Out of the Fog

The heavy overacting by the leading actor was a bit tiresome and got worse as time passed as he played " the angry young man" for all it was worth, this would have been a much better film if he had toned it down a bit. I like James Hayter's deep voice and his films are usually very enjoyable. The ex-cons in the house were a nice mixture of characters and it was unusual to see Michel Ripper in a film without vampires or similar creatures in it him being "Mr Hammer Horror Film Man". A nice period piece but the ending could have been a lot better done. It was probably very cheap to make but it's still worth watching.

Ex-con George Mallon (David Sumner) secures a room at a half-way house and a job at a furniture company, but the police won't leave him alone, suspecting him of the murders of several women. Is Mallon innocent or does he really have an uncontrollable urge to throttle pretty, young blondes under the light of a full moon?

Out of the Fog is an entertaining little thriller, although the incessant surliness of its central character does detract slightly from the fun: Mallon's antisocial attitude is necessary in order to cast doubt about his character, but Sumner over-eggs the pudding, his performance proving irritating in the extreme.

Fortunately, the mystery is engaging enough to make the movie worth persevering with, especially when sexy sergeant June Lock (Susan Travers) is ordered to go undercover and act as bait for the killer: posing as a saleswoman at the furniture company, she befriends Mallon, going on several dates with the young man, the police keeping them under surveillance. Mallon isn't fooled, however, and manages to get Ms. Lock alone on the foggy Eastgate 'flats' where the killer always strikes.

To his credit, director Montgomery Tully successfully keeps the audience guessing about Mallon to the very end, making the final reel effectively suspenseful. 6/10.

this is a dark, gritty drama i was lucky enough to tape late one night about 15 years ago. the music is fantastic. the acting and direction superb and the writing impeccable. i have never seen it shown since...if you see it listed late one night and appreciate finding great unknown films-tape it!

A nice little B picture from prolific thriller director Montgomery Tully. The plot is unusual enough to make this stand out and there are some great little moments portrayed very well despite what is obviously a low budget. Heck, even the fog is in short supply here, but OUT OF THE FOG still packs a punch as a murder mystery and has something to say at the same time.

The plot sees the callow and unlikeable David Sumner being released from prison and going to live in a kind of halfway house populated by delightful old lags. Most of these ex-cons are made of great British character actors like Michael Ripper, George Woodbridge, and Richard Shaw. The jovial James Hayter is the nice chap who runs the place. However, this is just the background for the main plot, involving a serial killer with a penchant for strangling blondes.

Sumner is the main suspect and OUT OF THE FOG follows the police's tailing and eventual attempts to apprehend him. Susan Travers has a fine role as the undercover policewoman used as bait. There's a wonderfully evocative ending and lots of good character work en route; nothing much feels out of place, and overall the film is a nice and tidy piece of work.

Under-rated, unpretentious B-movie that keeps you guessing till the end. David Sumner's 'surly' and unlikeable lead grows on you once you realise that he never lets up; and the ending doesn't let you down. An uncompromising gem. Made on the cheap, for sure - they even stint on the fog - and Montgomery Tully was a hit-and-miss director at best, but this film is about ten years ahead of its time and still has a kind of individualism that weathers the fifty-or-so years that have elapsed since then rather well. From prison to a halfway house to eventual employment to a tentative relationship with a woman who ditches our 'hero' as soon as she finds out about his criminal past ...and then a trap is set, for he is under constant suspicion. This is one of those stories where much of the 'important' stuff -the killings, the planning of a heist- happens off-screen. And it's all the better for it.