The Fog: Nebel des Grauens

It's surprising that John Carpenter followed up Halloween with such a different tale of terror, but he did just that with 1980's The Fog. It's a urban legend-simple ghost story about a small coastal town celebrating its anniversary, forgetting that they only claimed the town because they murdered a shipful of lepers. The lepers are back and they want revenge.

The Fog has an excellent ensemble cast which is one of its strong suits and also, perhaps, one of its downfalls. There's really no major main character (even Adrienne Barbeau's Stevie Wayne - a radio DJ - disappears for large chunks of the film and never interacts with most of the other characters in the film). It's almost like if Robert Altman decided to make an ensemble horror film. Even more surprising is that Jamie Lee Curtis, Carpenter's star of Halloween, is in only about 15 to 20 minutes of the film and has no real character to speak of.

Dean Cundey's cinematography stuns and Carpenter's eerie synth score spooks, but one can't help feel that something is missing. It does lack that visceral thrill that made Halloween so special. The Fog seems content to just creep its audience out and not truly scare them. It's hard to complain, though, since The Fog does creepy better than just about any other film I can think of. It won't make you come back home and turn all the lights on before bed, but it still stays with you.

THE FOG

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Panavision)

Sound format: Mono

While celebrating its centenary birthday, a small Californian coastal town is visited by a ghostly fog containing an army of murderous spirits who take revenge for a terrible injustice.

Released on a wave of expectation following the worldwide success of John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN (1978), THE FOG surprised everyone by generating only moderate returns at the US box-office, though it's arguably the better of the two films. Beautifully photographed by Carpenter stalwart Dean Cundey (BACK TO THE FUTURE, JURASSIC PARK, etc.), this unassuming 'ghost story' opens on a lonely clifftop at midnight, where crusty old sea dog John Houseman tells an audience of wide-eyed children how their home town was built on the foundations of tragedy. As with HALLOWEEN, the pace is slow but steady, punctuated by a series of well-judged scares, and there's a relentless accumulation of details which belies the script's modest ambitions.

Jamie Lee Curtis headlines the movie opposite her real life mother Janet Leigh, though Hal Holbrook takes the acting honors as a frightened priest who realizes the town was founded on deception and murder. As the fog rolls in, the narrative reaches an apocalyptic crescendo, as the film's principal cast are besieged by zombie-like phantoms inside an antiquated church, in scenes reminiscent of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968). Scary stuff, to be sure, though Carpenter was forced to add new material during post-production in an effort to 'beef up' the movie's horror quotient, including a memorable late-night encounter between a fishing boat and the occupants of a ghostly schooner which looms out of the swirling fog (similar scenes would be added to HALLOWEEN II in 1981 for the same reasons, though under less agreeable circumstances). Production values are solid, and Carpenter cranks up the tension throughout, resulting in a small masterpiece of American Gothic. Highly recommended.

The Fog is an instant horror classic from the first scene- a salty, old sailor tells a group of young children the true story of a ghostly, wrecked ship. The scene was so simple yet so thrilling that the viewer is hooked (no pun intended) for the rest of the film. The cast is great and the music sets the tone just as it did for Halloween. The best part of the film is that it made no attempt to explain everything away in a hokey horror sense (Why are the bodies returning to life?). Things happen simply because they happen. Much like Night of the Living Dead, the characters are not concerned with why they are in danger, but more concerned with getting out of danger. On a side note, John Carpenter has the best endings of any filmmaker on the market. Just as Halloween and The Thing both ended with a sense of foreboding and silent terror, The Fog ends with style and allows the viewer one final scare. A definite hit!!!

The small coastal town of Antonio Bay is celebrating its 100th year since being founded. However the residents are not aware of the tragic history of their small town and think nothing of the wider significance of the date as they prepare for a big party; they don't even put together all the strange things that start happening on the day itself. However when a small boat is lost in a dense fog that contains a mysterious ship some residents begin to suspect something more sinister than meteorology is at work.

With a remake in the cinemas and the fact that I had just returned from the coast of northern California I thought I'd revisit The Fog having not seen it for almost 15 years. Trading on the very hallmarks that made John Carpenter famous (before he couldn't buy a hit movie) The Fog is an effective chiller even if it won't scare those accustomed to more gory, modern fare. Quite short and to the point, the film makes good use of the fog to draw tension out of every scene and overcomes the potential silliness of a smoke machine working overtime behind the scenes. Instead the tension is consistent and produces a good few jumps and build ups along the way; the ghosts are kept well hidden so that the limited effects don't undermine them by totally exposing them. Carpenter uses his usual minimalist electronic score to good effect, playing it low and constant like a heartbeat.

The famous cast help the convincing atmosphere and do more than just run and scream. Barbeau leads the cast well from the solitude of her lighthouse and she helps keep the tension up with her delivery. Curtis and Leigh both have smaller roles but they add class to the film and they "do" scared well. Atkins makes for a good male lead and he gets solid help from Holbrook and a few others in supporting roles. The zombie creatures move slowly but are a good presence.

Overall this is a solid chiller from the days when Carpenter seemed to know what he was doing. The low budget effects are covered up by solid delivery and a consistently tense atmosphere which is supported by convincing performances and Carpenter's usual low, steady consistent score.

One hundred years ago, on April 21st, the wealthy leper Blake bought the vessel Elizabeth Dane and moved with his friends from a leper colony to California to build a town for them to live with more comfort. However, while crossing a fog in Spivey Point, they were misguided by a campfire onshore, steering the course of the vessel toward the light and crashing her against the rocks. On the present days, on the celebration of the centenary of the fishing town Antonio Bay, a glowing fog appears, bringing the zombies of Blake and his crew to kill the residents. Father Robert Malone (Hal HolbrooK) finds the hidden journal of his grandfather in the wall of his church, and discloses that Antonio Bay was built with Blake's gold. Further, a group of conspirators including his grandfather lighted the fire to sink Elizabeth Dane and robber Blake's fortune and now the ghosts of Blake and his crew are seeking for revenge on the locals.

"The Fog" is a dark ghost story of this master of horror John Carpenter, who deserves an Oscar his great filmography. The cinematography and special effects are great, giving a scary atmosphere without the need of gore. It is nice to see again a gorgeous twenty-three- year- old Jamie Lee Curtis acting with her mother Janet Leigh. The screenplay builds the horror in a low pace, but increasing the tension. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Bruma Assassina" ("The Assassin Fog")

Note: On 14 September 2020, I saw this film again.

Note: On 25 February 2025, I saw this film again.