARPENTER’S THE FOG!
The Fog roles in and terror descends on the small coastal town of Antonio Bay!
The now classic John Carpenter flick The Fog, was released on February 1st,1980 and as it celebrates its 46th anniversary, and I was there in a packed house opening night, it’s time for another Movie Memories…
Can anyone escape the terror that lies within The Fog!
The Fog is a very special film to me because it is the first John Carpenter movie I saw in a theater and started me on my love of his films that continues today. He is one of my all-time favorite filmmakers, if not the favorite. I remember going to see it opening night at the now long-gone Stanley Warner quad theater in Paramus, NJ with my sister and some friends. I also remember there was some debate as to what we were going to see that night, and I held out for this, and I am glad I did! I don’t remember what the other film was.
Ghosts of Antonio Bay’s past have returned 100 years later for revenge!
Anyone who has seen this now classic horror knows what kind of spooky tale unfolded before us as the theater lights dimmed and a hushed silence fell over the audience. Yea, people were a lot quieter in the movies back then, and there were no cellphones to distract them and annoy everyone else either. Good times to be a movie lover. From John Houseman’s opening campfire tale to the heart-stopping climax at a hilltop church, I loved every minute of it and so did my sister and friends. I was fascinated by Carpenter’s visual style, highlighted by Dean Cundey’s amazing cinematography, and the director’s ability to create spooky tension with just his camera lens. There was also an endearing cast of characters to follow such as Tom Atkins’ local fisherman, Jamie Lee Curtis’ spunky hitchhiker and Adreanne Barbeau’s sexy, hot mom DJ Stevie Wayne. Rob Bottin’s ghostly sailors were also very effective and while there was violence and kills, Carpenter didn’t overdo the blood and gore which gave the ghostly tale of revenge an old-fashioned charm I really loved. Not to mention Carpenter’s score really rocked and I purchased it on a Varese Sarabande cassette tape as soon as it was available. The film has been and always will be a personal favorite that I have owned in every available format from VHS to Laserdisc to DVD and now Scream Factory’s gorgeous, remastered Blu-ray. Simply a classic horror, a great ghost story and one of my all-time favorite spooky flicks!
HAPPY 46th ANNIVERSARY TO JOHN CARPENTER’S THE FOG!
In honor of this classic Carpenter flick’s anniversary, I am reposting my original review!…
JOHN CARPENTER’S THE FOG (1980)
One of my all-time favorite horrors and one of my favorite John Carpenter flicks, in fact, since I was too young to see Halloween when it came out, this was the first Carpenter film I saw in a theater and the flick that started me on my love of his movies.
The Fog tells the story of the 100-year anniversary of the small coastal California town of Antonio Bay and as the town prepares for its centennial celebration, a dark secret is revealed. Legend has it a leper colony paid the founders of Antonio Bay a lot of gold to let them settle nearby but, they were betrayed and murdered, as their ship was lured onto the rocks to crash and sink on a fog laden night. All were lost but, now a horde of vengeful spirits returns from the sea, wrapped in a surreal fog, to make the descendants of those who wronged them, pay with their lives.
The Fog focuses not on a main character but, a group of central characters whose individual experiences during this supernatural crisis bring them slowly all together for its tense and creepy final act set in the town church. A good cast, including Jamie Lee Curtis as hitchhiker Elizabeth, Tom Atkins as local fisherman Nick, Janet Leigh as centennial chairwoman Kathy Williams and Adrienne Barbeau as single mom and radio DJ Stevie Wayne, give life to this ensemble and make them characters we like and care about so, we fear for them when they are placed in harm’s way. Add to that Hal Holbrook as the town’s alcoholic priest and a host of Carpenter regulars…with even a cameo by Carpenter himself…and you have a film wonderfully filled with a variety of characters who are all potential victims for the marauding phantoms. As for those phantoms, let’s not forget to mention the ghostly Captain Blake (FX man Rob Bottin) and his vengeful crew are portrayed with in-camera practical FX. This makes them quite spooky and gives them a heavy dose of menace and a lot of effectiveness when they are on the attack. There is loads of atmosphere and some very solid scares and suspense created by Carpenter, along with some great cinematography from frequent Carpenter collaborator Dean Cundey, which makes this a good, solid, old-fashioned ghost story and a fun Halloween season treat. Carpenter again delivers a score which adds chills and foreboding to his tale of ghostly revenge, much like he did for Halloween. He starts the film off perfectly with a chillingly fun opening sequence featuring veteran John Houseman as a crusty sailor who likes to tell kids scary stories. It sets the mood for the thrills and chills yet to come. This classic was made back when there was no phony CGI, just solid make-up effects from master Rob Bottin (who went on to do The Thing’s FX for Carpenter) and some very basic down to earth smoke and mirrors style visuals, that are as beautiful as they are scary. A great flick the likes of which they rarely make anymore and one of MonsterZero NJ’s must-watch flicks during the Halloween season!
-MonsterZero NJ
Rated 4 (out of 4) spectral sailors!
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-MonsterZero NJ
Photos: AVCO Embassy Pictures
MonsterZero NJ's Movie Madhouse 
