The Fog (1980)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers:

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

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
John Vick	...	Sheriff Simms (as John Vic)
Jim Jacobus	...	Mayor (as Jay Jacobs)
Fred Franklyn	...	Ashcroft
Ric Moreno	...	Ghost
Lee Socks	...	Ghost (as Lee Sacks)
Tommy Lee Wallace	...	Ghost (as Tommy Wallace)
Bill Taylor	...	Bartender
Rob Bottin	...	Blake
Charles Nicklin	...	Blake's Voice (voice)
Darwin Joston	...	Dr. Phibes
Laurie Arent	...	Child
Lindsey Arent	...	Child
Shari Jacoby	...	Child
Christopher Cundey	...	Child
John Strobel	...	Grocery Clerk
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Carpenter	...	Bennett (uncredited)
Debra Hill	...	Extra in Benediction scene (uncredited)

Directed by
John Carpenter

Writing credits
John Carpenter		(written by) and
Debra Hill		(written by)
Edgar Allan Poe		quotation (uncredited)

Produced by
Barry Bernardi	....	associate producer
Charles B. Bloch	....	executive producer
Pegi Brotman	....	associate producer
Debra Hill	....	producer

Original Music by
John Carpenter

Cinematography by
Dean Cundey		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Charles Bornstein
Tommy Lee Wallace

Production Design by
Tommy Lee Wallace

Art Direction by
Craig Stearns

Costume Design by
Stephen Loomis		(as Steven Loomis)
Bill Whitten

Makeup Department
Rob Bottin	....	special makeup
Tina Cassady	....	hair stylist
Dante Palmiere	....	makeup artist
Edward Ternes	....	makeup artist (as Ed Ternes)
Erica Ulland	....	makeup artist
Steve Johnson	....	special makeup effects assistant (uncredited)

Production Management
Don Behrns	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Larry J. Franco	....	first assistant director
James van Wyck	....	second assistant director (as James Van Wyck)

Art Department
Kathleen Hughes	....	props
Randy Moore	....	assistant art director (as Charles R. Moore)

Sound Department
Gregg Barbanell	....	foley artist
Gregg Barbanell	....	supervising sound editor
Joseph F. Brennan	....	boom operator (as Joe Brennan)
Ken Dufva	....	foley artist
Craig Felburg	....	sound mixer
Ron Horwitz	....	supervising sound editor
Bob Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bob Newlan	....	assistant sound editor
Frank Serafine	....	special sound effects
William L. Stevenson	....	sound designer: Stevensound Inc. (as William Stevenson)
Richard Tyler	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Dick Tyler)
Elliot Tyson	....	foley mixer
Ray West	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Richard Albain	....	special effects: A. & A. Special Effects (as Richard Albain Jr.)
Rob Bottin	....	effects: Blake
Dean Cundey	....	effects: Blake

Visual Effects by
James F. Liles	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
James Winburn	....	stunt driver (as James Windburn)
Mags Kavanaugh	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Scott Buttfield	....	electrician (as Scott Butfield)
Tim Doughton	....	grip (as Tim Doughten)
Steven Fierberg	....	electrician (as Steve Fierberg)
Kim Gottlieb	....	still photographer
Ben Haller	....	key grip
Steve Mathis	....	best boy electric
Dave Michels	....	grip
Krishna Rao	....	second assistant camera
Dylan Shepherd	....	best boy
Raymond Stella	....	camera operator
Raymond Stella	....	director of photography: second unit
Stephen St. John	....	first assistant camera (as Steve St. John)
Mark Walthour	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Richard Bloore	....	wardrobe master

Editorial Department
Joe Woo Jr.	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Jim Cypherd	....	music mixer
Bob Walters	....	music coordinator (as Bob Walter)
Dan Wyman	....	electronic orchestrator

Other crew
Donald P. Borchers	....	production accountant (as Don Borchers)
Mary Francis Flynn	....	production assistant
Alexandra Hawler	....	production assistant
Burke Mattsson	....	title designer
Steve McMillian	....	production assistant
Ed Pine	....	unit publicist
Jeanne Rosenberg	....	script supervisor
Katy Sweet	....	unit publicist
Dan Wyman	....	electronic realization
Randy Zook	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• AVCO Embassy Pictures (present) (as AVCO Embassy)
• EDI (present) (as E.D.I.)

Distributors

• AVCO Embassy Pictures (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• Astral Films (1980) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Entertainment Worldwide Inc. (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• Tobis (1980) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• BMG Video (1997) (UK) (VHS)
• Best Buy Movie GmbH (BBM) (2000) (Germany) (DVD)
• Globo Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (UK)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (VHS)
• Momentum Pictures (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD) (HD-DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)

Special Effects

• A&A Special Effects (special effects) (as A. & A. Special Effects)

Other Companies

• Bowling Green-Warren County Chamber Orchestra, The  music performed by
• Get Set  sets
• Mag City  special sound effects (as Mag City, Hollywood)
• Mag City  supervising sound editing (as Mag City, Hollywood)
• Maslansky Koenigsgerg  publicity (as Maslansky-Koenigsberg)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)  titles and opticals (as MGM)
• People of Inverness, California, The  our thanks to
• People of Pt. Reyes Station, California, The  our thanks to
• Samuel Goldwyn Studios  post production sound
• Sonoton Musik-Verlag  music
• Sound Arts  music recording studio
• Steven Sound  sound design (as Stevensound Inc.)
• Workroom 27  costume design

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:

Blake, the lead ghost, was played by makeup specialist Rob Bottin. When Bottin asked for the job, John Carpenter asked him to "stand up". Bottin then expected Carpenter to say, "...and get out!" When Carpenter saw that Bottin was a very large man, which was needed for the Blake character, he was hired.

Goofs:

Continuity: When we hear Stevie say, "It's 1:00," we are looking at Nick's clock radio. His clock says 1:40.

Quotes:

[Dr. Phibes is recording his examination of Dick Baxter's body]
Dr. Phibes: Evidence of deep penetrating wounds into each ocular orbit, entering into the cranial cavity. Also jagged lacerations to the face. The right area of his throat has been crushed. Thorax has been crushed and the lungs are filled with fluid.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines (2004) (VG)

A film that is truly terrifying?!? …It exists and it's named `the Fog'

A solid, powerful story…slowly developing and photographed with a unique sense for tension. THAT is `The Fog'. This story will leave a big impression on you and it's easily John Carpenter's best and most effective horror film. His most underrated as well, since people always refer to `Halloween' and `The Thing' when listing his best accomplishments as a director. Personally, I think The Fog is much more haunting and fascinating than these two, and it's one of the very few films that still scares me after all these years. Uniquely set in a small coast-town called Antonio Bay, where the inhabitants are preparing the celebrations for the town's hundredth anniversary. Only, they do not know that the genesis of their town went together with a devilish conspiracy, resulting in the unfortunate death of many seamen. These doomed victims rise again now, suddenly appearing from mysterious fogbanks that come from the ocean. If you're – like me - a sucker for ghostly myths set in abandoned surrounding, The Fog will be one of your most satisfying purchases ever. Carpenter brilliantly builds up an unbearable tension through simple methods, like long shots of an isolated countryside and a chilling musical score (not as famous as his `Halloween' score but equally effective). The bloodshed and images of cold-hearted monsters are kept to a minimum in order to leave it up to your own imagination. And for once, this actually works! The detailed sequences in which the town gets surrounded by an inescapable fog is more than horrific enough. Forget about all the overblown, big-budgeted and so-called `horrifying' films… This little, overlooked production scares the hell out of people since more than 20 years already. And it'll keep on doing so for yet another very long time!