(Are you sure that fogbank isn‘t a toxic cloud of smog from the San Fernando Valley?)
CAST: Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins, Janet Leigh, Hal Holbrook, Ty Mitchell, Nancy Loomis.
DIRECTOR: John Carpenter
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and freakishly sentient (and luminescent) fogbanks straight ahead.
Wow. If there was ever a flick that makes a strong argument for moving to Bahrain, Riyadh, Nigeria, India, or any other place with a low instance of fogbanks, it’s our latest review. Titled (duh) THE FOG, our movie tells the tale of what happens when the sins of a small Northern California coastal town named Antonio Bay catches up to it - big time. In the form of a supernatural fog that is the atmospheric equivalent of Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees combined.
What’s so fucking scary about this fog? Well, for starters, three major things: (1) it glows; (2) moves against the wind; and (3) carries within it the murderous ghosts of leper settlers who were murdered by the ancestors of Antonio Bay’s present inhabitants. In other words, payback is a bitch - and it doesn’t care who pays. Just so long as they pay - in this case, preferrably with blood.
The evil fog surfaces on Antonio Bay’s centennial celebration. The townspeople, apparently, are unaware that their town’s history is steeped in deception, intrigue, and murder - and go about preparing for its 100th like Christmas has come early or something. The only person who has an inkling that their forefathers are a bunch of murdering, lying, opportunistic fuckfaces is Father Malone (Hal Holbrook), an alcoholic priest who goes around saying things like “We’re cursed. We’re all cursed” or “This celebration tonight is a travesty. We’re honoring murderers.” Now, while both these things may essentially be the dead-on truth, they don’t exactly make Father Malone the life of the party. Know what I’m sayin’?
At any rate, other noteworthy townsfolk include: (1) Stevie Wayne (Adrienne Barbeau), sexy and sultry DJ from Chicago who’s moved to Antonio Bay to run her own radio station which, by the way, is in a remote lighthouse - don’t ask; (2) Nick Castle (Tom Atkins), gruff guy’s guy who likes to pick up hot hitchhikers; (3) Elizabeth Solley (Jamie Lee Curtis), hot hitchhiker who gets picked up by Nick; (4) Kathy Williams (Janet Leigh), uptight older lady who seems to be some sort of high-level mucky-muck in Antonio Bay; (5) Sandy Fadel (Nancy Loomis), Kathy’s smart-ass assistant who has the special ability to make “Yes, ma’am” sound like “Fuck you, bitch”; and (6) Andy (Ty Mitchell), Stevie’s young son who has an unfortunate hobby of finding cursed pieces of driftwood and bringing them home to mom as a souvenir. Gee, thanks. Brat.
Anyhow, these are the folks who must save Antonio Bay from the unearthly fog that comes back from beyond the grave. Who among them will fall victim to the killer ghosts inside the mist? Who will survive and break the curse? What else does Father Malone know about that he ain’t sharing? How will Stevie defend herself, all alone out there in the remote lighthouse radio station? On that note, what the fuck was she thinking when she chose that spot? Hello? Were all the office spaces in town already spoken for?
Geez. People in horror movies… could they be any dumber?
BUT, SERIOUSLY: With the smash success of HALLOWEEN in 1978, director John Carpenter hit the big time. He pretty much had the ability to write his own ticket, and he wisely followed up HALLOWEEN with another horror entry, but one sufficiently different from its predecessor so he would not appear to be repeating himself. That sophomore effort was a very good one - and it was THE FOG.
Whereas HALLOWEEN was a full-blooded slasher film, THE FOG is more of a brooding ghost story with some slasher aspects to it. What the two films have in common, though, are the following: (1) an atmospheric look and feel; (2) a steady sense of mounting dread; and (3) a pulsating and memorable music score that accentuates the thrills and suspense to an almost unbearable degree. While a lot of critics and fans believe THE FOG is inferior to HALLOWEEN because of its supernatural aspects, I believe its just as good. And while they are different types of horror films, I actually prefer THE FOG.
Part of the reason THE FOG succeeds is because, as with HALLOWEEN and future films like PRINCE OF DARKNESS and CHRISTINE, Carpenter takes the time to shape his characters and their interactions with one another. Even though we get virtually no backstory on them (with the exception of Stevie and Elizabeth) we still get a sense of people who have known each other for a long time - and communicate to one another in the short-hand that folks with a history often use. Credit for this should go not only to Carpenter, but also to his strong cast.
Speaking of the cast and their characters, it’s notable for being full of strong female roles that are still distinctive from one another. Stevie, Elizabeth, Kathy, and Sandy are all capable, competent, and never victims - but are still their own women. Stevie, in particular, is quite memorable. The scene where she desperately tries to use the airwaves to warn first her son, then the rest of the town of the impending danger the fog poses, is a terrific one. The male contingent of the cast are no slouches, either, with Hal Holbrook and Tom Atkins acquitting themselves well.
In the end, though, it’s Carpenter’s bravura technical skill that puts THE FOG into classic status. The man instinctively knows how to build suspense to a crescendo - before letting it explode. It also help immensely that his ominous, pounding musical score is the perfect aural complement to the terror unfolding onscreen. To this day, I get chills up my spine when I hear THE FOG’s musical themes - even more so than when I hear HALLOWEEN’s.
Bottom line: if there ever was an argument for stellar execution elevating and transcending a potentially hoary premise, THE FOG would be it. This movie is an unforgettable horror film - unlike the woefully inept 2005 remake. Which pretty much got everything wrong.
