The Fog (1980)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers:

John Carpenter (written by) and
Debra Hill (written by)

Release Date:

8 February 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

What you can't see won't hurt you... it'll kill you!

Plot:

A Northern California fishing town, built 100 years ago over an old leper colony, is the target for revenge by a killer fog containing zombie-like ghosts seeking revenge for their deaths.

Plot Keywords:

Fog | Leper | Bay | Revenge | Ghost

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Adrienne Barbeau	...	Stevie Wayne
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Elizabeth Solley
Janet Leigh	...	Kathy Williams
John Houseman	...	Mr. Machen
Tom Atkins	...	Nick Castle
James Canning	...	Dick Baxter
Charles Cyphers	...	Dan O'Bannon
Nancy Kyes	...	Sandy Fadel (as Nancy Loomis)
Ty Mitchell	...	Andy
Hal Holbrook	...	Father Malone
John F. Goff	...	Al Williams (as John Goff)
George 'Buck' Flower	...	Tommy Wallace
Regina Waldon	...	Mrs. Kobritz
Jim Haynie	...	Dockmaster
Darrow Igus	...	Mel

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's The Fog (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (original rating) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (re-rating) (2002) | Iceland:16 | West Germany:16 (f) | Denmark:15 | USA:R (Approved No. 25792) | Netherlands:16 | Italy:T | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:16 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Altadena, California, USA

Company:

AVCO Embassy Pictures

Trivia:

In the final scene at the church, Nick has Andy stand back and hide. On the wall behind Andy is a brick inscribed "H. Hawks." This is undoubtedly a reference to legendary director Howard Hawks.

Goofs:

Continuity: Elizabeth takes off her gloves when she first gets into Nick's truck near the beginning of the film. When the windshield shatters and Nick is struggling to control the truck, she is wearing the gloves again in a few very quick shots.

Quotes:

Nick Castle: Do you feel that?
Dr. Phibes: I'll tell you what happened...
Nick Castle: It just got cold in here.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Whiteout Conditions: The Remaking of a Horror Classic (2006) (V)

A Glowing Review

I watched The Fog for the first time since the early 1980's the other night. John Carpenter and Debra Hill did a fine job with this one.

The good points of the movie deal with the overall story and the setting of the film. The story is explained fully during the movie and the setting in California is superb and creepy. The music is also disturbing. The background music coupled with the uneasiness and lonliness of the town, Antonio Bay, is very effective. No gore whatsoever in this one so the whole family may watch this movie together. When I was about 10 or 11 years old this movie did scare me quite a bit. The only negative was the characterization. No character development at all but that was probably intended. Jamie Lee Curtis's role is strange. Some references to Halloween are also found in the film. i.e. Look out for the name of one of the main characters.

Overall a good movie. Not great but good. 6 out of 10.